What do we do with home-schoolers?
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(1.)Some oversight seems reasonable compared to cost of lifetime dependency
(2.)Time to offend everyone. How can you write about education, and do otherwise?
(3.)The subject of the week is home-schooling. More and more people in Richmond are doing this — or claiming to do this. One result? Our graduation rate is improving, for when a student leaves the district for home-schooling, the departure does not count against the rate. Does this explain the whole increase? Maybe not. But it sure helps.
(4.) Let’s be real. Something is happening here, and one doubts it is a citywide divine revelation about the glories of home-schooling.
(5.)Are our local administrators quietly encouraging parents of troubled and troublesome kids to sign the form that promises home-schooling?
(6.) Are parents claiming to home-school, so they can dodge the law that now requires kids to be in school until they are 18?
(7.) I don’t know and I don’t know. But we do have a way of finding and using loopholes in laws, and this one is a mile wide.
(8.)Yet behind all that, is this: What do we do with home schools?
(9.)Leave them alone? Regulate them? Ban them?
(10.)I run in circles where home-schooling is often present, and sometimes popular. Home schools are like anything else: Some are good, and some are bad. Some parents are passionate, diligent and competent. Other parents are lukewarm, negligent and unqualified.
(11.)I admire those who do it well. My kids surpassed my home-schooling skills somewhere around first grade.
(12.)So I ask: is it in the interests of the state, to keep an eye on this? I say yes.
(13.) Let’s say the schools do happily say goodbye to frustrating and failing kids through this home-school loophole, and never see them again. Or let’s say exasperated parents do sign the form, then allow their children to enjoy a curriculum of potato chips and ESPN. What is the result? Uneducated, unskilled, unmotivated people who will barely survive in the work force and might eventually drop out altogether. Then, since we are so generous with our social programs, we will have another group of people who take far more than they give.
(14.)Is this what we want? I hope not. Some oversight and regulation seems reasonable. This might include submission of a curriculum, occasional visits and participation in the standardized tests. Yes, this addition to our bureaucracy will cost money, but how does that compare to what we pay for a lifetime of dependency?
(15.)As with many issues these days, we tend to run to the extremes.
(16.) One side might say, “Do not touch my home-schooling!” The other side might say, “Just outlaw it!”
(17.) But can we do better than that? Home-schooling is an excellent path for some. But it is not for everyone — especially those who merely sign a form to evade a law.
(18.)If we believe we need to help people who need help, we need to help them when they are kids, so we do not need to help them when they are adults.
(19.) Let’s not stick our heads in the sand about what is happening or what could happen. We can value freedom and urge responsibility.
(20.)Hello, legislators. Anybody … home?
Tom Stein is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Richmond Indiana
Letter To The Editor
You need to understand that as I write this response I am working on all cylinders to keep the river of rage between the banks of coherency. As such, I’m just going to bullet point my response.
1a.) Children have oversight Dr. T. Franken Stein. That oversight is called parents. You might have bumped into these folks occasionally Tom. God has given them the responsibility of oversight of their children in the realm of the family.
1b.) This lifetime of dependency your concerned about resulting from neglected home schooled children … is that the kind of dependency that currently finds 1 in 7 public school educated Americans on food stamps Tom? Is it the kind of life time dependency that finds millions of government educated adults voting for a party that is committed to creating a dependency under-class? I want to tell you Tom that even if parents of home schooled children assiduously schemed to enstupidfy their children into a life time of dependency they could not, labor as they might, match the enstupidification process that the Government schools have made a science. In short Tom, even if the larger percentage of home schooled children became life time dependents upon the government that percentage could not match the life time of dependents that are created by government schools.
1c.) You speak of the necessity for being reasonable. By what standard are you measuring “reasonable,” Tom? If we are looking to God’s word for the definition of reasonable I see no justification for advocating for the increased oversight by the state over home educators. The Scriptures nowhere allows the State to intrude upon the family realm, where education lies, except in the necessity of interposition. Are you really arguing Tom that things are so bad that there is a need for the State to do interposition into the Family sphere on this issue?
2.) Tom, the chief person you’ve offended is Jesus Christ in heaven above. You have advocated the State to usurp the prerogatives that God has given to the parents in order that the State might play God to the family. Your advocacy for increased State control is an advocacy that leads to the deterioration of the family and the enhancement of the State. A State, I might remind you, which is hostile to Biblical Christianity.
3a.) Who cares if the government schools graduation rate is increasing or decreasing? The government schools produce illiterate mindless slaves. The government schools raise generations to be anti-Christ in their thinking. Who cares anything about what these people do except to care that government education is destroying the citizenry? In terms of the government schools, “let the dead bury the dead.”
3b.) Why should it bother you if home schoolers only “claim” to educate? Why should it bother you since the government schools likewise only claim to educate? What difference does it make if a child is not really educated at home or if they are not really educated at government school? Why do you assume that all because a child attends a government school they are really being educated?
4a.) Yes indeed something doubtless is happening here, and what is happening is that people are increasingly awakening to the fact that they can’t screw up their own children any worse than the government schools are screwing up their children. Good night, even the pagans are realizing that the government schools are making morons out of their children and you write to suggest the morons should have oversight?
5.) I pray to God that school administrators are encouraging parents to home educate their children. Dear Jesus, let that be true please.
6.) Why shouldn’t parents try to dodge stupid laws that require their children to be in government schools until they are 18? Who is the State that it should dictate to parents how long it takes in order for their children to be adequately educated?
7.) Any loophole that can be found in current laws regarding education of our children should be taken full advantage of. The State has no Biblically ordained role to dictate to the family what it does with their God given children.
Remember Tom, this is a pagan State and pagan government schools we are talking about here. These are schools that are thoroughly anti-Christ from top to bottom. Shouldn’t this reality make you want to cheer whenever loopholes are taken advantage of?
8.) You ask, “What do we do with Homeschools.”
First, I wonder who is the “we” to which you make reference in that question. Is the “we” that have to do something with home-schools the “we” of the Christian church, or is the “we” the “we” of a pagan anti-Christ culture? I suspect that the “we” is the latter “we.”
You do realize, of course, that your concern as a Pastor should not be with those anti-Christ pagans who want to regulate the education of home schoolers.
9.) I have an answer to your question though, and my answer is leave them alone. It is none of your damn business as a lackey for the State on how parents raise their children. Keep in mind Tom that children belong to the parents and not the State.
10.) I agree that not all home schools are equally adept at home schooling? So what? A bad Christian home school is better than a “good” pagan government school. You don’t seem to have any comprehension Tom on how bad the government schools are. The government schools are so bad that even if a child were to grow up ignorant in a home schooled setting that child would be better served than attending government schools. You don’t seem to realize Tom that government schools are the engine of socialism in this country. You don’t seem to realize that government schools are not interested in educating but in creating a slave class. You don’t seem to realize that putting hundreds and thousands of adolescents in one setting with minimal adult oversight creates a “Lord of the flies” sub youth culture. You don’t seem to realize that government schools are committed to turning children into moral zombies. You don’t seem to realize that given the emphasis of egalitarianism in the government schools that the result is an even low intelligence that is produced. You don’t seem to realize that the average home school scores on standardized college tests blow the average government school scores out of the water. You don’t seem to realize that the government schools, with their dismissal of the Lordship of Christ in education are raising a generation of anti-Christs. You don’t seem to realize Tom that by sending our children to government schools we are destroying the family. 8 hours of school combined with 8 hours of sleep doesn’t leave much time for family life.
What kind of a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can you be if you are this totally unaware and stupid Tom?
11.) Given this letter I find this statement altogether believable. Still, if you are no smarter than a 6 year old, I might ask, “What in the world are you doing serving as a Pastor? If you are no more bright than your 6 year old, I advise you to turn your congregation over to your child when they turn 7.
12.) The interests of the State? What about the interests of the God you are supposed to be serving Tom? You say it is in the interests of the State to keep an eye on homeschooling. Who, might I ask, in your twisted world, is keeping an eye on the State who is keeping an eye on the homeschoolers? Given the magnificent ability of the State to screw up every thing it touches why would you want to charge the state with keeping an eye on Homeschoolers? This is like asking the Fox to keep an eye on the chicken coop.
Please tell me that you’ve never read a book on this subject Tom. Please tell me that you wrote out of complete and utter ignorance of this subject. Please tell me that you are unaware of the writings of Neil Postmen, or John Taylor Gatto, or Doug Wilson, or Peter Brimelow, or Samuel L Blumenfeld, or Thomas Sowell, or B. K. Eakman, or R. J. Rushdoony, or Gordon Clark, or Cornelius Van Til or Neal McCluskey, or Dorthy Sayers, or any number of other worthies who have written on the banality of our current government schools to whom you want to give oversight power. It boggles the mind that a Christian minister desires to give oversight of Christian children to people who are committed to training those children in the ways of a pagan christ-less covenant.
13.) This paragraph of yours and the question in it are laughable but if one must have an answer to your question concerning the result of a generation of home-schooled children growing up with a curriculum of potato chips and ESPN I would suggest the most likely result of a generation of home schooled children growing up on a curriculum of potato chips and ESPN is that we’ll have more people qualified to fill the pulpits of the PCA.
You’re wasting all the energy on the potential of home schooled children to become scofflaws while ignoring the actuality that millions and millions of those who were government schooled are scofflaws precisely because they were educated into their worthless societal contributions by the government schools they attended. Shouldn’t your effort, Tom, be more fruitful if you were to try and do something about the abysmal state of our government schools? Maybe you should advocate that home-schooler being given the responsibility to keep an eye on the government schools? Maybe home-schoolers should be empowered to regulate the government schools?
14.) You do realize that you are advocating here that those with a Christ hating worldview be in charge over those with a Christ loving worldview? You do realize that no curriculum that honors Christ will be accepted by those who hate Christ don’t you? Let’s say, I, as a home school parent, turn in a curriculum program that has as a class, “The failures of the American educational system,” do you think that such a worthy course would be approved by those you want to bring into the home to do oversight? Have you lost your mind man?
15.) Psst .. Tom … don’t tell anybody but you are the one advocating an extreme.
I would remind you Tom that even if those of us who desire to tell the State to butt out are extreme that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!
16.) And one side might rightly say … The pagan State has not been given by God the commission to dictate to Christian parents how they raise and educate their children.
17.) I would contend that a law should be passed that makes it illegal for parents to send their children to government schools Tom. Yes … that is how bad it really is. I would also contend that parents be allowed to escape government schools by any loophole they can find.
18.) The most help you can be Tom is to understand how education is part of a Christian world and life view. You are advocating in your letter for something that is completely contrary to what you confess to believe is true. You are contradicting your confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ by suggesting that the pagan State be in the position of Lord over children.
If we want to help children Tom we will pray God will destroy the government schools that are destroying our children. If we help them as children in this way our task will be less Herculean in helping them when they are adults. Your solution Rev. Stein in giving oversight abilities to the Pagan State serves as the final nails in the coffin of this culture.
19.) Your invoking of freedom and responsibility at the end of your letter is a joke given the reality that if we follow your advice it will lead to slavery and dependency on the State.
Become a Christian Tom and contend for the Crown Rights of King Jesus and not the Crown rights of the State.
Hello … Tom … Rev. Stein … are you listening.
Interested and outraged readers might want to continue exploring commentary on Tom’s idiocy by reading,
A Clueless Pastor Wants More State Control of Education
Render the Home-Schools unto Caesar? A Critique of Pastor Stein’s State-Worship