Student’s home-schooling highlights debate over Va. religious exemption law

[farchivist]

If anyone is ever curious as to why I'm not such a huge fan of homeschooling, this is why. While my personal friends have always been very good about how they would homeschool, I have encountered many who just want no oversight or testing in how they homeschool. And frankly? This kid was just plain lucky

Comments

[nesmith]

The father's smugness even in the midst of his imo utter failure is really gross. He has a middle school kid who can't read and yet he's just proud as all hell with his kids' achievements, completely ignoring the fact that those achievements were no bloody thanks to him.

Oh, and I didn't miss the part where his college-educated wife let her handyman husband speak for her. Jesus, what century am I in??

[roseofjuly]

I was just about to say this. The father's stubbornness and smugness was infuriating; it was one of those times I wanted to reach through the computer and punch somebody. His oldest succeeded despite him, and the younger ones are succeeding because his oldest son is trying to help them. He also basically acknowledged that there were too many of them to adequately homeschool but basically said that he didn't care and thought it was more important that they learn "character" at home than how to actually read.

I will never understand women who marry men like this, and acquiesce to them. And I was raised religiously, in the kind of religion that places men at the head and gives them the authority to make all the decisions.

[nesmith]

Every time these things come up I am more thankful than ever that my parents did not raise me in the church and furthermore taught me I am just as much a person deserving respect and who can make my own decisions as any man.

[dwer]

Goddam, that pisses me off.

[dexeron]

I keep beating this dead horse (usually when dealing with Jeff), but it's another example of that thoughtless rush to embrace "freedom" on paper without regards to the long term consequences for "freedom" in the real world. Yes, this dad has "freedom" to teach his kids, and the kids have "freedom" to learn outside of the restrictions of any governmental inferference.

Yet when these kids turn 18, what "freedom" do they have compared to others with comprehensive educations? Where is their "freedom" to attend the higher education institution of their choice, their "freedom" to find jobs with salaries they can survive on, their freedom to approach the world with minds seeded with the same basic knowledge as everyone else, equipped as critical thinkers with the tools to survive it? Once again, de jure freedom, de facto slavery.

[roseofjuly]

I find it extremely telling that Clarence Powell's first attraction to homeschooling came from observing two young children learning extremely gender divided tasks. I also found it interesting that Clarence Powell says that even before he was married, he wanted to homeschool his kids. But the way the article reads, it actually sounds like his wife is bearing the main responsibility for doing the home education ("Andrea Powell…who has managed most of her children's education over the years…"). And yet, she's not even allowed to speak about it

[yelena_r0ssini]

The exemption from oversight is what's unacceptable to me. I know all kinds of families who have homeschooled for all kinds of reasons, and I'm sure it's a fabulous option for lots of not-me people, but the idea that you don't have to report your progress, don't have to verify that your kids are actually learning something... that's terrifying.