“This is not to say that restrictive groups are bad. It is to say that it is worth considering the purpose of the restrictions and if all activities need to be governed by the restriction.”

Yes! And I’d argue that participating with each other in the day-to-day, as much as possible, and with conscious respect for areas of “non-communion,” is a strong foundation for developing respect from the larger society and increasing our capacity for constructive action at the state and national level.

But that’s a hard dance to do, if you want to raise kids “unstained by the world,” so closed groups provide some shelter from the dangers and challenges of dealing with outsiders.

On the other hand, it is really hard to organize a group that has “open” membership and still has passionate, active participants. So it’s no wonder that groups tend to close themselves one way or another…

It’s one thing to say that a group of like minded moms are going to have a women’s Bible study while there kids practice Spanish or that there is a book sale that promotes secular titles and attachment parenting works. It is perceived differently when the homeschool swim lessons or band or science fair are organized by (and only open to) a restrictive group.

This is not to say that restrictive groups are bad. It is to say that it is worth considering the purpose of the restrictions and if all activities need to be governed by the restriction.

And I don’t think homeschooling has a single heart. We homeschool for very different reasons…and I don’t think the terminology is shaping thought so much as attempting to label something we all see in homeschooling as two somewhat opposing camps, but isn’t easy to distinguish.

The thing is, I don’t really think we need to have a single heart, nor necessarily get together and assist each other with the daily aspects of homeschooling. People should feel free to organize themselves into groups based on any common conviction, whether it be strictly “homeschooling” or a complete statement of faith. For me, the question isn’t really that relevant when we are talking about the local support group meeting in the basement of the local church and starts with prayer vs. the one that meets at McDonald’s and has as one of its rules that no one speaks of religious matters.

For me, the issue becomes important when we are talking about statewide organizations. These are the groups contacting legislators and providing the initial information when new laws are being proposed. So far as I know, here in Nebraska, the closed communion Christian statewide organization is all that there is. I don’t have any real issues with them related to their closed communionness, because so far as I can tell their beliefs line up with mine well enough. Not that I’ve spent all that much time researching their stances, or anything, and I’ve never attended their conventions, but should they be the only ones working with the legislature?

But then, it isn’t really their fault, I don’t think, that no other groups have been organized to date. According to the state, there are less than 6,000 homeschoolers in NE…not a lot to draw from for starting statewide organizations.

She meant it as a compliment, and we think the answer is that they just practiced doing it regularly, and developed civil habits of mutual respect. We are very aware that the positive tone in that group was something special, since we’ve experienced the opposite from both non-religious and Christian homeschooling groups.

Evocative as they are, the terms seem to frame the difference unevenly, somehow, on footing that assumes ideology, rather than educational integrity, is the most important thing. This is, of course, the point at issue. Broadening that point of contention out to a general classification scheme could lead us astray.

I wonder what we are missing or obfuscating by using terminology borrowed from doctrinal debates? Is this situation really a doctrinal one for all homeschoolers? (I think it may be so, if we include our convictions about the nature and purpose of education as “doctrine.”) What is the difference between a “closed communion” homeschool group (we are enthusiastic members of a couple of those) and “closed communion” homeschooling as a practice of cultural isolation / separation (to which our family would be strongly opposed)? Can “open communion” homeschoolers feel free to engage with their religious convictions (Christian or otherwise) in the context of an open group that may not share those convictions? Or do they have to keep so-called “non-academic” issues fenced inside one “closed” group or another? Can a “closed communion” homeschooler get handwriting tips from a pagan mom? If open vs. closed is the defining issue for specific organizations, but not for home educators as such, then what is at the heart of homeschooling? Does it have a single heart? If we didn’t use these terms, what would we use?

It may indeed reflect established social practice on the ground; but as with the term “homeschooling” itself, if we want to have the possibility of learning from and changing our homeschooling practices, I think we should be wary of how our terminology shapes our thinking.

The show is downloadable. My dad downloads it to his MP3, so I know you can do it. I will check specifically on IPod. Some of the shows are available on Itunes, but not mine, yet. I think that is something that is being developed, but at the moment I think only the bigger shows are on it.

For a while in the DC area, I was on an email list for homeschooling that initially required members to be members of a homeschool group that was specifically inclusive.

They did eventually change the requirements for the email list to individual members being tolerant and respectful of other viewpoints. But I did find the initial requirement to be an interesting reaction.

Anyway, I really came here to ask if you could post ways of getting the show onto an ipod. I’m much more likely to listen while cleaning than sit at the computer to listen. I didn’t find it on iTunes yet. Is the show downloadable or only playable as streaming audio?