From: spp@zabriskie.berkeley.edu (Steve Pope)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books
Subject: Homeschooling (spp's response to multiple posts)
Date: 6 Jan 1993 19:43:49 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley -- ERL
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: zion.berkeley.edu


Subject: Homeschooling (spp's multiple reply)

I subscribed to r.a.b a few weeks back to ask a question
about which translations of Colette's works are preferred.
Nobody responded to that, but in my subsequent browsing
I run across a surprising discussion on homeschooling.

Mike Morris responds to Staci Ann Waldroop:

>> You say that the educational system is bad.  I ask you...WHAT 
>> ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT???

> If you can explain to me how my desire/decision to homeschool my 
> children, and to give to them thereby the best education I possibly 
> can, is doing other than facing the problem squarely, then perhaps 
> I might agree as to the appropriateness of your response.

Mike, I'm sorry but you do not impress me at all as
a person who is "facing the problem squarely".  From what you've
written here, you are not only opposed to solving the
sticky problems facing us today (such as sexual harrassment,
and ongoing damage to the environment), you persist in 
attempting to belittle those who are working on improving
these situations.

Of course you're entitled to your opinion on these issues, 
but from where I sit, what I see is you and other homeschoolers
being rosily led down the path to rightwing dogmatism,
oblivious to what you're really doing because you're so
fired up with this notion that you're really doing something
better than the parents who have their kids in traditional
schools.  There's nothing better than a false sense of 
accomplishment to make people vulnerable to political
manipulation.

John Scott writes in response to my post:

>> Actually it's the homeschoolers who have a conservative
>> social agenda, not the educators who have a liberal one.
>> 
>> I was reading (article in New Yorker, Nov 9 1992) about
>> how the recently failed anti-gay initiative in Oregon
>> (measure 9) had as part of its initial constituency
>> "150,000 homeschoolers".   Bleahh.
>
> Therefore, Mike Morris, Heather Henderson, and I, as homeschool 
> advocates, must be in favor of anti-gay initiatives, right?  

I wouldn't say categorically that homeschoolers are anti-gay.
The fact that there's a big overlap between homeschoolers and
anti-gays in Oregon is not at all surprising to me.

> Making such generalizations about homeschoolers is
> as ludicrous as claiming that all Oregonians are homophobes 
> because some of them supported Measure 9.

You are correct, of course.  My point is that it's an equally
ludicrous generalization to accuse educators of having
a liberal social agenda.

>> So you don't like the schools in Sonoma County.  You
>> are free to move out of the state, y'know.
>
> True.  He is also free to live in the county and complain about it.  
> He is also free to homeschool.  I have never understood the "Love 
> it or leave it" mentality.

I do not like the idea of out-of-state conservatives coming
into California and trying to whip up support for
their right-wing agenda.  If I spot one, I suggest they
consider going somewhere else.  Or at least, I don't go out
of my way to make them feel welcome.

Lest I sound too NIMBY about this, I equally despise the
concept of Orange County (California) conservatives going to 
Colorado to create support for their anti-gay agenda there.  
Particularly since they succeeded.  

In what I can only presume to be flamebait, Francis Muir writes:

>>John Scott writes:
>>	Making such generalizations about homeschoolers is as ludicrous 
>>	as claiming that all Oregonians are homophobes because some of
>>	them supported Measure 9.

>Which is itself as ludicrous as claiming that all those Oregonians who 
>supported Measure 9 are homophobes.

To which Laurie Mann's (very measured) response is:

> While this discussion probably better belongs in 
> alt.politics.homosexuality, 

(perhaps, but the homeschoolers seem to be here on r.a.b. !)

> I would say anyone who supported Oregon Measure 9 (or Colorado 
> Measure 2) is a  homophobe.  That doesn't mean everyone in Oregon or 
> Colorado is a bigot, just the ones who believe some minority groups 
> don't deserve equal protection under  the law.  And having seen some 
> of the ravings from the "Pro-9" and "Pro-2" groups, I'd be curious 
> how people can support either of these measures and 
> not be homophobic.  [...]

What she said.  I'm quite curious about this myself.

So to sum up my view of homeschooling:

(1) For the parents who practice it, it's pretty much a 
religion.  (a red flag goes up right there...)

(2) There probably are some benefits to the child's
education in some individual cases.

(3) Pulling the strings are the far-right conservative
leaders, who take advantage of the vulnerability of those
caught up in "homeschooling fever" to promote their
sexist, anti-environment, and anti-gay agendas.

(4) Given the above, the potential educational benefits
of homeschooling do not come close to outweighing the
social cost.  Homeschooling therefore should be strongly
discouraged.

Steve