California Law: Homeschool Is Bad

In January, Jen at Lords of the Manor blogged about the divide between homeschoolers and parents who send their children to public school. She received almost fifty thoughtful comments, and the general consensus was that there is no one perfect way to educate your children and that whichever route you choose, you need to be involved.

However, if you live in California, if you choose to homeschool, you're currently breaking the law. Last week, an appeals court ruled that parents must send their children to a full-time public or private school, or have them taught by tutors with credentials.

Now, I think there's a good chance that this ruling with be overturned, because the state's decision is clearly misguided. What happened to a parent's right to make their own decisions regarding their children's education? And if this ruling stands, that makes me worry about the precedent.

I did some poking around on the Internet to see what people were saying about this story, and what I read was definitely not as nice as the comments on Jen's article. It appears there is still a lot of misinformation, misunderstanding and straight-up ignorance about what it means to homeschool, and frankly, I was shocked by some of the hate.

Many people feel that "the majority" of homeschooled kids are taught that way because their parents are right-wing Bible thumpers who don't want their kids exposed to the theory of evolution. Many feel that homeschooled kids end up unemployed dunces with no social skills. And plenty more don't see why it should be a problem to require the parent to pass a test and get those pesky credentials. If they can't pass the test, then they shouldn't be teaching their kids, right?

On the other side, many pointed out that the public schools aren't exactly perfect and that No Child Left Behind has some very serious flaws. Just ask my sister-in-law what she thinks of NCLB, and she'll talk your ear off about how it's detrimental to the school she teaches at. Many commenters felt like this ruling leaves the door open for the state to interfere with private and religious schools and others felt like it's clearly a class issue. What happens to your kids if you live in a poorly performing school district but can't afford to hire a tutor? And does it boil down to the state receiving money for children that are enrolled, money they don't get for kids who are homeschooled? Most of the homeschoolers who commented said things along the lines of. 'You clearly have no idea what it means to homeschool or what I do all day, and you need to learn the difference between socializing and socialization before you tell me that my kids never leave the house and don't know how to interact with people.'

I intend to send my children to school, but that doesn't mean that I'm foisting off my responsibility onto the state. I attended private Catholic school for 6 years and public school for 7 years, and in both cases, my parents were involved in my education. They knew my teacher's names, knew the curriculum, checked my homework, attended meetings. At both schools I had some really fantastic teachers, and I had some terrible ones. I'm curious to know why people think that having teaching credentials automatically makes you a good teacher. My father did a better job helping me learn physics than a certain credentialed teacher who spent his class time taking about football or staring into space did. Now, my dad is a former teacher. But my mom never attended college and she was the one who helped me--more than adequately--with writing projects and presentations and anything that involved glue.

I know a handful of homeschooling families. Have you ever looked at the blog of a homeschooling mama? The amount of material they cover and the effort they put into it is astounding. And, last I checked, religious freedom is still something we have in this country. How is homeschooling any different from sending your children to a private religious school?

I don't intend to homeschool, but it's not because I disagree with it or think I can't do it. In fact, I think I'd be rather good at it. I just don't want to do it because I don't think it's the right choice for me or my family. If I had my way, Johnny and Maureen would attend private Catholic school. As it stands now, the quality of the public schools will play a huge part in where we decide to move.

Just like there are excellent teachers in public schools and terrible ones in public schools, I'm certain that some homeschoolers are better than others. But a blanket proclamation that all homeschooled children are being miseducated? That doesn't seem logical.

I know that there are gaps in my abilities and I know that were I to homeschool my kids, I would need to make contacts and find ways to fill those gaps. Luckily, my state still gives me the right to make that choice and the ability to recognize those areas in which I would need help. Why can't California give it's tax payers the right to do the same?