Homeschoolers for Bush/Rove/ American Exceptionalism

I happened across this earlier today when I was researching the phrase "Manichean paranoia," a phrase Zbigniew Brzezinksi used on TDS last night to describe Bush&Co. and their belief that the U.S. is the moral force in the world and that it's okay to use immoral means in the service of moral ends, if necessary.

The following is not new, but still worth reviewing IMO. It may have even been posted here before (or the New Yorker article).

Monday, June 27, 2005
The Manichean Candidate: Homeschoolers for Bush/Rove/ American Exceptionalism
http://faithfulprogressive.blogspot.com/2005/06/manichean-candidate-homeschoolers-for.html

Summertime and the living is, at last, easier. FP finally got around to reading this week's New Yorker. There I found this scary article about this odd new college, Patrick Henry College, that specializes in recruiting hard-right Evangelical Christian home-schooled kids. These purist true-believers have never been contaminated by the secular world or opposing schools of thought. There is a kind of paranoia about the world behind some of this. It does not necessarily produce great leaders. No small wonder that Tim La Haye of Left Behind fame (and fortune) is a contributor to Patrick Henry-it fits with his own paranoid (and extreme right) world view. (see: Tim La Haye's Paranoid Politics.)

The young people featured in the piece seem nice enough, but there is something almost robotic about their single minded quest to end up as hard-right Republican Evangelical politicians. They know absolute good and absolute evil. One of the young women featured works for Karl Rove in the White House.

(excerpts from New Yorker article followed by more commentary incl. some Howard Zinn comments)

This is not what this country needs. What also ticks me off is the hard right religious zealots giving home-schooling a bad name.

It took me a LONG time (and I'm not overly convinced or in favor of it yet) to understand that yes, some progressives and liberals homeschool. The rightwing started the homeschooling movement, they're the biggest proponents by far, and their full intention is to break the public school system.

So I'm not all that in favor of homeschooling because I am a BIG fan and supporter of public education.

kids can stay home all day, get brainwashed by their parents with RW propaganda, even study creationism and denial of science. And they still get the same credit as a student who goes to a real school for 12 years and has to study a variety of subjects.

?

I happen to live where it's lightly regulated. Further, there are people who graduate from brick/mortar schools not knowing basic math and reading skills. I'd say fix that problem before worrying about homeschoolers.

Though, I do understand your concern for children, and I respect it.

there are people who graduate from brick/mortar schools not knowing basic math and reading skills. I'd say fix that problem before worrying about homeschoolers.

AFAIC, homeschooling is part of -- or at least contributes to -- the problem that you describe. If it takes away a single cent from public schools, if it erodes anyone's interest in how well the public schools are doing (and it most certainly does), then it helps CREATE the very problem you identify.

But more importantly -- and more accurately -- you don't know that the problem of people not learning basic math and reading skills is the schools' or the parents or even things like pollution and the severe degradation of the quality of our foods.

for public school in spite of the fact that we don't use one. Though, I have no problem doing so as I'm a strong believer in public education. Just so happens my child needed a different environment/approach.

I agree that the problems I noted initially are multi-faceted. However regulating home schoolers is the issue I was responding to. My point is that we should be MORE concerned with those in public school as that's where are tax dollars are being utilized. To suggest that somehow Home schooled kids are being short changed while those in public schools are highly educated is a farce.

How any child, regardless of parenting, can get through 12 years of public education not knowing how to read, is completely beyond me. I'm not blaming "teachers" I'm saying the one size fits all approach is not always productive.

Further, I'm satisfied with my initial answer, thanks. ;)

How any child, regardless of parenting, can get through 12 years of public education not knowing how to read, is completely beyond me.

It makes me nervous because you're homeschooling your own children. It makes me nervous because you're a taxpayer who's involved in and concerned about education. It makes me nervous because you're a Democrat who should also be concerned about education and about children and about such things as poverty, jobs, etc., etc.

I hope you'll seek out some answers.

personal experience? The fact that I vote every year to increase my own taxes to fund the local public schools in spite of the fact that I home-school? The fact that my child is able to learn at home and she wasn't able to in a typical school setting?

I don't need answers. I am comfortable with my statements.

Some children need more personal attention than others, for whatever reason, and they aren't able to get it in many of our schools today.

some children don't learn.

And if some need more personal attention than others, believe me that's NOT the universal answer. It's not even in the top 5.

I could care less about your child and whether you homeschool her or not. Your business, your concern. But I do wish if you're going to spout off on children learning or not, you get a few clues about it. Hint: there IS no one answer, and some of the answers have little to do with the children themselves or their parents. You may even find out you haven't totally found YOUR answer.

there IS no one answer, and some of the answers have little to do with the children themselves or their parents.

No kidding? You do realize this is why many people home-school? it's because their children are some of those that might fall through the cracks.

I realize there is no simple (one size) solution, again my point was about regulating home schoolers.

of this college who ended up with some extraordinarily high position in the early Iraq reconstruction days, with the absolute only "qualifications" she had being that she was loyal to the bush regime and wanted to over turn roe.
Seriously.

posted by AmandaRuth (being too lazy to log in and out)