I understand your commitment to homeschooling. However, I do not understand your desire to be degrading to those who choose not to homeschool. Your quote, "But think about how many more hours in the day you will now be free to pursue your own interests" disturbs me. Why does it disturb me? It disturbs me because you insinuate that all parents of children in public school are putting them there just so they can have a break to have fun. That is not why my child is in public school. I do not feel that the best place for my child, at this time, is to be solely homeschooled by me. That does not mean that I am leaving her education up to someone else! One of my friends has made comments about "the homeschooling you've done" referring to how I got my daughter ready for school & continue to be involved with her. What she says is true. I have spent much time, and continue to spend much time with her, helping her with her education. I am not a slacker parent just because I enrolled her in a public school. Some parents are slackers when it comes to their child's education, I won't deny that. But I am not one of them. Some of the things that I see homeschooling moms "brag" about (projects & goals met, etc.) are things that my child does as well. She just also has a formal education thrown in. She is absolutely thriving in the classroom atmosphere and comes home excited about doing her homework and making books on her own. I am greatly disturbed when I read posts (linked from your site I think) from homescholing moms who say things like, "Oh. We didn't do any school last week. Hopefully we'll get more done this week." or "We've read a couple of books on the couch today. That's all we've really done for school." That's homeschooling?!?!?! I believe a child needs more structure than that in order for it to truly be called "school."
My husband & I thought long & hard, as well as prayed, before deciding to put our child in a public school. I am a certified teacher who taught school for 4 years (1 in private school & 3 in public school) before having children. Half of the stuff you write about the "evils" of public school I never saw or heard while teaching in the public school. While I was teaching, I would openly speak of God if the situation arose. No, I didn't teach Bible lessons or pray publicly in my classroom, but if an appropriate situation arose, I would say something about God. I remember inviting the mother of one of my students to bring her child to our Children's Bible Hour. I remember gathering with a large group of teachers after school one day, IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOM, and praying for a tragedy that had occurred that day. I remember a prayer being said at our district wide faculty & staff breakfast. Why don't you write about THOSE schools? They're not all as bad as you want people to think.
I'll admit, some of the stuff you write does upset me. For example, the sexual survey g
(I guess my whole post was too long. I'll try to finish it here.)
The sexual survey given to the students or the homosexual literature sent home, that would disturb me. I would be on the parents fighting the school over this. Public schools aren't perfect, but neither are private schools or homeschools.
You wrote something about a child being taken to court over a picture of Jesus being on a poster he made. That is unfortunate. However, my child took her Bible to school for Show & Tell this year. I didn't receive any negative feedback about that. A group of parents & students met at the school's flagpole for "See You at the Pole" one September morning before the school day began. We sang songs of praise to God and prayed for our children, their teachers, & their school. This was done directly in front of the school and was approved beforehand by the assistant principal.
I won't say that I'll never homeschool. That would be an ignorant statement because I may decide to do so one day based upon our situation. Can you honestly say that you would never send your child to public school? Do you know that much about every school in that nation to be so adamantly against them?
I am very involved in my child's education. I am at the school once a week tutoring students in her classroom. My husband has been up there reading to the students. I attend the PTA meetings and have helped with the teacher appreciation breakfast. We review all work that comes home. We are in constant communicatin with her teacher. Am I with her all day long? No, but I am involved.
My child isn't lacking in Biblical instruction. She is in Bible Class an average of 3 times a week, as well as having daily "mini-lessons" as situations arise. Prayer is said often in our home. She has been taught, and is continuously taught, that God & Jesus are the most important thing. We were just talking last week about how she can show the love of Jesus to even people who aren't that sweet. (concerning a little boy in class who was bugging her.)
I am trying to respect your right to homeschool. Please respect my right to send my child to a public school. They're not all as bad as you seem to want others to think. My husband & I reserve the right to change our mind concerning our children's education if we need to. I understand that you want to speak out in favor of homeschooling. Just please try not to be so degrading to others who choose differently.
Thank you
I have not degraded anyone's choice. The courts however have severely downgraded a parents role and influence. If anyone is angry it should be directed at the schools and courts.
I wrote the portion about the parents based on the comments of my friends and neighbors after they have enrolled their children in Kindergarten. They truly feel liberated and boast about how much more time they have.
The other portions were based on what the 9th Circuit has decided. The court opinion states that your control as a parent is substantially diminished. They have also said that the state was acting rationally in giving the survey to the children. Any school who believes that is a good thing and any court who believes its rational is not a place that I want to send my children.
I merely took what the court said and restated it. Some may not like my interpretation and I'm okay with that.
I enjoyed the "New Miranda right." I thought it was entertaining in a sad sort of way.
Keep up the good work.
I home school my daughter and hope I can do this through all twelve years, although my husband keeps after me to prepare her for public school. I have good Christian friends who are public school teachers who run Good News clubs at their schools. But one of those friends, whose advice I’ve always valued, recommended I home school my daughter, since she could guarantee my daughter would be bullied in school and beaten down in the classroom. My daughter’s a right-brain learner; very small for her age, very creative, very verbal. She learns visually, she memorizes instantly and doesn’t like drilling. Some days we spend several hours sitting on the couch reading our history and science and literature books. Sometimes we spend the whole day doing grammar worksheets. Most days we follow a schedule similar to a ps school day, with breaks for recess and lunch. But at any time, she could take a standardized test and prove what she’s learned (she’s taken such tests since the first grade), even though I don’t always follow a traditional school day schedule.
I don’t argue with parents who send their children to public school, because I know that the homeschooling lifestyle is not for everyone. (Although a lot of public schooling parents feel it necessary to lecture me on my decision.) My family has made the financial choice to homeschool, and because of that, my husband forgoes many of the “big boy toys” that his friends have. He accepts that (and only occasionally, muses wistfully about it).
And yes, I know the stay-at-home parent who sent his very active son to school so that it would free up his days. He pre-schooled his son and taught him to read, then sent him to kindergarten so he could “have his days to himself” (as his wife told me). And one of the first thing the school officials did was set the family down to discuss ways (and medicines) to control this very active little boy.
I know these are ad hominem examples, but they influence my feelings about homeschool versus public school.
I am happy to have found you! Mother-lode.blogspot.com will now link here.
It is disturbing that our rights as parents are being so cavalierly stripped from us! This should give every parent in America the willies, whether they are homeschooling, private schooling or public schooling.
What I find most distressing of all is the number of families who will not even take note until there is a knock at THEIR door.
I also have friends who can't wait to send their kids to school so that they can finally live the life they want and pursue their own activities and hobbies. If a parent chooses to send their children to public school then it is a great thing to be very active, but as one friend put it, even if you are in the class alot you still don't know all that is going on. She pulled her child out of school because of the teacher saying that the child could not express her love for Jesus or even talk about Him. And this is from a christian teacher. Parents have the right to delegate their childrens education but they will be accountable for it in the end. I firmly believe the best place for children to be is at home.
Spunky,
About a week or two ago, there was a post on your blog about a set of homeschooled twin girls who have
apparently become icons for some sort of white supremacy movement. The "beliefs" and actions of these
girls are extremely disturbing, but even more disturbing was the fact that some members of the media
have used these girls to argue that homeschooling is a narrow-minded and elitist movement. Your blog made an excellent point by arguing that just
because one homeschooling family is teaching hate to their kids by no means proves that all homeschooling
families are falling into the same trap. Of course there are wonderful homeschool families out there! I
couldn't have agreed more with that point!
Now I ask you how your assumptions about this case with the 9th Circuit Court should be handled differently than the situation with the twin girls? I really don't know all the circumstances surrounding this 9th Circuit case, so I should probably be slow to speak about it. However, after my own preliminary review of this ruling, it looks to me like perhaps one school in California messed up. Does that mean all public schools everywhere are messing up!? No! It would be ridiculous to assume that all the public schools are falling into the same trap! Does that mean that every single public school in the US is discouraing parents from having a voice?! By no means! That would be like saying all homeschooling parents everywhere are racist! In my humble opinion, there's
just no way you can allow one exception (a pretty extreme exception, from what I've seen)speak for thewhole. There are many involved Christian parents who
prayerfully choose to send their kids to the public schools and are blessed in that decision.
In fact, this case seems so outlandish to me that I honestly see no reason why it would have much bearing on anything. I've been keeping my eye on the 9th Circuit Court for several years now. They are by far the most liberal circuit court in the US right now (and have been for quite some time) and furthermore, they've failed to set any precedent because they are so far left on everything they decide. I predict that about 99.9% of the public shools in our country won't even take notice of this case (and that is not an exaggeration.)
In still seems completely logical(and biblical) to me to argue that both homeschooling and public schooling can be wonderful options, depending on what the
circumstances with one's family and local school district are. At the college/young professionals group
at my church, there are dozens of amazing Christian servants and would you believe that they come out of
all sorts of different educational backgrounds? And they love each other and serve together in spite of
those differences! Praise God!
Jacinda, it sounds like you are doing an excellent job
overseeing your daugher's education!I'm sure she is a really special young lady. (And be encouraged, Jacinda--I attended the public
that is not an exaggeration.)
schools for 13 years and I think I
turned out okay!) I respect your right to send your daughter to public schools! Sandra, it sounds like you are doing a great job homeschooling! I respect your
right to homeschool and wish you and your daughter the best!
And Spunky, you already know how highly I think of you and your clan!
Isn't it awesome how we can all be Christian brothers and sisters? We don't even need to bicker about who's "right" on this issue because I honestly believe that as long as we're covered by the blood of Jesus and seeking God's will, then we can all be "right" about this issue!
Blessings!
Excellent question Critter!
The difference between the twin girls and the 9th Circuit is huge. The girls behavior will shape some opinion of homeschooling it can in no way be compared to the Court declaring that a parent has not fundamental right to be the exclusive provider of sexual information. The court also found that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students. Meaning the schools are the sole decision makers of what is taught. And the court has effectively muted imput from the parents. That is not to say that some school districts won't still accept parental input. It means that they are free to totally disregard it if they choose to. I would enocurage you to read my other post and the ruling itself Critter. It is eye opening.
One final point the court ruled that the school DID NOT mess up and that they were acting rationally and persuing the best interests of the health and welfare of the state. This ruling did nothing to admonish the school and everything to embolden them.
Further, this is not about a particualar school but about the direction of our public educational system. This ruling has ruled that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students. That means a school can teach what they want without interference from the parent. That does not mean that ALL schools will do this. But that they have the authority to do so.
This post is not about which educational option is "right". It is about who the state views as the final authority. This court ruling makes that perfect clear it is the state and not the parent.
I agree that bickering about who is "right" on this issue is pointless. I do appreciate reading accurate information and listening to honest viewpoints on both sides though.
I appreciate the verses and information that Spunky shares to use in our own decision on how to best educate our children. I believe it's good to be informed, take our own circumstances into account and honestly seek out what God would have us do.
I do think more Christian parents need a wake-up call about what is going on in the public schools though. I think many are just oblivious or desensitized. I know I have been at times.
I was just recently reminded of some things that happened during my own public high school experience. I was s*xually harrassed several times over the course of my four years by other students. (Have you ever blogged on this topic, Spunky?)
Unless we are led otherwise, that is one reason we are considering homeschooling.
I also think there is a danger in being so propogandized or going along with someone else's strong opinions that a person can shut out finding God's individual will for their own family.
Back to my own high school experience. The wonderful news is that I can see how God is working negative things from my past out for my good! I no longer believe I have to provide a "perfect" experience for my children- homeschooling or otherwise. I do think He wants me to seriously seek out His will though. His grace and mercy covers the rest.
Spunky,
When you said,"This post is not about which educational option is "right". It is about who the state views as the final authority. This court ruling makes that perfect clear it is the state and not the parent." I was right with you! I am new to homeschooling this year. Our children attended public schools up until this year. They are in 4th and 6th grade. We have pulled our children out for personal reasons. This choice is the best for our family. By no means is it for everyone. It never occurred to me to take them out of the public school until we started having problems. I tried for 2 years to resolve them with the schools 'system' or chain of command. When all avenues had been exhausted, leaving us very disillusioned, we pulled them out.
I would encourage Jacinda (or anyone else) to read a book by Samuel Blumenfeld entiled,"Is Public Education Necessary?" It is a very informative!
Thanks Lori that was one of the very first books on education that I read! That man was very instrumental in helping to educate me on public education. He also wrote an excellent phonics program Alpha Phonics that we have used.
Thanks for the responses. I agree that parents should have the final say in how their children are educated and taught values, etc, etc. My response is that I don't see how this case is going to have any notable ramifications for 2 reasons:
1) I think that legally the case won't have any effect because it will probably be appealed to a higher court and the decision will ultimately be overturned. It probably won't even take very long for this to happen. The 9th Circuit Court has been handing down semi-crazy decisions for years and very few of them have stuck. In this decision, I'm thankful that our government has a very intricate set of checks-and-balances in place to ensure that powers such as the 9th Circuit Court don't have supreme authority to decide what happens. The 9th Circuit court might be trying to hush parents, but I don't think most governmental authorities are going to go for that.
2) I still don't see how, even if this case stands, it's going to have any bearing on how schools educate or parents raise their kids. It's more of a theoretical case, in my opinion. The schools will keep on doing what they're doing, which is to delegate the bulk of the responsibility about teaching sexuality to parents. Believe me, there's not very many teachers who want to touch that topic with a 50-foot pole! And responsible Christian parents will continue to be responsible Christian parents, in spite of what the courts says. It's not like some parent is going to hear about this case and say "you know, I was thinking about talking to Junior about God's view of sexuality soon, but since the 9th Circuit Court just handed down their ruling, I better just shut up and buy Junior an X-Box instead." Nope. There will never be a court ruling that robs parents of the right to talk to their kids (or that keeps parents from talking to their kids' teachers, for that matter.)
I really do see where you're coming from, but I really don't think this decision is nearly as cataclysmic as it's being made out to be. I think Christian parents will be Christian parents, whether they send their kids to public school or homeschool, and no matter what the courts are advocating.
Blessings!
Critter the decision has already had its affect. Many children were asked VERY inappropriate questions. There is no redress for the wrongs that were done to them. The damage is done. Yes, the case may be appealed. The supreme court may take it up. All that will take years. And in the meantime these children and many chilren are going to be subjected to more of this foolishness. Jesus said in Mathew 18:6
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
As a Christian parent the risk that a little one will stumble because of the foolishness that is presented as an education is not a risk I am willing to taket. Maybe the Supreme Court will overturn this but in the meantime how many children will stumble and suffer needlessly. If others are willing to take that risk they will be accountable to the Lord for the outcome. In the meantime, the need to be know what the risks are. And this case demonstrates one of the biggest risks.
Spunky, You know I would never want to see a child wronged. The thought actually breaks my heart. I take Matthew 18 very seriously. But from what I've read in this case, I don't really think any of these kids were wronged.
From what I understand, some of the kids in this California school had already "suffered needlessley" from sexual abuse and the school was trying to identify those abuse victims through the implementation of the survey. If you want to talk about taking a risk--talk about kids who have been abused and are now being forced to suffer silently!
I don't think the situation was handled correctly and I don't agree with the court's decision, but I do think all of us have a responsibility to be on the lookout for wounded children. It's sounds like that's exactly what the school was trying to do. I don't think any of the kids are going to be eternally scarred by a few questions that were asked on a survey. And if they were, the parents' right to explain/guide is still fully in place!
And once again, we're talking about one school in California here! This is NOT going on everywhere!
Thanks again!
If you don't think asking 7 year olds about sex without their parents permission or knowledge is wrong then we probably should just part ways here Crittermer. I feel that this is VERY wrong.
The idea that ALL children would be subjected to this type of explicit material in the hopes of finding some who MAY be abused is not legitimate in my opinion. Obviously you feel otherwise. I think it is best to just agree to disagree then. You and I have very differing opinions of what is acceptable to discuss with children without parental consent.
Further the parents right to guide and explain is NOT still fully in place. The court has said that the parent does not have the fundamental right to be the sole provider of sexual information. The schools are free to present any materials they feel are in the best interest of the state.
I will not continue this part of the converstation with you further. To do so would be to get into the details of the survey and I do want to do that. Perhapss when you are a parent and your child comes home at age 7 with questions that shatter their innocence you will feel differently. You will not understand the sadness and the wrong that has been done until it happens to your child. Yes I understand that abuse is necessary to detect. But I feel that the schools approach was abusive. To present sexually explicity words and ideas to children who may not understand them is abuse of power and trust and is WRONG. You are free to disagree. For now it is best to let this part of the discussion end.
The comments box will remain open however for those who desire to talk about the court case. However, I have no interest in pursuing a discussion about whether what the school did to these children was wrong or not. It is wrong to question minor children about such issues without prior consent of the parents. I will not debate that point further.
Mrs. Shanks:
You wrote: "Why don't you write about THOSE schools? They're not all as bad as you want people to think."
It sounds as though you are basing your opinion solely on the positive experiences you have had in your teaching years as well as the school your child currently attends. That is all well and good, and honestly nice for you, but I would ask you - where do you live? In my state, California, in the cities I have lived in, and the schools I attended while growing up - this just was not the case. I would *never* send my child to any public school in California unless I was forced by law to do so – and even then I just might not!
I am a firm believer in every parent's right to make decisions for their own children - *no* question on that front. However, just because you happen to have a great school or your child happens to be in what you feel is a great school, does not at all mean that even a small percentage of the public schools in our nation are great schools. Let alone good enough to call them healthy places to send our children. You and your husband, of course, need to be the ones to make that choice, and I respect that.
Why doesn't Spunky write about great schools? Because there are SO FEW of them. There are horrible things going on in public schools. Read this article: http://tinyurl.com/9mqxg
This is on the increase!
I would have to ask you – why do you read this blog if you don’t like what Spunky writes about what is going on in the public school arena? I come here because I know that Spunky is a thinking, God-fearing woman who writes about what is happening in the world today – from her own Christian, homeschooling perspective. She is unlikely to post positive happy public school posts because I would hazard a guess that a) they don't happen that often, and b) public school does not fit into her worldview. This is my guess.
While I encourage you to act and do as you and your husband see fit for your own family, I would also say that Spunky and her husband ought to do the same for their own. That includes blogging on the dangers of public school. I applaud her.
Warmly written,
Kate
Spunky,
I can assure you that I only want the best for the children. Since I know you only want the best for the children, too, I was hoping this was enough common ground for us to build a meaningful and fruitful discussion (and I still think it is.)
I know that since you are a parent and I'm not, you have a much better perspective on parenting than I do. But in our inner-city program at church, I've dealt with a couple of kids who have been abused and because of that I know what a scary and heart-breaking ordeal that is. I also know how scary it is to be dealing with a child who displays the symptoms of being abused, but not being able to verify those fears. I have not dealt with these situations nearly as much as lots of our counselors and pastoral figures have, but I have dealt with it enough to know how much it absolutely breaks my heart and how much I want to be a voice for these voiceless children. That's the perspective I'm coming from. I was not trying to offend you or insinutate that it's okay to rob children of their innocence. I apologize if I spoke inappropriately.
(Note: Off topic comments and questions have been deleted. Please stay on the topic of the court case.)
Thanks for your wisdom and concern. And thanks for this discussion. I deal with these issues almost daily and I always appreciate being able to bounce ideas off a fellow Christian. Once again, I apologize if I mis-spoke.
I appreciate that Crittermer. No offense taken. The comments were editted to help stay on topic. Other questions will have to wait until another day under a more appropriate post.
Jacinda Shanks wrote:
"I am greatly disturbed when I read posts (linked from your site I think) from homescholing moms who say things like, 'Oh. We didn't do any school last week. Hopefully we'll get more done this week.' or 'We've read a couple of books on the couch today. That's all we've really done for school.' That's homeschooling?!?!?! I believe a child needs more structure than that in order for it to truly be called 'school.'"
Ms. Shanks - your "definition" of what school is is ... well, it's YOUR definition. The majority of families who hs view the education of their children from a perspective that is very different from the traditional view. I like to think of myself as someone who thinks ouside of the box. Does "school" have to mean sitting behind a desk for 7+ hours a day? Is "school" only to be taught by someone the STATE deems an "educational professional." By a "formal education", do you mean only that curriculum "approved" by the federal government applies? See, we view "school" as something more than just learning to read, write and do arithmetic. It's about passing our values onto our children - teaching them the importance of respecting their parents and siblings. Teaching them that there IS a difference between right and wrong and that "tolerance" and "acceptance" have two totally different meanings. But most importantly, that God is the Creator and Giver of life - He is our Father and all glory, praise and honor belong to HIM not US. We are not the center of the universe and neither is any other human being on this earth. God is truth - plain and simple. My children will never receive this teaching in a state school, that is why I school them at home.
Jacinda Shanks wrote:
"I am trying to respect your right to homeschool. Please respect my right to send my child to a public school. They're not all as bad as you seem to want others to think. My husband & I reserve the right to change our mind concerning our children's education if we need to. I understand that you want to speak out in favor of homeschooling. Just please try not to be so degrading to others who choose differently."
In respecting our right to hs it would probably be important for you to understand that many people who have chosen this route have a reason for doing so. Most often it's because of the negative experience they've had in one or more of our nation's state schools. I think it's great that your dc are enrolled in such a wonderful school. I do not believe that the majority of the schools are there are wonderful.
If you expected to come to this website and hear people extol the accomplishments of state schools in this country you've come to the wrong place.
Last week my husband was talking to a man at the grocery store where he picks food up for the university food bank. The man was telling him about something that his daughter had experienced at public school. The girl told her mother how a boy pulled his pants down and a girl was sucking on his p*nis. The girl who told her mother about this is 8 years old and this happened in an elementary school in the Bible belt. My husband told him he needed to homeschool his children.
We lived in Missouri in a small town. We had just moved. My then 9 yr old son was giving me trouble when I tried to get back on track with our home education activities. We decided to put him in the local elementary school. It was very short-lived. The principle talked down to us while we were enrolling him. She insisted on putting him in 1st grade because he had not been to school before. She was astounded we would even consider home education. As we toured the school, the heroes posted on the hall walls were people such as Whoopie Goldberg, Eleanor Roosevelt, Che Guavara and others. Then we were sitting in the dining/activity area and saw the school motto posted on the wall. Part of it said "to prepare productive citizens in a changing, global society." Right then and there we knew we would only have him there for the rest of that year and would resume educating him at home after that. This was also in the Bible belt.
I've heard people rave about how good their schools are, but the bottom line is "What is the view of the world that they are teaching? What is the view about the Creator that is being taught?" I have been instructed by that One to speak to my children of Him and His ways when I rise up, when I sit down and when I walk along the way. That pretty much sounds like a day to me. I would rather have the time to be putting that kind of input into their lives than to have to spend my time undoing what they get from public education. Besides with all the homework that is sent home plus the hours in school, there is not much time left to teach the responsibility of chores, to have time to be a child and play and to have time with the family.
Love and shalom,
Amazing and frightening stuff, Spunky! I am seriously shocked that parents take things like this in stride!
Regarding this court case: I believe the court decision merely puts in writing what has long been the case.
As a military family we moved all over the place as we homeschooled. In *every* single place we ever lived when we arrived we were told by the locals that we would not 'have' to homeschool in that state/town/base because _their_ schools were better than all the rest.
The first time this happened was on the base in Okinawa. A teacher came to the head of our home-school group one night and told him that he needed to get the word out to parents about what was happening in school. The school had implemented a sex-ed policy that involved passing around condoms in class- for fifth graders. Teachers were forbidden to tell parents what was happening. I shared this information at our church and was told by on mother that I was just making trouble for the public schools and that schools _needed_ to teach kids this stuff.
In Alaska we heard how great the schools were from a pastor's wife. Then we read in the paper that the sex ed program in place involved having fifth graders place condoms on vegetables. Alaska required schools to make their sex ed curriculum available to parents who would then permit their children to attend, or not. But that portion was not in the material they showed children. They tried to say it was new, but then old students came forward to say they'd been subjected to this for *years.*
I could go on with all the other states where something similar happened, but I've already been too long in this comment.
I will add that I am, unfortunately, not unfamiliar with the plight of grossly abused children, having had first hand experience with it that I would give anything not to have had, and questions like those in this court case would not have accomplished what they are supposed to have accomplished, and would harm other children. It's like insisting on treating everybody with an anti-biotic because some children have an infection.
Does anybody else remember this case from 1996?
"In March, without parental notification, 50 sixth grade
girls, who attend J.T. Lambert Intermediate School in
East Stroudsburg, Pa., were forced by public
authorities to undergo a genital exam. When the
youngsters found they were required to lie naked,
spread-eagled on a table, they burst into tears and
tried to run from the room, but were
physically restrained."
More here:
http://shorterlink.com/?0JWI3W
and here:
http://honestedu.org/edlib/v3n4/...n4/
violated.php
and here:
http://www.sweetliberty.org/issu...s/
undressed.htm
The school district in PA did not suffer any consequences for their immoral actions. It blew over. Most people have forgotten it.
A lot of people thought it would be a wake-up call to parents. It didn't even wake up most of the parents whose kids were in that school. This court case ought to be another such wake-up call, but I don't think it will be, and some of the comments here
'We've read a couple of books on the couch today. That's all we've really done for school.' That's homeschooling?!?!?!
You bet that's homeschooling. the books I read on the couch today include Shakespeare, Howard Pyle's Robin Hood, Pilgrim's Progress, a biography of Marco Polo, poetry, and an English history book.
Dick and Jane from a school desk with thirty classmates doesn't even compare.
As usual Deputy Headmistress well said. And thanks for the "history lesson" about past school abuses.
I didn't realize that my last comment was truncated. I think what I was going to say was "This court case ought to be another such wake-up call, but I don't think it will be, and some of the comments here..."
indicate that people still don't realize how widespread the problem is.
I figured out what you were trying to say. And I think you are right. Most don't understand the problem let alone how widespread it is.
Yes, they need to awake from their slumber and realize what the hour is. This is no time to have our heads in the sand or to be unaware of what is going on. We'd best be turning to the only One who can lead us through these days.
Love and shalom,
Commenting by HaloScan
