This Is Why We Homeschool
photo credit: Steve KeysIT job search
Sometimes I read comments about how homeschooling will make kids stunted and behind. I’ve got to say though, the school system isn’t some utopia of excellence either. Take these stories for instance:
- Ottawa school bans balls at recess – A school principle banned balls because kids got hurt playing with them. As if kids don’t get hurt playing with any other kind of toy. Soon they’ll be banning kids from moving.
- School Bans Dictionary – Yes, the dictionary. Why? Because some kid looked up “oral sex” in it. Next encyclopedias, thesauruses, and every science book in the library. In fact, let’s just ban all learning because there’s bound to be some parent pissed about what their kids bring home.
- Who Was The Reporter The Lexington MA Wirthlins Spoke To About Their Child’s Book? – Parents flip because kids are read a book about 2 princes who fall in love with each other. Bonus on the quote “We feel like 7 years old is not appropriate to introduce homosexual themes.” Right, because there are no 7-year-old with gay parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, grandparents, or neighbors. All 7-year-olds live in a bubble that must never, never, never be popped. (My 5 year old has been “introduced to homosexual themes” and his head didn’t explode. In fact, he shrugged and moved on. Kind of like the adults should do.)
Yes. And this is exactly why I feel like I’m doing something wrong when I send my daughter to public school everyday.
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Summer Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I was not trying to say parents are doing something wrong, only that public school is not always the better option as some anti-homeschooling people claim. I apologize.
I can’t even read these kinds of articles because of how angry they make me. Some things are just beyond ridiculous.
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Banning a dictionary–that’s just ridiculous. Of course kids can look things up that parents may/may not like but the entire dictionary?
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I’m with ya.
Even aside from the homosexual theme issue, what 7-year-old hasn’t asked to marry her best friend? I remember doing it. My daughters have asked. It has nothing to do with sexuality until their parents insist on turning it into such. Ugh!
Let kids be kids!
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I am right there with you. When I heard that they banned the dictionary because a kid looked up a naughty word, I just laughed. We all did it as kids, or at least I did with my friends. It’s just completely ridiculous that (1) parents complained about it and (2) the school actually decided to ban it. Just ridiculous.
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Part of me thinks it’s funny the dictionary was banned because of the definition of “oral sex” being there. If you look up the definition of marriage, the second one listed in Merriam-Webster it includes “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.”
Hmm… Maybe I shouldn’t point that out because then the school in the third link might ban the dictionary like the second link…
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I’ve also heard of “no running” on the playground and rules against forming your hand into the shape of a gun (you know, for playing cops and robbers).
Jana Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I agree with most comments and concerns in the post. However, regarding guns, as a public school teacher I take issue with children “shooting” at each other. Certainly wouldn’t kick a child out of school for this, but have had a former student while waiting int he hall point his finger at another child, and pretend to shoot him. I draw the line there even if it is in play. Just another opiniion.
Excellent post! Banning balls? Wow, there really are people out there that are that ridiculous.
I taught in a preschool where all gun play was banned, however I think it is best to say we dislike that type of play and discuss alternatives to violence instead of out and out banning it. Use it as a “teachable” moment. My sister is a nanny and her charge is only allowed to (pretend)”shoot” things like marshmallows and only if the other person is okay with it.
What about jacks? They have all those sharp, spiky thinks on them. And jump ropes? Someone might accidently hang themselves from the monkey bars. Oh, wait. Monkey bars were banned ages ago.
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