The Onion That is Home Schooling

[MichaelHarris]

The Onion That is Home Schooling

Recently I had the pleasure of discussing some issues with a Conservative Christian that I think are important to America. I knew going in that this was to be akin to slaying windmills but I was cornered, what could I do? The debate started out being about Jerry Falwell’s statements and the church in California under investigation by the IRS. Here is a brief snippet from that debate:

“Some find that's it is OK for this church to loose it's tax exempt status because they gave a speech against war. Why do these same people think it's OK for a church to tell it's parishioners a vote for John Kerry is wrong? What is the defining thing that makes them choose?

That defining thing is called politics, specifically Republican politics. For years Republicans saw that by using Christians they could gain power. In essence they climbed the backs of Christians to gain power, they were used. Randell "Duke" Cunningham ran as a conservative garnering votes from every church he could attend. He won. He now sits in prison for selling his vote to military contractors. Ney, an Ohio congressman supported by conservatives now sits in rehab after pleaing guilty for selling his votes to the same contractor. He will not resign because "he needs the paycheck.

We live in a nation that has never voted to approve an equal rights amendment for women. Ask yourself why? Look at the record of those that have voted against the amendment every time it comes up. Look at their base of supporters. Why do conservatives not support and equal rights amendment for women? A church in Pullman, Wa is not the worst I've seen. The church in Moscow, Id preaching the benefits of slavery was one of the most hate-filled sermons I've ever read. What makes the Moscow church so dangerous is they actually have home schools.”

Excuse me for the long opening but I had show what the debate was about and how Conservatives reshape the topic to get to what they think they know. Here is an answer to my statement above:

“Bigotry sucks on all levels. I have no idea what church that is, and I'd question anyone there on the various aspects of the New Testament. As far as home schools go, I'd love to hear your views on the public schools. You know, the place that tells our children that infanticide is a normal everyday thing.”

It was that reply that led me to this article, “The Onion That is Home Schooling”. I've never seen infanticide taught anywhere in public schools. My wife taught high school biology for years before becoming a doctor and has never seen it either. As far as home schools go I think most are attempts by parents to segregate their children. The people I know here that home school want to know what their kids are being taught but couldn't tell you where they were last Friday night. There are really only two reasons people home school, some may think there are three but one is just an excuse. First, and most prevalent (although none will admit it) is to separate the races. Second, and this is the excuse not a reason, violence. Their child has a better chance getting killed in a car, abducted at the mall, abused by a church member than being shot at school. Lastly, evolution. You could show actual footage of evolution in progress and they would say Hollywood liberals made it.

Let’s examine these reasons one at a time, if any of you home school I mean no offense but I would hope you would reexamine your reasons. First, segregation. Home schooling boomed after the desegregation of our public schools, in fact lets look at the arguments used for segregation:

*The Constitution did not require white and African American children to attend the same schools.

*Social separation of blacks and whites was a regional custom; the states should be left free to regulate their own social affairs.

*Segregation was not harmful to black people.

*Whites were making a good faith effort to equalize the two educational systems. But because black children were still living with the effects of slavery, it would take some time before they were able to compete with white children in the same classroom.

“Throughout the 1960s, whites increasingly abandoned the Atlanta public schools. A 1973 "compromise" failed to stem the white flight, both from the schools and from the city.” White Flight: The Strategies, Ideology, and Legacy of Segregationists in Atlanta
Kevin Kruse, Princeton University

So where’s the onion? A large percentage of people who home school can be seen as onions. As you peel away the layers, or excuses you begin to see racism, white seperationisn, and race mixing as an excuse. No matter what excuse one gives for home schooling if you dig you are very likely to find this to be the reason. In this day and age none will admit it but it surely must be there. Discuss this with people who home school, when pressed you’ll see a glimmer of racism.

Before you see the beast of racism and race separation you’ll hear this, “schools are just so dangerous”. Well what makes a school dangerous, notebook paper is too sharp? No kids with guns make schools unsafe. Now lets ask the home schooler about gun control. Bad idea, we have the right to bear arms, you’ll get my gun if you pry it from my cold dead fingers. But wait Mr or Mrs Compassionate Conservative, you took your kids out of school and away from any culture they may learn to protect them from violence. Is there any chance you would just want to make it a little harder for kids to use guns by putting trigger locks on them? Here’s an idea how about you as a Compassionate Conservative take responsibility if your child uses a gun in a crime? Lets say you do their time.

It is like the onion when it comes to people who home school, you peel away the layers or reasons they home school and you find the "real" people. Not the ones that fear crime, if that was the case wouldn't they not even let their kids out of the house? No, you find those that want to segregate, you find those that close their mind to discussion and reason. I’ll sometime ask parents who home school where their kids were last Friday night, most don’t know but in school they are safe. Where does a child have a better chance of being molested today, school or a church? Where does a child have a better chance of being killed, out with friends or in school? These parents will say safety but they really mean safety from non-white America.

Lastly home schoolers cite evolution vs creationism as a reason for home schooling. We have to remember these are the same people who believe a guy built an ark and loaded up two of each animal, including dinosaurs and floated around for 40 days. How much does a dinosaur eat in 40 days anyway? Home schoolers have never grasped the idea that there can be more than one place in rounding out a child’s education. The concept of spiritual education in a church, social and community education in a public school, and personal development at home are the cornerstones of a well rounded individual. These people deny their children interaction with their peers for one reason, evolution? Probably not, remember they are onions. Don’t be an onion, peel as many as you can find to expose the truth.

Michael Harris