"Rebecca" left a comment on Dana's blog to the effect that additional homeschool regulations would be appropriate to hold parents accountable because "lots of home-schooled kids are just being taught about Jesus all day."
Wow.
Well, first off, I'm sure a good number of secular, Muslim, Objectivist, gay and other homeschooling parents are flattered to know they've done such a good job of teaching their children conservative Christian theology. Kudos to them!! Hey, guys... we'll have to throw a party later and your kids can show me all the Bible verses they know, ok? I'll bring the cake. :]
I guess "lots of home-schooled kids are just" are a lot of things. Throw a stereotype out there, why don't you? They're:
unsocialised
behind public school peers
indoctrinated
not allowed to grow up normally
raised by parents who are overly controlling
abused
you-name-it.
I'm sure the sorts of people who perpetuate these myths would never throw out the "lots of children of gays are sexually abused" myth, let alone the "lots of black children are good dancers" myth and the "Chinese children do so well at math because they're naturally smarter" myth. Shall I go on, or do you get the picture already?
Maybe I missed it. Maybe children of ethnically Chinese people really ARE naturally smarter, and I just missed GOD coming down in the form of a statistic to tell me that information. My bad. Here all this time I thought He took the form of a man instead. At least that's what I've been teaching my children about Jesus.
All day.
You know, I think this is an excellent idea. Tomorrow, I'm going to do nothing but teach about Jesus. When we have a set of fractions to subtract, I shall declare that GOD HIMSELF hath ordained that nine-tenths minus one-tenth equals one tenth, world without end. Amen.
Ok, enough silliness. We really do teach about Jesus all day long, I suppose, in our homeschool. When we're learning science, we come at it from a young-earth Christian perspective. Don't like it? Too stinkin' bad. You're not buying my curriculum, so what's it to you? When we learn history, we study missionaries as well as politicians. Don't like it? Too stinkin' bad. When we read, we read the Bible as well as carefully selected texts that contain nothing contrary to my understanding of theology. Don't like it? Too stinkin' bad. Go teach your own kid.
Hey. That stereotype about Christians being meek and mild is just that. Don't like it? Too stinkin' bad.
I'm guessing Pagan moms and Buddhist moms teach their children religious precepts as well. It's none of my business to interfere in such matters! I couldn't imagine myself voting against their rights to do so, either. What is it about some people that the feel the need to manipulate and control others? It isn't just secular people. I was very sorry to learn that Sonlight wouldn't be featured at a Christian curriculum fair because the hosts felt it wasn't conservative enough. (Hat tip: Luke)
Unfortunately, I fear that's the sort of thing that happens when fighting is so intense between secular forces and those who want to teach about Jesus all day. Sometimes we accidentally make enemies of those who don't (in our view) teach the correct doctrine or teach our understanding of theology perfectly. That's a shame. I've ordered the Singapore math stuff from them and while I don't see "GOD SAID..." on every page, I do see that God has made the whole world and He really did ordain the order and scientific principles we see before us each day.
Just my opinion. You're welcome to teach your kids whatever you feel is right. I think. Well, in most states. :]
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Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
Well I make no bones about it that I teach my children about Jesus all day. Why not?
ReplyDeleteLook how Hitler taught the children in his regime or rather how he ordered the children to be taught. Everyone knows, regardless of religion that if you want your child to hold to your beliefs you have to teach them young.
That person you referred to sounds like they have a chip on their shoulder!
Um, if I send my kid to public school someone can teach stuff I don't necessarily believe in all day long too. People should worry about their own stuff & let the rest of us take care of our own business.
ReplyDeleteMrs. D, I'm not sure that "Rebecca" (whoever "she" is) has a chip on her shoulder or if she is just parroting what she heard as fact. I mean, how often do we accept news or statistics without question? I've been guilty of this myself.
ReplyDeleteBUT it shouldn't go unchallenged.
Ganeida, that's the heart of the issue. Hey, I send my older two to ps and there are some positives to it but indoctrination sure isn't one of them. :]
Rebecca might be interested to know that there is a secular homeschooling faction. With a magazine, http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/
ReplyDeleteIf I have kids, I'd consider homeschooling not specifically for the religious aspect - more because I like the idea of the very small class size and individualized attention. The religious aspect would be more of a benefit.
Regardless of whether or not these kids are learning Jesus or Buddha all day long, they still leave school knowing how to read, write, and do basic math - something a lot of *college* graduates can barely do.
Regardless of the type of school, I still think it is important to have some knowledge of what other religions believe.
Well, I can't say knowing some information is a *bad* thing... but when people want to *legislate* that my children learn this or that, I have to wonder what the real motivation would be.
ReplyDelete:]
And *YES* this "secular homeschooling" is not an oxymoron. Some parents even pull their kids from public school because the agenda there is too conservative LOL!!!
I just love waking up to a post like this. It gets my blood going as I chuckle and get all hot under the collar at the same time. I don't have anything new to add, since I totally agree with you, but Good Grief! Oh, and too stinkin' bad!
ReplyDeleteLOL Did I save you the cost of a cup of coffee, then? That'd be too stinkin' bad for the coffee growers, wouldn't it?
ReplyDelete"GOD HIMSELF hath ordained that nine-tenths minus one-tenth equals one tenth..."
ReplyDelete[laughing] Well, working from the assumption that God created the world to be consistent and rational, you'd be right about that.
"Don't like it? Too stinkin' bad. Go teach your own kid."
Love it! You totally crack me up when you get going [smile].
"Sometimes we accidentally make enemies of those who don't (in our view) teach the correct doctrine or teach our understanding of theology perfectly. That's a shame."
Excellent observation, Mrs. C. I completely agree with you. May we learn to speak the truth in love to one another and spur each other on to the truth.
~Luke
I have been considering going to the secular home school conference in our state this year. I am a Christian, but I was discouraged when I read a list of the classes -- there were several "natural living" type classes (agrarian living, anti-vaccine, etc.) There is nothing wrong with any of that. But, what I have in common with other homeschoolers is that I have committed to teaching my children at home. I expect classes on how practically do that.
ReplyDeleteLuke, I sincerely hope that the Sonlight exclusion thing doesn't continue.
ReplyDeleteJulie, if you homeschool, you'd think it's mostly about the learning at home thing, but you'd be so wrong LOL. It almost seems like you have to pick a stereotype and try to fit in with that. Are ya gonna go with granola Earth types or rabid fundamentalists? :]