Barely Literate? How Christian Fundamentalist Homeschooling Hurts Kids.

[LongTomH]

In recent weeks, homeschooling has received nationwide attention because of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s homeschooling family. Though Santorum paints a rosy picture of homeschooling in the United States, and calls attention to the “responsibility” all parents have to take their children’s education into their own hands, he fails to acknowledge the very real potential for educational neglect among some homeschooling families – neglect that has been taking place for decades, and continues to this day.

While the practice of homeschooling is new to many people, my own interest in it was sparked nearly 20 years ago. I was a socially awkward adolescent with a chaotic family life, and became close to a conservative Christian homeschooling family that seemed perfect in every way. Through my connection to this family, I was introduced to a whole world of conservative Christian homeschoolers, some of whom we would now consider “Quiverfull” families: homeschooling conservatives who eschew any form of family planning and choose instead to “trust God” with matters related to procreation.

Though I fell out of touch with my homeschooled friends as we grew older, a few years ago, I reconnected with a few ex-Quiverfull peers on a new support blog called No Longer Quivering. Poring over their stories, I was shocked to find so many tales of gross educational neglect. I don’t merely mean that they had received what I now view as an overly politicized education with huge gaps, for example, in American history, evolution or sexuality. Rather, what disturbed me were the many stories about homeschoolers who were barely literate when they graduated, or whose math and science education had never extended much past middle school.

<snip>

Garrison believes that homeschooling has become so popular with fundamentalist Christians because, “there is an atmosphere of real terror among some evangelicals. They are horrified by the fact that Obama is president, and they see the New Atheist movement as a vocal, in-your-face threat. Plus, they are obsessed with the End Times, and believe that the Apocalypse could happen any day now...They see a demon on every corner.

“We homeschooled because we wanted to protect our children from what we viewed as the total secularization of America. We listened to people like Rush Limbaugh, who told us that America was in the clutches of evil liberal feminist atheists.”

Read the rest at:
http://www.alternet.org/story/154541/barely_literate_how_christian_fundamentalist_homeschooling_hurts_kids?page=1

[Turbineguy]

1. But it's OK

because they don't have to give the homeschooler teacher retirement benefits.

[KansDem]

2. Oh, no!!! ELFAs!!! It's the attack of the ELFAs!!!

evil liberal feminist atheists

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! ...[font size="1"]run away! run away!

[bluestateguy]

3. Fewer fundamentalist students and parents in the public schools is a good thing, not a bad thing

If they are out of the system, then they are more prone to leaving the rest of us alone.

[murielm99]

4. There is hope for the children who are in the system.

As they become educated, they start to question their parents' extremism, and they may reject it. That is good for them, and for the rest of us, who don't need them forcing us to live their way. I think those kids are better off getting wider exposure to the world in our public schools.

I used to see quite a few of the fundy homeschooled kids at our local community college. I could pick them out of a crowd. Some of them matured, and turned into nice young adults. Some of them never completed their programs, and they were the ones who worried me.

They had to get their GEDs in Illinois, in order to move on to further education, or to obtain jobs. Many of them were so unprepared for the GED test that they enrolled in several classes. Most of them were weak in math and science. For many of them, the library was a revelation. They had never read most of the classics that one needs for a basic education.

One of the other things that bothered me was the naivete of the girls. Some of them had so little social exposure that they dated the worst losers and predators on that campus. I think those types of guys knew what to look for.

One summer, I took a biology class to keep my teaching certificate up to date. I knew the teacher. The students were lucky to have such a terrific and knowledgeable guy. I had heard he was a good teacher, and I found out very quickly that was true. I took college bio in the sixties, before many of the recent DNA discoveries, and the mapping of the human genome. It was great to learn about that in a formal classroom setting. Imagine my surprise when a couple of fundies tried to contradict everything the teacher said about evolution. As it turned out, the teacher did not have to say much to them. Some other students, much younger than me, spoke to them privately, and they never tried to disrupt the class again. (Also, community colleges have rules about classroom disruption, which is what this was. It was NOT discussion).

I was always happy to see some of those kids mature and start thinking for themselves. I don't know if their new independence hurt them at home. Of course, some of it was simply part of the process of becoming an adult. All kids question their elders. I would never advocate educating them away from their belief in God. I am a Christian, but a liberal Christian. I hope that wider exposure to the world helped some of them develop some tolerance and balance in their faith and in their lives.

[surrealAmerican]

7. Thank you, muriel ...

... biology is not destiny. These children can be educated, and are not doomed to be replicas of their parents.

[LongTomH]

5. Don't believe for a moment that the fundamentalists are going to leave your kids alone!

Another article at AlterNet: How the Fundamentalist Mind Compels Conservative Christians to Force Their Beliefs On You. Substitute "your kids" for you in this case.

Some examples of this are: the battle in every state to force creationist/'intelligent design' teaching in science classes, the assemblies in some schools where students are virtually required to sit and listen to evangelical speakers, or evangelical organizations meeting on school grounds - with evangelization of other students a focus.

Edited to add this paragraph:

In recent years, evangelicals have expanded their outreach in the military, public grade schools, "faith-based” community services and international aid programs, leveraging existing structures and secular funding streams when possible to support their work. To qualify for grants or gain access to public facilities, they argue that they are social service providers, not missionaries. From a personnel standpoint they argue that they are churches, exempt from civil rights laws. America’s Supreme Court has been remarkably willing to let them speak out of both sides of their mouths, which means this trend will continue. Evangelical organizations like Officers Christian Fellowship, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Prison Fellowship Ministries and World Vision will proselytize as much as they are allowed to, diverting as many public dollars as they can, because that is what their reading of the Bible demands.

[drlindaphd]

6. It is just so sad as well as dangerous

As many of you have stated, children who are home schooled are totally controlled by their parents and their education is severely limited. They cannot learn anything that their parents do not already know. They are limited to the world view of their parents and to what ever their parents choose to expose them.

They are also crippled socially. They do not develop the social and emotional skills necessary to become a functioning member of society. They do not develop social networks or learn how to form bonds with people outside of their immediate social group.

Home schooling is a recipe for failure in an advanced society. The extreme right's bias toward education, any meaningful education, especially higher education will bring our society down. Throughout history, an uneducated or poorly educated populace has been easier to control and manipulate.

That is truly frightening. This bunch have taken it even further. The leaders from Palin to Santorum, and others are ignorant as well. Not only is our democracy at risk, our very existence is as well if these people are elected. We are just seeing the beginning of this with the Tea Party members that have made it to Congress. Just look at the legislation being proposed and yes, even passed.

[jhasp]

10. How many homeschoolers do you know?

My wife and I homeschool our kids and they learn many things that I never knew. They go on field trips. They have {gasp} friends. The homeschool kids in the area have organizations, they play at each others houses. Some are "fundies" some aren't, and for the most part, they all get along. I have a PhD and am a college professor. My wife has degrees in biology and chemistry. I have four friends who are college professors that home school their kids; all PhDs (between us we have degrees in finance, history, spanish, and computer science). Our children are not uneducated. Totalitarian societies don't allow homeschooling, they make public school mandatory.

[drlindaphd]

11. I am sorry, my brush strokes were way too broad

I did paint with broad strokes. However, in my defense I did say that the children would be restricted to the level of education of their parents. You and your friends are all highly educated and your children obviously benefit from your knowledge and expertize. They also benefit from the experience and critical thinking skills you are able to teach them.

My children and grandchildren had the same advantages yours had. I have a Ph.D. and my husband is ABD, Our daughter has a master's degree in education. Most of our friend have similar credentials and have at least master's degrees, if not Ph.Ds or Ed.Ds.

We chose to send our children to public school, for the education and socialization. As a psychologist I believe they really need the socialization and need to learn to mix with others both in school and in extra curricular activities.

You have to admit that the majority of children who are home schooled do not have the benefit of parents who have Ph.Ds. According to my research, totalitarian societies are not really interested in where the education takes place. They are more interested in controlling the curriculum.

That is what is so frightening about what is taking place in our country today. There are some very vocal groups that want to eliminate science, especially evolution, alter history that is taught, and rewrite the curriculum to suit their off the wall beliefs. Home schooling is one way they can propagate their ignorance.

By the way, Bravo! to you for the fine education you and your friends are providing.

Linda P. Erlich, Ph.D.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

8. Isn't keeping them illiterate the idea?

[Odin2005]

9. This isn't just a with Fundies. Most people are functionally illiterate.

Even many people with college degrees can barely read and write.

[SpartanDem]

12. The real problem these people get a vote

you wanna go off the reservation to get away those evils of science? Knock your self out, but these people get to vote like everyone and that is pretty freaking scary, if you ask me.