Live data from Hacker News

For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

washingtonpost.com

171–180 of 597 posts

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> Interestingly, many people who argue this way are very hesitant to apply this argument to sparking knowledge about evangelical Christian theology. I'm absolutely not hesitant for kids to be taught about evangelical christian theology. I don't think kids should be proselytized to by the state. That is, I'm more than fine if kids study the bible as part of class. I'm less fine if kids are taught "The bible is the wor…

> That is, I'm more than fine if kids study the bible as part of class. I'm less fine if kids are taught "The bible is the word of god and if you don't believe it you are going to hell".

> To put it in another context, I'm perfectly fine if there was a class teaching about Hinduism in high school. I'm far less fine (and I'd think most people would be) if that class involved calling Christians heathens and requiring participation in Satsang.

To play the devil's advocate: what you described in the last paragraph is exactly how I imagine that classes about evolutionary biology or earth history feel to evangelical Christians. :-)

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The “I don’t want the government perspective imposed on my children” is so funny to me as a homeschooling argument. Go to schoolboard meetings. Talk to your kids and their teachers. Understand what your kids are learning. If you feel a perspective is missing, fill in the gaps. Your kids will be better off for seeing different perspectives, understanding basic argumentation, and coming to their own conclusions. Oh thi…

Are you suggesting that a single parent can meaningfully influence a public school curriculum? That is a ridiculous notion as far as I’m aware.

I’m saying you as a parent can talk to your kids and provide the missing perspective.

I do not endorse the parents of todays worlds almost continuous crusade to change school curriculum in the face of things they disagree with.

Provide context or alternative views to your kids where you feel is appropriate. Let them make their own choices.

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The “I don’t want the government perspective imposed on my children” is so funny to me as a homeschooling argument. Go to schoolboard meetings. Talk to your kids and their teachers. Understand what your kids are learning. If you feel a perspective is missing, fill in the gaps. Your kids will be better off for seeing different perspectives, understanding basic argumentation, and coming to their own conclusions. Oh thi…

Are you suggesting that a single parent can meaningfully influence a public school curriculum? That is a ridiculous notion as far as I’m aware.

I think the GP is suggesting that you attempt to understand public school curricula before you begin attempting to torpedo your local school board.

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#174
post #170
post #17

Why are people in the US so against public schools? I am someone who did not really enjoy “school” and found it anxiety inducing but I still see the benefits of it. In public school you are forced to mingle with the people of your generation. The ones who will inevitably go on to run the country in whatever big or small way. The objective of public school is to break down the regional identities of old and assimilate…

It all comes back to race in America, ever since schools were desegregated. And because in America school funding is local, rich zip codes have good schools and poor zip codes have bad schools (to a reasonable approximation). Instead of fixing this fundamental problem, bad schools are held up as "failures" and used to push bad policy. Public schools require a lot of tax money and community involvement, and truly good…

I don't think the story is quite that simple, for one: at least in my schooling experience, while it is true that property taxes help fund schools, most of the poor, bad-performing schools were allocated more $/student than the other schools once you account for federal funding.

There's also pretty inconclusive evidence that school funding actually is tied to performance all that strongly at all. Interventions tied to giving schools more funding generally do not improve the performance of the school.

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The “I don’t want the government perspective imposed on my children” is so funny to me as a homeschooling argument. Go to schoolboard meetings. Talk to your kids and their teachers. Understand what your kids are learning. If you feel a perspective is missing, fill in the gaps. Your kids will be better off for seeing different perspectives, understanding basic argumentation, and coming to their own conclusions. Oh thi…

Are you suggesting that a single parent can meaningfully influence a public school curriculum? That is a ridiculous notion as far as I’m aware.

The parent is not making that argument.

If you read carefully you’ll notice they recommend teaching your kids your alternate view yourself and exposing them to multiple view points.

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This means the kids gather together in one location because many kids can learn from the person doing the teaching. >Often as well it makes sense for the parents all to contribute a little money so that instead of the parents having to teach things that they are not expert in, the can pay as a group for someone with subject expertise to assist. >It can be problematic though gathering so many kids into one house for…

It's not. It's Poe's law, in action.

[deleted]

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The “I don’t want the government perspective imposed on my children” is so funny to me as a homeschooling argument. Go to schoolboard meetings. Talk to your kids and their teachers. Understand what your kids are learning. If you feel a perspective is missing, fill in the gaps. Your kids will be better off for seeing different perspectives, understanding basic argumentation, and coming to their own conclusions. Oh thi…

What if it's not about missing perspectives, but exposure to infohazards?

Explain this more to me. Presumably something so insidious you need to remove your child from even the possibility of being exposed to it. Perhaps, the existence of gay people?

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

K. What I want is for kids to get the best education possible and to have as many opportunities as possible to further human knowledge. You don't become a biologist if you think evolution is a hoax. Dinosaurs are simply cool as shit and I feel bad that kids are kept from them because of "Satan". And you'll have a hard time with geology or astrophysics if you are saddled with a belief in the young earth. I certainly d…

[flagged]

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#179
post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The “I don’t want the government perspective imposed on my children” is so funny to me as a homeschooling argument. Go to schoolboard meetings. Talk to your kids and their teachers. Understand what your kids are learning. If you feel a perspective is missing, fill in the gaps. Your kids will be better off for seeing different perspectives, understanding basic argumentation, and coming to their own conclusions. Oh thi…

Uh have you even tried that or know anyone who has? If you have issues with the curriculum, its not getting changed. It’s often set at a state or federal level with a lot of committees and politics.

I am not suggesting parents change standardized curriculum every time they have a problem.

Re: For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching

#180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm. But why? Why do we need to have one system for everyone to make em into one acceptable mold. Why can't people pick on their own? Why is the idea that 'system is fucked so I might as well do what is best for my family' not an acceptable one?

Because that's how we got the shit we have today. Look at our healthcare system. The wealthier you are, the more you can go "fuck it, I'll buy a wing in a hospital and never have to worry" meanwhile middle america has giant chunks of population who suffer with chronic pain for decades. Obamacare was the first time that half of america was able to even go to a doctor to figure out wtf is wrong with them. The point is…

I kinda agree with the idea in abstract ( make things miserable for everyone and things will improve ), but it never really works like that in practice. Humans always find a way to fuck with ecisting system. It is a nice idea and maybe a way to scare some people into thinking a chunk of population had had enough. Me? I am not gonna sacrifice my kid to make a point.

I don't want to enter the argument with healthcare analogy.

Post reply on HN