Homeschooling is banned in California

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Originally Posted by BeardofPants

God knows, I'm not a homeschool fan as all the homeschoolers I've known have tended to fit the stereotype, but I too can't see how homeschooling is deleterious to society. We get 'em back after all when they join the workforce.

What's your definition of the homeschool stereotype? Just curious.

[Freeflying]

Perhaps its for the childrens own sake - i think human contact is probably the most valuable lesson - cant help thinking that if you are homeschooled - society seems like a daunting experience. . .

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Good morning, Freeflying, and welcome.

But very few homeschoolers are without "human contact." On the contrary, they tend to be very active in their communities and are often involved in homeschool co-ops and the like that meet regularly, but don't have a dedicated "brick and mortar" component.

Actually, some people are officially 'homeschooling" because the cost of having buildings code certified for education is so high that fundraising for a new school can prevent their actually getting educated. If the people who used to start schools want to do that, these days, they're more likely to become "homeschools" where having a building that's ADA safe, has ceiling beams that conform to new codes, etc. isn't required.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Originally Posted by Freeflying

Perhaps its for the childrens own sake - i think human contact is probably the most valuable lesson - cant help thinking that if you are homeschooled - society seems like a daunting experience. . .

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Good morning, Freeflying, and welcome.

But very few homeschoolers are without "human contact." On the contrary, they tend to be very active in their communities and are often involved in homeschool co-ops and the like that meet regularly, but don't have a dedicated "brick and mortar" component.

If I ain't social, I don't know what I am. I've got a gagillion hours of volunteer work too.

[The Gaffer]

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Good morning, Freeflying, and welcome.

But very few homeschoolers are without "human contact." On the contrary, they tend to be very active in their communities and are often involved in homeschool co-ops and the like that meet regularly, but don't have a dedicated "brick and mortar" component.

I guess I share Freeflying's suspicion (welcome, FF!), though am willing to be roundly disabused and happily admit that my suspicion is not grounded in any direct experience. I can see that homeschoolers may well be highly socially active.

But I would see those as being very different types of social activity. Going to school involves entering a very different, less controlled kind of social group than joining a community group. It is much larger for one thing. There is far more scope for the "survival of the fittest" type human social behaviour. You have to form your own networks and fight it out with others (metaphorically or literally). You are on your own and have to establish your place within the larger group.

Of course, the "school milieu" is not at all representative of what the rest of your life is going to be like (Thank Eru!), unless you go and work for some massive corporation, so is it necessarily a bad thing to miss out on that?

The other comment I wanted to make was that this discussion has been entirely about the individual's perspective. What about society as a whole? Do public schools encourage social cohesion and greater understanding of other people's circumstances? If everyone was homeschooled, would it exacerbate social divisions?

If just the better off or more motivated take their kids out of public schools, will that a) further reduce the standards of the public schools...

(tentatively, there is some evidence of this from UK experiences where middle class parents send their kids to private school because the local one is gash: this results in a reduction in the performance of those left behind, as the more motivated kids are gone; however, when the middle class kids ARE sent to the public school, they still perform as well individually, and the other kids perform better)

... and b) lead ultimately to a two-tier society.

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Actually, some people are officially 'homeschooling" because the cost of having buildings code certified for education is so high that fundraising for a new school can prevent their actually getting educated. If the people who used to start schools want to do that, these days, they're more likely to become "homeschools" where having a building that's ADA safe, has ceiling beams that conform to new codes, etc. isn't required.

Siscuzant, are you telling me that the world's richest country can't afford to build decent schools? That's an absolute disgrace.

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

Siscuzant, are you telling me that the world's richest country can't afford to build decent schools? That's an absolute disgrace.

I think she's referring to groups that would have liked to start a private school but find that safety regulations and construction codes are too onerous.

[The Gaffer]

Ah OK. heh.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

Siscuzant, are you telling me that the world's richest country can't afford to build decent schools? That's an absolute disgrace.

Well, I'll tell you that, too. We built so many schools during the baby boom but retrofitting them with what is necessary now is a big undertaking. The first school I attended, for example, which has no air conditioning, is now used as a community center. I'm there, every day. It had 6 grades, who used 4 classrooms, and two restrooms (2 toilets per). I think it was a fine place to go to school, and we could start tomorrow.

However, the law disagrees with me. We couldn't double up teachers, which means we can't teach 6 grades. It doesn't have enough toilets, and it must have a closed air system. There's asbestos in the floor tiles (now 'encapsulated' under hardwood.) We looked, a couple of years ago, at using it for a pre-school, but without improvements including replacing the entire roof (whose support studs were good under the old code, but not the new one) we couldn't put infant care in there.

So, it's been a school since 1929, but can't be one now. We'd have to knock it down and start over.

Every school district in my state has a referendum every year it's legal. 15 cents per $100 of assessed value (and 5 cents for each of the next two years) may not seem like much of an increase, but when people's real estate costs rise without their income rising, too, somethings got to give. In the last 3 years I've been presiding over 17% annual increases in the property tax bill. I can hardly look my neighbors in the eye.

And that doesn't fund 'capital improvements', which is government speak for "roof that keeps rain off." Those have a complicated proceedure. A lot of that money winds up paying for George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act, which requires annual testing of all the children and penalizes schools that don't bring in the correct numbers. That's an "unfunded federal mandate', if you'd always been curious about THOSE.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

This might not belong here, but...

In Philadelphia, today, they are having a ceremony to marry Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross. How moronic are we, exactly?

After they've been running teasers for it on TV for over a month, NO American child will understand it's impossible.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Good gawd. That's ridiculous.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

Good gawd. That's ridiculous.

Its embarrassing. Philadelphia has an active tourist board, apparently they've decided the money is with idiots.

http://www.gophila.com/C/Things_to_D...ding/2962.html

I seriously doubt that I could get the front steps of Independence Hall for my event.

[The Gaffer]

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

I think it was a fine place to go to school, and we could start tomorrow.

When you say "we", do you mean the local government?

Those are familiar problems. We've solved it with public-private partnerships (PPP), where the private sector builds a new school then rents it to the local council.

It means you get lots of new schools (and hospitals etc), and the government doesn't break its public sector borrowing rules. The PPP consortia get a guaranteed return on their investment, but we'll still be paying for 'em in 30 years and the total cost will be much higher than if the council had borrowed the money and built it themselves.

Ben and Betsy, ah bless. Wait..

Mayor Michael A. Nutter

:lol:
Sorry, couldn't resist...

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

I didn't know where to post this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25284886/

*sigh*

[Insidious Rex]

And this guy was a science teacher? See to me this kind of stuff is almost as bad as pedophiles who get jobs as teachers or coaches so they can lust after or abuse the kids sexually. Leave your wacky notions or impulses at the door when you decide to be a teacher. Dont subject the kids to them. If you cant then DONT be a teacher.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

I'm concerned about the content of his classes.
But I'm also concerned that he BRANDED children, no matter what he branded them with.

I mean, I send a child to school, don't come home with a butterfly tattoo.

I can't believe this would be a long discussion, in the community.

[brownjenkins]

Originally Posted by Meriadoc Brandybuck

How is homeschooling generally thought of there (or where ever you live)?

About the same as those that go to public school. Some do fine, some have a hard time. It's mostly about parenting, and a bit about personality. First and foremost, kids need attention. For those that get it from their parents, most do well. For those that don't, and there are lots, public school is all they have. I'll keep paying my tax dollars towards it 'til the day I die with no regrets.

[Insidious Rex]

Brown! Where you been the past few months? Party too hard after the Celtics won?

[brownjenkins]

It was a nice win!

I decided to take a break from the 'moot theocracy.

Just let it be. Nothing is broken so why are they trying to fix it.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by Maxwell Edison

Just let it be. Nothing is broken so why are they trying to fix it.

Homeschooling isn't broken? Care to elaborate?