Ed Leap has an editorial on the Greenville News site called Homeschooling is about far more than education.
So, what does Ed think homeschooling is about? What are the advantages? Many things:
People educate their children at home for many reasons. For some, it is a way to cloister their families from the world. That seems, to our modern, connected, socially conscious society, like a backwards idea. And indeed, in rare instances, the children do not benefit, but develop an unfortunate paranoia, transmitted from worried parents. On the other hand, a few minutes with the news, a few hours looking at the statistics on drugs, crime and sex in our culture, and a little “cloistering” doesn’t seem so bad.
I’m getting suspicious here. This sort of reasoning usually leads to crazy fundie talk. Ed seems to be saying that because people have sex, it might not be a bad thing to lock your kids away from the outside world.
Ed then outlines some more advantages of homeschooling.
Scripture doesn’t conflict with learning; in fact, reading it can be a learning experience in itself, and a series of lessons in culture and history. There can’t be a concern over separation of church and state when the state isn’t involved.
That’d depend on how literally you read said Scripture. Read it too literally, and it can conflict with learning.
Furthermore, the homeschool family can ask pointed questions about controversies without being accused of being Cro-Magnons: “What are the weaknesses of arguments for and against evolution?” Or the more heinous, “Could it be that global warming isn’t a problem?” The scandal! It’s getting harder and harder to have divergent ideas about anything in our modern world of alleged diversity; except at home.
Usually, when someone uses the phrase arguments for and against evolution, he’s a creationist who wants to teach creationism. That’s simply because these “arguments against” are bunk. They are merely smoke used to cast doubt upon settled science that conflicts with a narrow interpretation of Scripture. Homeschooling, of course, gives the homeschooler the freedom to teach these bad arguments as if they were actually true. But I don’t really consider this an advantage.
Finally, Ed coughs up the crazy.
We like the fact that our children can start to learn the critical skills of rhetoric and argument, so that they aren’t one day ambushed by college professors who would happily bully away their deepest held beliefs.
Another advantage: the homeschooler is free to drill apologetics into their child’s head just in case she ever meets one of those evil, atheistic college professors. Did you know that those evil professors line up in front of the dorms to bully away the deeply held religious beliefs of new students as they arrive? it’s brutal, I tell you! Brutal!
Why is it that almost every time I see an opinion piece about homeschooling, it drifts off into fundie Bizarro world?
This might have something to do with it. 30% of homeschoolers cite religion as their primary motivation for homeschooling, and more than 70% cite religion as at least one of the reasons they homeschool.
I wonder if Ed’s merely one of the 70%, or one of the 30%…
For the record, I’m not actually opposed to homeschooling. I may not do it myself, or think that for most people it’s a very wise thing to do. I certainly do not think that anyone deserves a tax break for homeschooling. However, I think a parent has a right to educate their child as they see fit.
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