May. 9, 2008
State of Education - Public Schools Today

Hi. I’m new to this blog but not to homeschooling. I started back in 1985. My oldest son graduated in 1998 and my youngest in 2003.

By my second year of homeschooling, I was headlong into helping others get started. For the past ten years, I’ve talked with about 400 new homeschoolers a year, and I can tell you the face of homeschooling is changing – and so is the face of public schooling.

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing some of the stories and experiences I’ve had helping “newbies.”

In the early days, and even up till just five years ago, most calls came from parents with young children – people who were thinking carefully about the upbringing of their little ones before getting too far into the job.

Today, almost all my calls come from desperate parents entangled with the public school system. I always wish they’d called earlier, because once you find yourself doing battle with guidance counselors, principals and social services, you’re basically between a rock and a hard place. Getting out of the situation is not always as easy as simply not sending a child back to school and starting to homeschool.

Two weeks ago, a mom called with a two-child problem. Her ninth grade daughter had turned from a sweet girl who was close to her parents into an angry monster who screamed and swore at mom and dad and wouldn’t tell them what was wrong.

The mom finally took the girl to a therapist and the wise man told her to get her daughter out of school before she killed herself. It turned out she was being dragged into the restroom by other girls nearly every day and threatened in all manner of unrepeatable ways. The mom called me to find out how to homeschool, but the girl had already been out of school for a couple of weeks and had returned to her happy and secure self.

This mom also had a fourth grade son who had been in special-ed reading since first grade. He read well at home but not at school. Among other things, the mom was told she should not allow her son to read books about science at home because “they’re above his level and not on our reading list,” and he was chided for bringing pretend gems to school for Show & Tell from a faux archeological dig his family had gone on because the subject and some of the vocabulary necessary for telling about his experience was “above the heads of the other children.”

I’ve listened to thousands of similar stories. These are not exceptions. They happened in what is considered a good school district. It’s extremely important for homeschoolers to remain aware of what’s going on in public schools, because all too many feel tempted to use them as a solution when things get tough.

I believe we must face the fact that state schools are not an option for our children. They are increasingly centers of not only godlessness but outright abuse. We would never choose a child abuser as a sitter for our children then try to reform him even as we leave our children in his care. We would not consider it an option – period. The same goes for public schools. We must free ourselves of all mental and emotional dependence on them. Some good people may work in them, but good people work in prisons, too.

More stories next week.

Tammy Drennan has homeschooled and helped others start homeschooling for 23 years. Her web sites and blogs include: www.homeschoolstarter.com  and www.educationconversation.wordpress.com.

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Comments

May. 10, 2008 - Hi

Posted by rainstar13

Hi I like your blog! Everything I've read defently is based on a biblical point of view and I love reading your posts. Could you please add me as a friend?

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May. 12, 2008 - Thank you

Posted by JacqueDixonSoulRestES

for bringing this experience here before our eyes. There is a lot of fighting the HWTB team of homeschool moms on our opinions and experiences, because, well, they are just our own, and many do not deem that reputable enough.
Yours are your own, but also those of so many other parents who feel trapped, and I am thankful you are bringing it out here and leading these parents to a road and plan of freedom to educate and help their children become themselves.
A homeschool mom and I were just talking yesterday. We met on HSB and are both the parents of high school age girls who blog, and she mentioned that she was just so surprised at how blogging had changed her girls lives. They can be themselves and are blogging what they have learned, and it is opening them up to a new world of becoming who God has created them to be. The girls are so darling and talented and considerate.
There are so many opportunities for our children to grow and be blessed and be real people. Thank you for being there for so many. I pray that God blesses you greatly for it!

I also want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to some of mostest-favoritest-moms in the whole world!! I love you all, Gena and the HWTB team!!
You are all a blessing to not just me, but our entire family, and I love you all!!
((HUGS from Indiana!!))
J

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May. 12, 2008 - Thank you...

Posted by Buckeyeblog

...Jacque...for your sweet, kind words. Right back at 'cha, Sweetie!! ;-)

...Tammy...for being one more voice concerning what is REALLY going on in public schools and the problems that parents share with homeschoolers. On May 20th I will wrap up 11 years as our county's homeschool coordinator and I, too, have heard all those heart-wrenching stories about what students (AND PARENTS) go through -- NOT just from other students -- BUT from teachers, "advisors," principals, superintendents and other administrators!

And, like you, I have also noticed a SHARP increase of parents taking older students out of ps, and at anytime during the year. It used to be that the bigger influx of "I want to take my kid(s) out of ps NOW!" calls came during Christmas break (or "Winter Break" in ps). NOW...they come at a fairly steady clip ALL YEAR LONG. I JUST had a mom of a 9th grader start homeschooling last week! Last year I had a mom start homeschooling with 3 weeks to go in her district and another mom called to take her son out with ONE WEEK to go in her district!!

Public schools are so far 'gone' and they will NEVER be the same. They are NOT the place for children to be - especially Christian children. DO NOT fall for the lie that Christian children need to be in the public school to evanelize...God NEVER sent children to evanalize...NEVER. SEND CHRISTIAN TEACHERS but NOT kids!! And then PRAY for those teachers.

But bring your children HOME WHERE THEY BELONG!! What about socialization? HOME is where good...REAL...socialization happens! I don't see that public school socialzation is very successful. But I CAN see that my children...and nearly every homeschooled child I've known IS successfully socialized, mannerly, polite, well educated, happy, engaged...I could go on and on. I CAN see that people such as Winston Churchill, General Patten, General McArthur; Presidents Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Truman; Ansel Adams, Charles, Dickens, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and the Founding Fathers certainly seemed to be well educated...at home...and well socialized.

Let the proof be in the pudding. I've got all the proof I need when I see the sadness, anger and hopelessness of the public school kids walking around the malls contrasted by the happy, mentally healthy, hope-filled, motivated homeschool kids that we know. WHAT A CONTRAST!! I've got all the proof I need when I hear tearful parents calling me about how to start homeschooling NOW because their child has been beaten up in the locker room for the 4th time and the school won't do anything about it...AGAIN. It's self-expression and their child just happens to be the canvas! I don't hear about that nonsense going on with homeschoolers around here. Do you?

Oh, the stories we could tell! Bring them HOME WHERE THEY BELONG!!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

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May. 12, 2008 - Thanks

Posted by mpnauthor

I appreciate the comments people have shared. Like Kim, I also get calls from parents pulling children out of school with only a month or even weeks to go in the year. I've also gotten calls from teachers and from quite a few social workers -- a couple wanting to know how teens in group homes or detention centers might homeschool themselves. A significant number of calls from teens, too. There are so many sad situations out there -- so many children and families suffering. Homeschooling offers these people hope, but it also creates a challenge for the homeschooling community. The more troubled young people who enter the ranks, the more criticism we'll face -- accusations of homeschoolers in trouble with the law or exhibiting social or moral dysfunction, as well as a dilution of the test scores so many hold so dear. It's a challenge we'll have to embrace.

Tammy Drennan

Edited by mpnauthor on May. 12, 2008 at 11:10 AM

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