No "Real Science" = No Diploma!

There are many, many things I find dubious about the practice of parents homeschooling their children. I wonder how a mother or father who has not been educated as a teacher, who in many cases has not even been to college her/himself, can possibly provide their child with as good an education as students receive in our much-maligned public schools. And I can´t help but think that these homeschool students, of whom there are several million in the United States, are being robbed of a crucial formative experience by not attending school with other people their age and being forced to interact with a diverse group of peers. :roll:

Have fun ladies.. and don't eat him alive too much!

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/57938


Off to grab a bag of popcorn, this should be good!

 

Did anyone else find it ironic that Ben Steins movie "Expelled" is advertised right next to this article?

 

Wonder who died and left him in charge?

 

Wow.... I wonder what got him started. Too bad he has such a narrow view of homeschooling.

 

I actually had a good conversation with this guy. I even blogged about him and he came over and joined the discussion in my (longest ever!) comments section. His view is expanding, at least with 'acceptable' secular homeschoolers like me. I haven't challenged him on his views of creationist homeschoolers though. I plan to write something about that down the road but haven't got it together in my head yet.

I have to say though, I agree with him in a way. If we're homeschooling and not teaching our kids the state mandated curriculum, we shouldn't expect a diploma. Teaching creationism when state standards mandate a different approach is one of those situations.

If we want state diplomas then we have to accpet the strings that go with them. If we want freedom from those strings we have to accept that we shouldn't be receiving those diplomas.

 

I don't understand why people think in order to homeschool children you need a college education. Are we not teaching them the 'exact' same thing that college educated teachers taught us in school?

...with the exception of creationism and those of us who were homeschooled.

 

I was reading your post thinking, "She's has gone to the dark side, she's gone mad, she must want someone to rip her a new one". THEN I saw the bottom of the post. Heart going pitter-patter and feeling relieved it wasn't how you felt. LOL

 

As a creation theory follower myself, I wouldn't say I'm not going to teach the opposing view...I think it's necessary to understand BOTH in order to support the one we believe.

I may go about teaching it differently, but I am going to teach it.

Does that make sense?

 

My plan for this area of science regardless of if my children are still homeschooled or not when the time comes to "teach" evolution vs. Creation is that I will teach my children Creation, and then I will inform them that many people believe in Evolution and I will explain what evolution is and then I will ask my children to do some sort of project comparing the two and pointing out the errors as they see them. This way they know both sides of the story so to speak and they can decide for themselves what is correct and what is flawed! Obviously I would like to believe that my children will grow up accepting Christianity and Creationism but unfortunately there is no guarantee of this all I can do is instruct them the best way I know how and hope and pray that they come to the right choices later.

 

I know in the article he talked about Apologia. The biology course that sd is doing now does discuss evolution. It discusses the difference between micro and macro evolution. Dh who is heavily into science found it a very fair portrait of this theory. I know sd is going to be covering much more than the required science for the state and we are still not eligible for a "diploma". I need to find time to sit down and compose a reponse to this gentleman.

 

It's interesting that his example is just one fellow student who used Apologia. For all he knows (or we), her parents opted to skip the content on evolution vs. creationism.........doesn't mean that every homeschooler would do that.

We're not to HS level yet but I'm sure I'll show both sides like someone else mentioned. My oldest is 4th grade and she's already taken a Creation vs. Evolution class at our small co-op.

 

I taught both sides.

 

Right!
But see, not every place is the same. We do not have a "State Mandated Curriculum". I know there are several states, here in the US that are like that.

Here (At least in Texas), we have complete freedom. And other than racist comments from many in the media about "White Evangelical Homeschoolers", I believe that the second largest state in the US has proven that people can be left to their own devices without massive "Big Brother" regulation.

That being said, I agree with you that if you want something from the state, you will have to allow them to have some say so. This is exactly why we do not want anything from the state. (State being used to mean Government, in general).

My children are being raised to praise God for all his beautiful awe inspiring creations. But educationally, academically, they are being taught ALL sides. (Just like I would tell them that there are all types of "lifestyles", but that we believe there is only one "Lifestyle" that was intended by God.)

Every family "Indoctrinates" (Not your words, just quoting the status quo of comments) their children. Whether it is regarding science, or how to best get your whites their whitest in the wash. We all instill our belief systems into our children. That is the way it naturally works. All children grow up to make up their own minds.

And thankfully, I live in a state that believes parental rights matter more than state rights.

Can you imagine me regulating that you HAD to teach your child, the way I teach MY child? Or me teaching my children that your children are somehow less educated than my children because of your viewpoint?

That is how many of us feel about this issue. And it is why I found the article so offensive. (not just his, of course, but really the issue itself.) And I posted originally to see how others felt.

But I totally agree with you. If you want something from the state, you have to do what they tell you to do.

Thankfully, I do not want anything from the state.

 

I am so totally sorry for that last post being so long.... It is rude of me to write so long of a reply. It comes off as rude.

Sorry.

Just love yackin!
haha!

 

Your post was just fine! It was perfect! :love:
I think only the soap box self-righteous posts can come off as being rude, now those can be very annoying.

No apologies necessary!

 

I agree with this 100% and every day I am glad to live in the great state of Texas!!!

 

Me too.
My daughter and son (the other 1 is too little)...believe in different things.
My daughter believes in creation, my son evolution...and I sit on the fence.
I will happily teach both, but ultimately, the decision is theirs.

 

I teach evolution as science, creation as religion.

 

When I was in public school science was hermit crabs. When I got older I had no idea how to handle a real science experiment.

 

(Please let me preface this reply with the disclaimer that I'm running on just a couple hours of sleep, so while I know exactly what I'm trying to say, it may come across, well, incoherent)

The problem that I have with his article is how to carry out his thoughts.

What I mean is this: He isn't saying that we should be required to teach both, he's saying that we should be required to teach evolution as fact. There is a big difference there.

He talks about state requires and hinted slightly at the implications for private schools.

On one hand he says that he wouldn't presume to dictate how parents (or private school teachers, by extension) share their faith, but he also says that evolution should be taught as fact in order to attain a diploma.

There is an obvious contradiction there. If private schools where suddenly required to say "evolution is scientific fact" before their students could graduate, then Christian schools would probably all close down. I mean, how could they do that?

Moving on...

He compares teaching Creationism as science to teaching that the Holocaust is a Zionist myth. That's a pretty harsh statement. That is really what set me over the edge.

And now I'm going to bed. Assuming the cicadas let me sleep.