Asking homeschooling if it wants to be anything doesn't make any sense, yea.
But, hey, I'm from the secular side. 
I don't understand why so many people will only hang around with people who completely agree with them. I wish more people could respect other's lives as their own, and not try to dominate them into being the same.
What was your first experience like at a homeschool convention?
I'll let you know if I ever attend one.
'm not here to make converts to a movement or to keep the movement purely Christian.
Good thing since it never was and isn't now.
" I wish more people could respect other's lives as their own, and not try to dominate them into being the same."
That's why I love blogging so much. A guy like Daryl with all his snarkiness occassionally hits upon something profound and I actually learn something. 
Thanks, Spunky, but the praise belongs to silvermine.
I've been working really hard for the "big tent" vision of homeschooling for the past nine years. It works pretty well most of the time for the 1500+ subscribers to the IndianaHomeschoolers email list.
I know there are still exclusivist Christians out there who think that they can somehow control the direction of homeschooling. They are the same people who started rumors about me and out list, calling us pagans, and warning people away from us. But we keep going.
I'm all for doctrinal purity, but only in my church.
I think I feel a post comin' on.
Hi Jane, you're Bruno's compadre, yes?
Through Ben.
Right, right, bless Ben's heart!
Nice to see you again, hi to all the Hoosiers,
JJ
Hey, I'm an Indiana homeschooler. How do I find that list?
Lisa--
This is the yahoogroups page for our list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/in...ahomeschoolers/
We'll look forward to seeing you.
Oh Spunky! Thanks for posting this.
Every year as we get ready to homeschool, I pray about it, but I often forget to do that mental inventory as to what homeschooling is and what it isn't. It's good to be reminded. I'm not immune to attaching too much signfigance to something that is ultimately done with God's guidance and grace. It gives me the liberty to make choices which only our family can make.
Great post, as always.
Julia,
I have to continually remind myself as well. It's so easy to see the stack books and forget that it's all for Him.
We've been to one homeschool convention after our first year of homeschooling. (Five years ago already?) I wasn't particularly disgusted or inspired. I don't really see a need to "start my own" convention, a lot of us don't get too excited about any kind of convention.
"...the homeschool movement must decide whether it will work to advance a specifically Biblical vision, or take a "big tent" approach..." A movement cannot make a decision. Individuals make decisions. Sorry to disappoint all the idealists out there.
I'm not a Pharisee that wants to add rules to being a Christian. "You aren't a good Christian unless you homeschool." "You aren't a good Christian unless you homeschool the same way we do." "You aren't a good Christian unless you have a ton of kids." Or worse, generalize to everyone, "You aren't a good parent unless you homeschool."
I'm not exclusionary either. "Only Christians of my particular doctrine can homeschool." One of the nice things about homeschooling in a small town is that all the homeschoolers work together without adding additional requirements as to dress code or beliefs.
What I find most discouraging about those that would use Deut. 6:7 to command believers to homeschool, is that they overlook that this mandate isn't referencing algebra, biology and grammar.
Many of these same ones are completely happy to relinquish their children to "children's church" or "youth ministry".
I suppose the "more radical" are coming to declare these children's ministers to be unscriptural - a parental abdication of their Deut. 6 mandate; however, they will continue to defend the unscriptural clergy/laity division for "higher" offices.
Or, preach "sola scriptura" (along with their $19.99 DVDs, of course).
Paul warned elders from Ephesus that wolves would enter in - even from among them (Acts 20). We are all potential wolves. Looking to an organization or a conference (men)for the answers will only lead to disappointment. Expecting monochromatic harmony (oxymoron?) at any convention isn't realistic.
However, to love my neighbor as myself requires me at least to be willing to speak, for instance, to JJ about unschooling even though our family doesn't use that method or to Daryl about origins, even though we are not evolutionists. In fact, I would listen to them before I ever went to "their" conventions, so to speak.
I just attended CHEO a fe weeks ago in Columbus, OH. I went there about 8 years ago and the difference in the attendance numbers was obvious. I was told by a few people that another convention started in Cincinati last year that has drawn away a lot of the previous attendees. The motivation for starting the new convention was not given, but it was obvious that it was over the direction that CHEO had taken.
With the online homeschooling community getting stronger, I wonder if the big conventions will even keep going. And in light of that, how are the "small tent" homeschoolers going to keep the blogosphere from becoming polluted with "big tent" homeschoolers?
Ok Spunky, now you've got me curious. I'm one of those homeschoolers who got drawn away from the CHEO convention, but that's because we live in Cincinnati and this smaller (for now) convention is a whole lot closer! In fact, next year it is moving south right into the downtown area which is even closer to us than the previous 2 conventions. But now I'm wondering just what is the direction CHEO has taken, and how could you tell?
Glad to see you back, btw.
I'm from Michigan and just as clueless as you. I could speculate on the reasons, but that wouldn't be very constructive and maybe counterproductive. I suppose, it may not be the direction that CHEO is taking but perhaps also a direction they are not going that others would like to go.
Thanks, Eric -- I think!
I do appreciate you putting it in that larger perspective of all the education and guidance we choose . . .
With the online homeschooling community getting stronger, I wonder if the big conventions will even keep going. And in light of that, how are the "small tent" homeschoolers going to keep the blogosphere from becoming polluted with "big tent" homeschoolers?
I hope this is sarcasm. If not, I'll note only that your archives go back to Jan. '05. Doc, COD, (the late great) Izzy and I had all been there for years there when you showed up. And, yes, we're all "big tent" homeschoolers.
I think I just found my new blog tagline.
COD: Polluting the homeschool blogosphere since 2001.
Me,too.
Thanks, Spunky.
COD,
How do you keep that big tent below the radar?
Daryl, sometimes I think you are just looking to be offended.
I've had two experiences with conferences, both as an author/speaker. My first was at an inclusive conference, where I volunteered to lead a couple of teen and family workshops. The team building that we did in the workshops went over well, the participants had a great time, and not once did anyone in the workshops question each other as to their belief system. Instead, we enjoyed each other's company and in many cases learned from each other.
My other experience was with a statewide Christian conference. Again, I volunteered to bring a couple of team building workshops to the event's attendees. I was declined as a volunteer. Not once did the organizers ask what my workshop would entail. Instead, the decision to disallow me as a presenter was based SOLELY on the fact that I'm not Christian. I hadn't planned to diss God or for that matter even discuss religion, but because my world view didn't match those of the organizers, the attendees were deprived of the opportunity to spend an hour enjoying each other's company in a fun atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the latter event has definitely kept me from volunteering at other Christian conferences, though maybe not all are as short sighted. It's sad, really. We all have something to offer and it seems a crying shame to turn down opportunities to learn because the teacher doesn't fit a specific mold. It's especially ironic that the topic of my workshops - team building - could actually have inspired some of the people at the conference to learn to work *together* within a diverse group. Perhaps therein lies the problem.
The learning to work together is probably fine, as long as you do it in a really small tent
Daryl, sometimes I think you are just looking to be offended.
And as a completely secular homeschool blogger, I guess that comment about "polluting the homeschooling blogosphere" was just supposed to slide right on by without comment?
The fact of the matter is that fundy Christians do NOT own homeschooling or the blogosphere. Deal with it.
Daryl, you've completely misunderstood WHO is saying that homeschooling is being polltued, it wasn't ME but the guy I quoted in my post who "In like manner, the homeschool movement must decide whether it will work to advance a specifcally Biblical vision, or take a "big tent" approach that is now comfortable and uncontroversial - and lose the covenantal vision."
That can't possibley do that anymore than the blogosphere can prevent another blog from starting up that expresses a perpsective on the homeschool movement that disagrees with their "covenental vision."
I'm not calling you or any one else a polluter of the homeschool movement it was the Christian theocracy types who want to keep it from becoming a "big tent" with all types welcome. Read the post again and hopefully you'll understand.
At the end I said, "As my first convention experiences demonstrates, some (but not all) people are not content to share their "tent" with someone who doesn't homeschool or think their way."
I then went on to welcome Brian and establish that his perspective is just as valid as any other viewpoint out there. That's a "big tent" approach that people like Doug Phillips warn against.
I hope that clears that up.
"The fact of the matter is that fundy Christians do NOT own homeschooling or the blogosphere. Deal with it."
Exactly right. And that was the whole point of my post.
Again quoting from the post,
"Asking the homeschool movement to decide whether it will advance a specifically Biblcial vision or not is like asking a hammer if it will build a house or a table. It can't decide anything nor can it lose a vision for what it is supposed to build. Homeschooling, like a hammer, is completely dependent upon the one who uses it. No one philosophy or worldview controls homeschooling. As long as the freedom to homeschool is open to all parents, it is an exercise in futility to demand that the movement have only one specific vision --secular or biblical. However, that won't stop some folks from trying."
I'm not trying to control it, and this post was trying to inform the homeschool community about those that want to do exactly that.
COD, Glad to help you find your true identity. Just so you understand it wasn't I who was the one saying you're polluting the homeschool movement.
Spunky,
Your comment at 1:03 p.m. yesterday comes across as neither sarcastic not as merely rhetorical.
Sorry if I misinterpreted your statement.
Spunky,
I'm pretty sure the article that you were referring to was not discussing the homeschool blogosphere. You came up with that one all by yourself.
how are the "small tent" homeschoolers going to keep the blogosphere from becoming polluted with "big tent" homeschoolers?
Did you mean "movement"?
Daryl, the original article dealt with homeschool conventions. I used the quote from Doug Phillips blog to show the thinking of some that the homeschool movement is getting too broad and losing its biblical vision. I demonstrated in the original post how absurd that thinking is because how homeschooling is used can't be controlled by any one idealogy.
The homeschool movement includes more than conventions and I made that comment to that the "small tent' idealogues are going to have a tough time controlling the homeschooling movement and keeping it pure according to their vision because of the blogosphere.
I didn't mean that you were polluting homeschooling, but I know some of these people and they see a lot of what is said on blogs as corrupting or "polluting" the vision God has ordained for homeschooling. They believe it mostly because there are people who ask tough questions and dare questions their motives and presuppositions. I'm just as likely to be a "polluter" to them as you.
I hope that clears things up more, but if not ask away.
I took the polluter comment as a compliment
Kris, I didn't want your comment to get lost in the above little exchange.
"Unfortunately, the latter event has definitely kept me from volunteering at other Christian conferences, though maybe not all are as short sighted. It's sad, really. We all have something to offer and it seems a crying shame to turn down opportunities to learn because the teacher doesn't fit a specific mold. It's especially ironic that the topic of my workshops - team building - could actually have inspired some of the people at the conference to learn to work *together* within a diverse group. Perhaps therein lies the problem."
I'd encourage you to keep going where you are invited and volunteering at places where you have something to offer. Your help may not always be accepted, but you can't worry about that part of it.
Eric Holcombe wrote
"What I find most discouraging about those that would use Deut. 6:7 to command believers to homeschool, is that they overlook that this mandate isn't referencing algebra, biology and grammar."
Those who teach using the classical model would say that we are doing our children a disservice by divorcing the instruction in the knowledge of God from the academics--That one can learn more than you could imagine about the nature of God from the study of mathematics, or about the history of man, language, and God's interaction with man from the study of grammar, or geography. I'm not one who says that all should homeschool, but I do believe that if you are homeschooling from a Christian point of view, every subject can and should point back to the Creator and what can be learned about him from the subject matter.
Karen,
Great post! I've linked to you on my blog:
http://marcys-
musings.blogspot.c...homeschool.html
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Marcy, I'll check out your post.
Accountability vs. Authority?
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