• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

When Homeschooling Goes Bad

calamity

Privileged
Supporting Member
DP Veteran
Monthly Donator
Joined
Feb 12, 2013
Messages
160,900
Reaction score
57,844
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Centrist
I've never been a fan of giving parents total control of their kids. I have been a major fan of parents being forced to send their kids to public schools where certain minimum standards of humanity are required of parents or someone will call the cops.

Here's why.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...e/ar-AAuQZhC?ocid=spartandhp#image=AAuKPJw|12

I have mixed feelings about "home schooling" from having personally witnessed some good examples and some bad. That said, I do believe that the kids that attend formal school (be it public or private) seem to assimilate into the "social" world of employment a tad bit better.

The reality is that this isn't about homeschooling. It is about parents with some very serious mental issues.
 
Last edited:
I've never been a fan of giving parents total control of their kids. I have been a major fan of parents being forced to send their kids to public schools where certain minimum standards of humanity are required of parents or someone will call the cops.

Here's why.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...e/ar-AAuQZhC?ocid=spartandhp#image=AAuKPJw|12

Public schools are rapidly running out of favor as America gives up on them after many decades of multiple failed reform efforts.
 
Public schools are rapidly running out of favor as America gives up on them after many decades of multiple failed reform efforts.

The education there is only as good as what you put into it, especially what a parent puts into it. But, the public sense of it at least demands that you bathe, feed, and not beat your kids black and blue.
 
Home schooling is usually done by crackpots to create more crackpots, hence it should be banned. Children need to be among other children, not locked up inside a house with parents who dont have the qualifications to teach even a dog. Yes I am fully against home schooling... it is anti-social behavior and brain washing.
 
Home schooling is usually done by crackpots to create more crackpots, hence it should be banned. Children need to be among other children, not locked up inside a house with parents who dont have the qualifications to teach even a dog. Yes I am fully against home schooling... it is anti-social behavior and brain washing.

As opposed to the government instilling knowledge and "values"
 
Homeschooling was the least of these children's problems.
 
hehe...ok, I'll go out on the limb. I have always found home schooling to be hugely problematic, but that was because my exposure was limited to parents who did it for religious reasons, which definitely creates an unrealistic bubble, as well as allows for problematic teachings...young earth comes to mind specifically. I had big concerns for their kids, which turned out to not be unfounded.

However, I got to know a family involved in more of a community oriented home schooling group, dedicated to teaching their kids the standard curriculum, but building upon it...for example, supplementing the material with much more frequent field trips, or bringing in presenters who were experts on the subjects being covered. These were not isolated children, the parents worked together to teach them with as much group interaction as was beneficial, but also had the ability to provide one on one attention when required. The couple kids that have "graduated" from this schooling environment went on to do extremely well at high school and university, zero social issues, and a lot more down to earth than a lot of kids I see.

This style of schooling requires a lot of money, unfortunately, the parents of these kids were all very comfortable, and had lifestyles that allowed them to spend a lot of time with their kids, so it's not a model that would work for everyone. But not all homeschooling ends in horror shows like this.
 
I have mixed feelings about "home schooling" from having personally witnessed some good examples and some bad. That said, I do believe that the kids that attend formal school (be it public or private) seem to assimilate into the "social" world of employment a tad bit better.

The reality is that this isn't about homeschooling. It is about parents with some very serious mental issues.


The one case of homeschooling that know went very well involved a mother who had been a high school teacher. She homeschooled her six kids and last I knew all went off to college and are doing well. Teaching isn't a hobby. There's a lot of work and learning required to be able to teach effectively. If a homeschooling parent has the right background or seeks out the right education for themselves I think it can work well - though socialization is certainly a concern. If not then I'm skeptical about the potential for success.
 
I have mixed feelings about "home schooling" from having personally witnessed some good examples and some bad. That said, I do believe that the kids that attend formal school (be it public or private) seem to assimilate into the "social" world of employment a tad bit better.

The reality is that this isn't about homeschooling. It is about parents with some very serious mental issues.

Parents who were able to continue abusing their children by operating under the cover story of "homeschooling." I suspect that they are not the only ones doing this.
 
I've never been a fan of giving parents total control of their kids. I have been a major fan of parents being forced to send their kids to public schools where certain minimum standards of humanity are required of parents or someone will call the cops.

Here's why.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...e/ar-AAuQZhC?ocid=spartandhp#image=AAuKPJw|12

The premise here seems to be that freedom to homeschool causes (more?) child abuse. In order for that to be shown to be true then one must compare the rates of (reported) child abuse among those homeschooled and those attending public (or private?) schools. I don't know if such statistics are kept but I suspect that the opposite is likely to be true.

The folks (who I know) that homeschool their children point to the need for police officers stationed full-time at the public schools and the dismal levels of reading and math proficiency attained by public school students. My sample size is small, three families with a total of 9 children among them, but I see absolutely no sign that their children are being abused or lack exposure to other children for social interaction.

On the other hand, I know of children attending public school that are all but abandoned by their parents and have "wellness" check-up visits by a grandmother or other relative and the kids are told to stay inside the house for their safety with a "dummy" vehicle left at the home to make it appear that an adult may be present. I am not saying that such treatment is necessarily child abuse but certainly not as good (or safe) as having an adult present at all times which is universal among the homeschooled kids that I know.
 
I've never been a fan of giving parents total control of their kids. I have been a major fan of parents being forced to send their kids to public schools where certain minimum standards of humanity are required of parents or someone will call the cops.

Here's why.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...e/ar-AAuQZhC?ocid=spartandhp#image=AAuKPJw|12



So you think you have the right to control and determine the path kids not yours takes and your justification is what one pair of nuts did with thier kids? That's not a very well thought out position.



Home school parents have to meet state education requirments. you do know that, right.
 
Homeschooling was the least of these children's problems.

Homeschooling enabled the parents to create all these problems
 
So you think you have the right to control and determine the path kids not yours takes and your justification is what one pair of nuts did with thier kids? That's not a very well thought out position.



Home school parents have to meet state education requirments. you do know that, right.
Society has a right to monitor the health and well being of our children.
 
The premise here seems to be that freedom to homeschool causes (more?) child abuse. In order for that to be shown to be true then one must compare the rates of (reported) child abuse among those homeschooled and those attending public (or private?) schools. I don't know if such statistics are kept but I suspect that the opposite is likely to be true.

The folks (who I know) that homeschool their children point to the need for police officers stationed full-time at the public schools and the dismal levels of reading and math proficiency attained by public school students. My sample size is small, three families with a total of 9 children among them, but I see absolutely no sign that their children are being abused or lack exposure to other children for social interaction.

On the other hand, I know of children attending public school that are all but abandoned by their parents and have "wellness" check-up visits by a grandmother or other relative and the kids are told to stay inside the house for their safety with a "dummy" vehicle left at the home to make it appear that an adult may be present. I am not saying that such treatment is necessarily child abuse but certainly not as good (or safe) as having an adult present at all times which is universal among the homeschooled kids that I know.

Lol...the problem is homeschooled children, unlike public and many private school children, who are abused fly under the radar. Hence, the abuse is under reported.
 
Lol...the problem is homeschooled children, unlike public and many private school children, who are abused fly under the radar. Hence, the abuse is under reported.

Aside from your deranged amusement (LOL?) about the subject of child abuse, why do you assume (based on this single report?) that more (most?) child abuse is occurring (or, odder yet, is under-reported) in homeschooled households?

My point is simple - you would never say that public schools should be abolished based on finding a (single?) terrible case of child abuse of a public school student being reported (e.g. a teacher having sex with a student or implying that they deserve lynching).

I understand that you wish the nanny state to have ever more power (and the sheeple ever less freedom) to make the world all warm and fuzzy but you are quick to point out any abuse by a state (government?) school employee is simply an outlier while insisting that a (this?) single example of a criminal act requires drastic action and changes to (abolition of?) all homeschooling.
 
Last edited:
Society has a right to monitor the health and well being of our children.

Are you kidding me? Does this "right of society" now require that each and every minor report to their assigned public school five days per week for a state evaluation of their wellbeing? I could see adding a periodic CPS evaluation of a homeschool environment, after all these folks pay plenty of school taxes to cover that minor expense, but eliminating the freedom to have folks opt out of forced use of the (often dismal) public school system is a bit much.
 
There are plenty of cases of abused children in the public school system, as well...I don't think homeschooling had much to do with this case...or any other, for that matter...
 
There are plenty of cases of abused children in the public school system, as well...I don't think homeschooling had much to do with this case...or any other, for that matter...

It certainly helped the parents cover up their abuse. Had those kids been forced to attend K-8 somewhere, it would have shown up and the parents would have seen DHS stop by a few times a month to make sure kids were being fed, bathed, and not chained to beds.
 
Are you kidding me? Does this "right of society" now require that each and every minor report to their assigned public school five days per week for a state evaluation of their wellbeing? I could see adding a periodic CPS evaluation of a homeschool environment, after all these folks pay plenty of school taxes to cover that minor expense, but eliminating the freedom to have folks opt out of forced use of the (often dismal) public school system is a bit much.

I'd be fine with that in bold. Yes. Absolutely.
 
It certainly helped the parents cover up their abuse. Had those kids been forced to attend K-8 somewhere, it would have shown up and the parents would have seen DHS stop by a few times a month to make sure kids were being fed, bathed, and not chained to beds.

I agree with that...the abuse probably would not have been so severe and would have not been concealed for so long...
 
Home schooling is usually done by crackpots to create more crackpots, hence it should be banned. Children need to be among other children, not locked up inside a house with parents who dont have the qualifications to teach even a dog. Yes I am fully against home schooling... it is anti-social behavior and brain washing.

In some cases perhaps but not in all. And AFAIK homeschooled kids have to pass the same standardized tests as everyone else so they can't really be taught nonsense.
 
I've never been a fan of giving parents total control of their kids. I have been a major fan of parents being forced to send their kids to public schools where certain minimum standards of humanity are required of parents or someone will call the cops.

Here's why.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...e/ar-AAuQZhC?ocid=spartandhp#image=AAuKPJw|12

Apples and oranges. Deadbeat and abusive parents, some leave visible marks, others don't.
I condone any abuse, but linking this to home schooling?
Here is why I think is the bigger problem. Neighbors noticed something was off, they didn't want to get involved and point fingers.
Lets stick with the parents being crazy nuts, and may be discuss why so many of us don't want to get involved if we notice something very odd.
 
Apples and oranges. Deadbeat and abusive parents, some leave visible marks, others don't.
I condone any abuse, but linking this to home schooling?
Here is why I think is the bigger problem. Neighbors noticed something was off, they didn't want to get involved and point fingers.
Lets stick with the parents being crazy nuts, and may be discuss why so many of us don't want to get involved if we notice something very odd.

Schools are obligated by law to report abuse. Neighbors are not. Get the picture yet?
 
Schools are obligated by law to report abuse. Neighbors are not. Get the picture yet?

Sure, got it, it is not difficult. I don't think you should hammer down on home schooling because of this one incident. Most home schoolers have nothing but their kid's best interest in mind.
Still, no excuse for the neighbors looking the other way. Those people were out in public with their kids.
 
Back
Top Bottom