Home School Talk
July 7, 2008
Topic: How Does Homeschooling Benefit Society?
This show is available for download by following the above link. The following is an outline of what you will find there along with links to the stories referenced. This is how the show was planned to run, before I lost the Internet connection and was unsure of whether I would be able to get to my guest. The normal format of the show has the news stories first. Here, they are reversed because Terri had to leave at 1:30 (although in the actual broadcast, most of them were shared before my husband was able to get the Internet reconnected).
Introduction and Vision for Home School Talk
My vision for Home School Talk focuses on a quote I found on a bus stop on the way to drop of my homeschooling paperwork.
Upon the subject of education and not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.
Abraham Lincoln, 1832 To the people of Sangamo County
It is to this most important subject I dedicated my blog and to which I dedicate this show. Although I have strong convictions about education and the bringing up of children, my purpose is not to dictate any particular plan or system, but merely to explore ways of all parents to direct the education of their own children. My tagline for this show is “a voice for hoemschooling” but it could have as easily been “perspectives in homeschooling” because I plan to explore many perspectives, including those with which I personally disagree.
The definition I use in the show is from Noah Webster’s 1832 Dictionary of American English.
Guest: Theresa Willingham
I met Theresa through the Homeschoolers United Internet forum, a list dedicated to recognizing the common ground we have as homeschoolers. She is a home educator of 14 years, vice president of Learning is for Everyone, a freelance writer, and, along with her husband Steve, a home educator of 14 years.
The Topic: How Does Homeschooling Benefit Society?
Theresa does a wonderful job outlining how homeschooling benefits not only our families but also all of society. There were several main themes:
I. Financial.
Homeschoolers pay the same taxes, yet do not use the services of the public schools. When multiplied by the approximately 2 million homeschoolers out there, this amount can be significant. There is also the so-called “homeschool market,” a billion dollar industry that has been called a “vapor market” because of the difficulty some companies have had in directing a portion of that market to their products. A lot of that billion dollars is going to small, independent, home-based businesses.
2. Civic Activity
Homeschoolers tend to be informed and active. One example she gave was our extensive use of library services. The books homeschoolers request, however, are frequently the same books which families of children in public schools find the most useful.
3. By Stimulating Public Discussion
The success of homeschooling challenges traditional models of education, and in turn pressures the public education system to become more adaptable.
4. An Educated Citizenry Benefits Us All
Homeschoolers tend to emphasize character traits such as frugality, industry, love of learning and self-reliance which are beneficial to society. (I quoted Sunniemom of A Woman on Purpose, and her original words may be found in this thread at Heart of the Matter.)
The situation I shared from the 1970s when President Nixon was worried about failing private schools summarizes all of the same benefits, but applied to the private school system. It is in an article by Martin R. West, The Future of Tax Credits.
News Stories:
Senator Vitter (R-LA) has introduced legislation to give a federal tax credit to homeschooling. I touched on this topic a little on my blog already, and will explore it in more depth on the 21st on Home School Talk. While it is not likely to pass this Congress, it isn’t the first time it has been brought up, and similar proposals have been made at the state level as well.
Virginia has new homeschool laws effective July first.
Trusting God as the Floodwaters Rise. World News has an nice human interest story about a homeschooling family forced out of their home by the flooding. Then out of the home of Natalie’s parents. Then out of another home before a teacher they had both had back in high school offered them refuge in a house she owned.
Omaha is a tough act to follow says ‘84 gold medalist. She also says that she wouldn’t trade her life now, homeschooling her two daughters in Virgina, with anything.
Coming Up (Subject to change):
7/14/08 Carol Topp, the Homeschool CPA, discussing Homeschool Coops
7/21/08 An exploration of issues surrounding tax credits for homeschoolers
7/28/08 Professor Gaither discussing his book Homeschool: An American History.
Special Thanks:
A number of people have helped me with launching Home School Talk through their encouragement, ideas and help with promotion. I know I am likely to forget someone, but each week I would like to recognize a few people who have helped me in getting this show together and available.
The entire team over at Heart of the Matter, who helped me considerably as I was still deciding if I really wanted to do this, Chad of Grizzly Groundswell who put the crazy idea into my head in the first place, Renae of Life Nurturing Education who has been bombarded with every pang of nervousness I have had since the planning stages, Tianny of The Home School Lounge for her encouragement and prayer, Susan of Life on the Planet (and her cat) for volunteering to be guinea pigs for my test show and Percival Blakeney Academy for the wonderful suggestions while I was still planning the first show. Maybe next week I can start working through all of the people who have linked to the show!
Contact:
If you have a question, comment, or would like to be on the show, please contact me at homeschooltalkshowATgmailDOTcom. Or via the comment form here.
One thing about the show that I thought was interesting was this idea that we shouldn’t be so strident about our opinions on homeschooling, but be more “professional” in our demeanour about it. I think there’s a real tension even within the homeschool community about “how to feel about public schools.” Are they the Great Satan or our best friends?
I have two older children in public school and like anything else, there are some things I love and hate about it. I’m not “anti” public ed. in *theory.* But when I look at statements from folks in the NEA and from teachers, social workers or others in the media about how we ought to be forced to give our children up to the professionals or be otherwise monitored, I feel like war has been declared. Then again, media has that annoying tendency of quoting the most “strident” from either side of an issue because it makes good copy.
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I think you did a good job with a difficult situation on the internet connection! And I learned I don’t really want to ask to adopt Susan’s cat from your test show LOL!
Susan thinks you are right, Mrs. C! I am definitely a cat person, but this one is just nuts!
Coming from a family of public school teachers, I have gotten nothing but help and encouragement. The teachers in the family have been on the front lines, and they know the pitfalls of public education in the U.S. They want better for my children.
I think that the media does go out of its way to publicize the battle between the extreme elements in both camps. I can’t blame them. It sells.
Not to create a problem but Terri’s first and second thoughts conflict. Apart from the fact that many homeschool families do indeed use and benefit from some public school services one way or another (which blunts the financial savings to the public suggested in #1) the public library system is tax-supported too and we’re using the heck out of it. So once you set up the proposition that homeschooling using or not using public services should be looked at as a financial plus or minus to society, well, #1 and #2 cancel each other out.
I know what she’s getting at though. We just have to work on it, think it through more clearly. Btw Nance and I had many such evolving discussions with Terri herself, back before any of us had worked through our own home education ideas enough to proclaim global principles like this. (We’re all from Florida and like most states, our hsers are of many different POVs.)
Speaking of the old days —
Terri and I among so many wonderful homeschool parent thinkers, were working on this back in 2002, as shown in this NHEN forum discussion full of provocative ideas Dana might want to include now.
I titled it “Homeschooling Changing Schools Instead of Other Way Around?” and the whole theme was how to show that HS benefits society when schooling becomes more like home education, and it would hurt society for School to regulate home education into being more like it.
I don’t see the library system quite the same as the public education system. You are right that it is a tax dollar suppported system, but public school resources are not drained by homeschooling regardless of how much we use the libraries.
I thought she made an interesting point about how homeschoolers, who tend to research the kinds of books they want for their children since they are using them for their education, are asking for books that other families are finding useful. Meaning that the costs that are being imposed on the system are beneficial to all families using the library, not specifically homeschoolers.
Mrs. C, I agree. I think a bit much is made of the conflict. Some of that, like you say, is just the way media tends to take extreme views and pit them against each other. And it is a phenomenon of the internet as well. Controversy garners more traffic and links. But I think it has something to do with that independent nature of many homeschoolers, perhaps especially among the “old guard.” It still amazes me to think of how strong your convictions must be to face school districts, officers, court and potentially prison for home schooling. Those who chose to homeschool in those days had to be a little more committed to the thought that public schools were damaging to even try something different.
We are all also very affected by our own experiences. Sometimes I feel a little out of the loop having had a positive public school experience.
I do think their are definite problems with the system, but that is not meant to criticize the people in the system trying to do the best they can in a faulty system.
One thing that came up in the discussion on the forum with regards to libraries which I thought interesting was how when libraries promote themselves, they are wanting the public to become supporters of the public library system and not necessarily patrons.
I thought it was an interesting distinction. And really, shouldn’t we be looking for the same thing? Supporters of homeschooling, but not necessarily a nation solely of homeschoolers?
I’m snagging your graphic so I can link you on Sprittibee. Keep up the good work, Dana! I’ve been so busy, sorry I haven’t been there to be of more help.