When the Second Appellate Court in Los Angeles handed down a ruling last February it sent "shock waves through the nation's homeschooling community" according to WorldNetDaily.com. The ruling which stated that parents must be credentialed teachers in order to home school their children in the State of California was opposed by Governor Schwarzenegger and State Superintendent of Education Jack O'Connell.
The ruling caused a furor among homeschooling advocates and fortunately was vacated - which means that it could not be used as precedent for future court rulings. Amicus briefs were filed by state and national homeschool organizations, and a new hearing scheduled for today should produce a ruling within ninety days.
In response to the February ruling, we have seen a firestorm of media attention focused on homeschoolers. Headlines heralding, "Homeschooling Illegal in California,""Defending Home Style ABC's!" and "Should Parents Be Allowed to Home School Their Children?" are selling newspapers and network time. The old discussions are re-surfacing: Is homeschooling legal? Are parents really qualified to teach their own children? What about socialization? And a new and more troubling question: Should parents be allowed to segregate their children from public school influences because of religious or moral beliefs?
As to the first three questions:
Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. (To find out more about state laws go to http://www.hslda.org/ and click on In Your State.)
Yes, parents are eminently qualified to teach their own children! Somehow, without extensive parenting classes, the majority of moms and dads manage to teach their children how to button their little shirts, tie their shoelaces (before Velcro !), count all their fingers and toes, look both ways before they cross the street, say 'please' and 'thank you', and play nice.
And there are an abundance of resources to help parents teach academic and non-academic subjects. (Click here for a listing of curriculum providers and free educational resources. http://www.bransonacademy.net/resources.php)
Socialization is no longer a serious issue as homeschooled students continue to demonstrate their abilities to interact and excel at the university level and in the workplace. Stanford University actively recruits homeschooled students because of their initiative and creativity. Employers are thrilled with the performance level of homeschoolers, their personal motivation, and their adaptability.
Even with all these successes there still seems to be an initial reaction among the general populace that only wacko's, extreme religionists, or granola-eaters homeschool their kids.
And should this be allowed???
Opinions are divided and polls are skewed to the organization doing the polling. For example, teacher's unions are pre-dominantly anti-homeschooling, although many individual teachers are extremely supportive of homeshooling. However, as the old issues and concerns have been laid to rest, there looms a new fear - homeschooled children are not being taught 'mainstream' beliefs and tolerances.
Which leads to the fourth question: "Should parents be allowed to segregate their children because of religious or personal beliefs?" "Won't this lead to intolerance and hate directed toward persons with alternative lifestyles."
In turn, let me ask: Isn't that why parochial schools, private Christian schools, private Jewish schools, private Muslim schools, and private Orthodox schools were established? To provide education within the setting of a specific religious belief?
John Locke (English philosopher 1632-1704) argued that individuals should not cede to the government the liberty of individual conscience. Parents have an inalienable right to direct the education and upbringing of their children - whether that education takes place in a public school, private school, or within their own home.
As regarding alternative lifestyles I have to chuckle. In 21st century America, homeschooling is an alternative lifestyle! Although the numbers are growing, homeschoolers still represent only a little over 2% of school age children in America. In California, the estimate is 166,000 children, out of over six million K-12 students. (2005 Children NOW)
It has been my experience over the past 25 years interacting with hundreds of homeschooling families, that homeschooling parents, just like all parents, teach their children their personal religious or moral beliefs, as well as a respect for the rights and beliefs of others.
Now, if certain judges will respect the rights of parents to educate their children at home, California homeschoolers will continue to excel and enjoy the freedoms that the founding fathers intended (and enjoyed themselves!) And that's another blog!
The ruling caused a furor among homeschooling advocates and fortunately was vacated - which means that it could not be used as precedent for future court rulings. Amicus briefs were filed by state and national homeschool organizations, and a new hearing scheduled for today should produce a ruling within ninety days.
In response to the February ruling, we have seen a firestorm of media attention focused on homeschoolers. Headlines heralding, "Homeschooling Illegal in California,""Defending Home Style ABC's!" and "Should Parents Be Allowed to Home School Their Children?" are selling newspapers and network time. The old discussions are re-surfacing: Is homeschooling legal? Are parents really qualified to teach their own children? What about socialization? And a new and more troubling question: Should parents be allowed to segregate their children from public school influences because of religious or moral beliefs?
As to the first three questions:
Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. (To find out more about state laws go to http://www.hslda.org/ and click on In Your State.)
Yes, parents are eminently qualified to teach their own children! Somehow, without extensive parenting classes, the majority of moms and dads manage to teach their children how to button their little shirts, tie their shoelaces (before Velcro !), count all their fingers and toes, look both ways before they cross the street, say 'please' and 'thank you', and play nice.
And there are an abundance of resources to help parents teach academic and non-academic subjects. (Click here for a listing of curriculum providers and free educational resources. http://www.bransonacademy.net/resources.php)
Socialization is no longer a serious issue as homeschooled students continue to demonstrate their abilities to interact and excel at the university level and in the workplace. Stanford University actively recruits homeschooled students because of their initiative and creativity. Employers are thrilled with the performance level of homeschoolers, their personal motivation, and their adaptability.
Even with all these successes there still seems to be an initial reaction among the general populace that only wacko's, extreme religionists, or granola-eaters homeschool their kids.
And should this be allowed???
Opinions are divided and polls are skewed to the organization doing the polling. For example, teacher's unions are pre-dominantly anti-homeschooling, although many individual teachers are extremely supportive of homeshooling. However, as the old issues and concerns have been laid to rest, there looms a new fear - homeschooled children are not being taught 'mainstream' beliefs and tolerances.
Which leads to the fourth question: "Should parents be allowed to segregate their children because of religious or personal beliefs?" "Won't this lead to intolerance and hate directed toward persons with alternative lifestyles."
In turn, let me ask: Isn't that why parochial schools, private Christian schools, private Jewish schools, private Muslim schools, and private Orthodox schools were established? To provide education within the setting of a specific religious belief?
John Locke (English philosopher 1632-1704) argued that individuals should not cede to the government the liberty of individual conscience. Parents have an inalienable right to direct the education and upbringing of their children - whether that education takes place in a public school, private school, or within their own home.
As regarding alternative lifestyles I have to chuckle. In 21st century America, homeschooling is an alternative lifestyle! Although the numbers are growing, homeschoolers still represent only a little over 2% of school age children in America. In California, the estimate is 166,000 children, out of over six million K-12 students. (2005 Children NOW)
It has been my experience over the past 25 years interacting with hundreds of homeschooling families, that homeschooling parents, just like all parents, teach their children their personal religious or moral beliefs, as well as a respect for the rights and beliefs of others.
Now, if certain judges will respect the rights of parents to educate their children at home, California homeschoolers will continue to excel and enjoy the freedoms that the founding fathers intended (and enjoyed themselves!) And that's another blog!
