SOTK
New member
Look, the problem with most Public Schools is not necessarily the School. It's parents. Sure, there are bad school administrators and there are bad teachers. Some Public Schools in some states and in some cities are probably terrible, however, the success of a child's education isn't completely dependent upon the school, the teacher, or the administrators. The success of the child's education is dependent upon the active involvement of the parents in their children's lives.
If a kid fails, it's because his parents let him fail. Most schools offer solid curriculum and most teachers are good teachers. In fact, most teachers have my sincere respect. My dad is a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher, and I have three aunts and one cousin who are teachers. What a fantastic job! Yes, they get paid for this job, but they are also being of service. They need support from their communities and from their classes' parents, because it is a big job. If they fail, it's because their classes' parents failed them. It always goes back to the parents. If a child is struggling, the parent needs to step in. If a parent wants their child to learn more on a subject, than the parent needs to step in.
Speaking of parental involvement, my family is Christian. We are raising our children as Christians. They are involved in our Church, go to Sunday School, choir, Awana, and are taught the Bible by their parents. As I'm sure you do, we parent with God and His Word in mind. Our kids are taught to have faith and to lean on Him. Forgive me for saying this, but I sometimes wonder how much faith you have in your children and in God by how much some of you homeschoolers fear Public Education. Sure, some things at school are different than what is taught at home. They experience different schools of thought and meet different children who are raised differently. You fear this. I can see it in your words. I just don't. I really don't think it confuses them as much as you would have us Christian Public School supporters believe. In fact, I've seen the opposite. I think it strengthens the Christian child's faith as well as provides opportunites for growth, for compassion, for realistic questions, for witnessing, and for love.
So, danger? My kids are only in danger if I abandon them from my involvement in their education.......from their lives. What do you think, Yorzhic, Christian familes who choose public education are not involved? What do you think.....that we just have them go to school and call it good? No, we most certainly don't. My wife volunteers in our kids classes and I visit often. Besides this, there are huge amounts of time spent with our kids and their homework as well as our own brand or twist on what they have learned. A lot of you "Christian" homeschoolers attempt to paint the average Christian public schoolers as stupid and uninvolved.....that we are monsters for sending our kids to Public School.
See, this is why I get so upset with Christians like you. You aren't any better than the dysfunctional organized religion type Christians that I have chosen to stay away from for so long. You seem to have it in your head that if a Christian doesn't do something which you think is Christian we aren't Christian. I know, I know.....you haven't said that, but that's what I perceive to come next. Christine came dangerously close to that and might have well said it. It's in her words and it's in yours. It's in a lot of posters I see at TOL who go out of their way to blast Public Education and any Christian who chooses to not completely agree that Homeschooling is the only option. Case in point; you just attempted to paint an even worse picture of me by comparing my support of public education with abortion....murder. That I'm causing the destruction of my kids like I would if I aborted them! You're sick, and I feel sorry for you.
You have done nothing but convince me that I have made the right decision and as Nori has warned....... pushed me even further away from ever considering homeschooling, or at the very least, supporting it. In fact, other than Nori and a few other homeschoolers I respect at TOL and in my own life, I'm beginning to have a low opinion of most of you.
There.....that's more than I was gonna post and more than you deserve. This all started because I stated that it was "okay" to believe in other options besides homeschool. I was attacked....not the other way around. In fact, I have stated from the beginning that it's a personal decision. A parent's decision.....a decision which is none of your business and none of mine. If you take anything away from this argument, I hope you take away that. As I have said before, homeschoolers are entitled to their opinions. In the future, I just hope some of you learn to "sell" it in a different way. Obviously, attempting to demonize us isn't gonna work.
SOTK
Last edited:
In my opinion, what you said was disrespectful to SOTK. I know you (and others) don't see it that way. I watched the whole thing between you and SOTK in the other thread as well. I noticed that he didn't start getting disrespectful of you until you wouldn't lay off telling him that he was wrong, under any circumstances, for sending his children to public school. It's not your call, Christine. It's his.
