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Your School District – Letter of Intent |
Opposition to Homeschooling Some people remain
opposed to homeschooling. Following
are some of the reasons given. Children belong in school. This is a statement of
opinion. It is not a fact. Why do children belong in school? What are the specific goals in sending
children to school? Is a classroom the
best place to accomplish those goals?
Some people hold the opinion
that children belong in school, but that does not make it true that children belong in school. People who homeschool think they are better than everyone
else. This, too, is a statement
of opinion. Stating an opinion does
not provide compelling evidence that the opinion held is a fact. What if a baseball player
were to express the opinion, “Basketball players think they are better than
everyone else”? So what? Who cares what they think? First, it is unlikely that the majority of
basketball players think they are better than everyone else (although there
could be the occasional arrogant basketball player), so this is probably a
misguided opinion. Second, what they think has little, if any, bearing on
whether they actually are better
than others. Finally, even if it were
true that some basketball players think that they are better than others, it
doesn’t provide evidence against basketball nor in favor of baseball; it just
speaks about a minority of players’ arrogance. Back to
homeschooling. This particular opinion
might be true in some cases, but it
is not universally true. Even if it
were true, it would not be an argument against homeschooling. That said, homeschoolers should be careful
of the attitude that they convey.
Homeschoolers are not better than others. Children who attend public school are not
inferior people. Parents who choose a
different educational method are not automatically uncaring because of that
choice. They simply have made a different
choice. Studies show that the
average homeschooled student scores 20-30 points higher on standardized tests
than the average public school student.
Some believe the disparity in scores indicates that a home based
education is superior to a public education.
In reality, all it indicates is average test-taking ability. However, our society has placed great
importance on test scores, so it is unwise to completely ignore them. People who homeschool are hurting the public schools. It is the dedicated, involved parents who
withdraw their children from public schools, leaving fewer parents who will
help. If those parents would remain in
the school system, then they could make the public schools better. When this argument is
applied to other situations, it falls apart.
For example, many parents volunteer in their children’s schools
because they want their children to have a good education, and they do not
continue to volunteer after their children have graduated. They are not accused of hurting the schools
by not volunteering once their children no longer are affected by the
system. Other dedicated
parent-volunteers move out of the district.
They are not accused of hurting the school by no longer participating
in it. Remember that their motives are
not altruistic. They invest their time
in the school because it is the best way they know to give their kids a
better education. A case can certainly be
made that students need their parents to be involved, but it does not hurt schools for parents to be
involved only in their own children’s education. Johnny’s parents should be involved in
Johnny’s education, and it is benevolent of them to assist with other
children, too. They are not to be
faulted if they decline to assist with other children or expect Jimmy’s
parents to take responsibility for Jimmy’s education. Homeschool parents choose
a different method of improving their kids’ education than getting involved
in the local school. They do the
teaching themselves. That does not
preclude them from volunteering in the public schools. Many communities do have homeschool parents who volunteer in the schools and serve
on the school board. People who want
to work to make the public schools better can do so whether or not they have
children in the system. Homeschoolers
are withdrawing their kids from society. Homeschoolers make a
choice to educate their children by
tutoring them one-on-one. They do not
lock themselves in the house and refuse to participate in society. Homeschoolers do volunteer work in
hospitals and nursing homes, they take music lessons, play on sports teams,
participate in 4H and scouts, and in general are statistically much more
involved in their communities than public school students. Kids who
are homeschooled don’t learn how to work in large groups. Kids who are homeschooled
learn how to work in whatever context gets the job done. Why would a kid need to work in large
groups to learn the multiplication tables?
The only large-group things I can think of outside the classroom
setting are choirs, bands, orchestras, and sports. Homeschoolers participate in those
activities if their interests are in those areas. In the Real World, people only work in
large groups when it is appropriate to do so.
Homeschoolers learn how to work independently instead of waiting for a
group to tell them what to do; many colleges and employers actively seek
homeschoolers due to their inclination to be self-starters instead of waiting
to hear what the group is doing. Socialization This has been proven to
be a non-issue. See the FAQ page for
further discussion. Sports See the FAQ page for
further discussion What about college? See the FAQ page for
further discussion Academics We send kids to school
for an education, yet objections to
homeschooling tend to be about non-academic issues. A few object on academic grounds, though. Some people fear that
homeschooled kids won’t learn the things that they need to. That is a possibility, and one that
homeschool parents need to address.
Every family that claims to homeschool, but in reality is truant,
reflects badly on homeschoolers. Every
homeschooled child who tests two-three years below grade level reflects badly
on homeschoolers. People have a
responsibility to provide their children with an education – either through
the public school system, through private schools, or by home tutoring. Academic knowledge is not a problem for
students whose parents take their responsibility seriously. Recently I read comments
from a person who objects to homeschooling because some people choose to
teach about many scientific
theories instead of limiting themselves only to the theory in which he
believes. How narrow-minded! During the course of our homeschooling, we
will learn over sixty subjects. There
is no rational reason to oppose homeschooling based on the content of a few
weeks of one subject. Anyone who wishes to email
other objections to homeschooling is welcome to do so and I will try to
include that information when this website is updated. |