Rick Badie / My Opinion

By Michael H. Smith

January 18, 2006 08:01 PM | Link to this

I say let the money follow the student.

By Becky

January 19, 2006 06:11 AM | Link to this

As long as the kids get a well-rounded education, I think homeschooling is the way to go.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 19, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this

“Gwinnett County’s high school juniors outperformed their peers on the Georgia High School Writing Assessment .

Overall, 98 percent of Gwinnett County’s juniors passed the exam. The state average was 95 percent.”

This was in todays paper, looks like public education, which the majority attend, isn’t doing a bad job at all.

And teaching Christian principles is a private matter that should be handled at home, either public or home schooled.

Looks like everyone deserves a pat on back on this one.

By Michael H. Smith

January 19, 2006 01:59 PM | Link to this

How would our Gwinnett County students attending J. Alvin’s “World Class Schools� fair in real world class competition with students of other countries, say take Belgium for example? Where the government has no monopoly over education, where schools have to compete in order to survive, where the money follows the student and is not simply given to public schools?

American now lags the world in terms of education. A recently aired 20/20 segment (Jan. 13, 2006) titled “Stupid in America� ~ by John Stossel, took a look at, “How Lack of Choice Cheats Our Kids Out of a Good Education�. Constantly Lou Dobbs iterates the educational deficiencies that now exist between America, and India and China; pointing out that presently India and China annually have more university graduates in the fields of engineering and science than America.

Amazing how our nation that prides itself in free market capitalism and competition in the marketplace, so fiercely defends against any attempts to place public education into the free market of truly global world class competitiveness.

I say force public schools to compete for students and our education dollars as in Belgium. No more government controlled monopoly over education and our money that support denying educational choices for our children.

By Tammy

January 19, 2006 06:00 PM | Link to this

Aw heck, you don’t need money or organizational skills to homeschool. I don’t have much of either, but get by just fine :)

And you can learn patience (actually, that’s one of the perks).

Tammy

By Dave Oliver

January 19, 2006 09:17 PM | Link to this

Tonight I watched “The price is right” on chanel 11. A young lady put all the letters in the right place and was able to solve the puzzle. The answer that she got correct was: Oil wells Pan Handle the Sooner State. She could have picked up another few grand if she could identify the State depicted. Her answer: Flordia. Was this girl was home shcooled? Who knows, but one thing is certain, where ever she received her education, at home or in a public or private school it was inadequate. Great teachers cultivate good students, and when we lack this element shorness of education evolves. Like a venter said, “teachers are like politicians, they must be paid off to perform.” Hence the pay raise “Sonny” puts forward to the teachers in an election year.

Once again my answer to those that home school their children is: “Wake up and join the real world. Your little darlings will not be socially adept when they leave the safety of their protective mommie.” A Few exceptions of course are expected and Mrs. Davis just be that exception. Go Josh.

By Deborah Lee

January 19, 2006 10:02 PM | Link to this

My son is a product of Gwinnett County Schools. He has the Hope Scholorship and is attending a college and has a part time job with the Historical Society of Georgia in Savannah. Also, I raised him as a freethinker, which most would call an atheist and his morals are just as good as the Davis children. he has never had a speeding ticket or been arrested and has not used drugs. To each his own.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 20, 2006 02:43 AM | Link to this

Deborah Lee there are many like your son, that are well balanced, moral and going on with their education. Sadly the focus is always aimed at the minority of trouble makers.

And Mr. Smith’s answer to education, “free market capitalism and competition in the marketplace” ah, it has worked out well in deregulation of the energy industry hasn’t it. The competition will be for the almighty dollar, not minds.

There are just too many cooks in the kitchen, federal mandates like ‘NCLB’ that only allow teachers to teach for the test, state standards for graduation that vary from state to state and the laughable local schoold boards that attempt to place their own personal beliefs over education.

Belgium as a good example, can you tell us the population of Belgium compared to the United States?

By Lisa

January 20, 2006 06:57 AM | Link to this

The 20/20 story covered a Washington DC school. Was the school on the top 1000 public schools of America? Most of the Gwinnett high schools are on the list Perhaps if people looked at the positive side of public schooling, there wouldn’t be need for these blogs.

By Leia

January 20, 2006 09:24 AM | Link to this

An important aspect of this story is that the mother had already been a professional teacher. So, she had already been to college and had certification. She had already had experience with teaching, using different techniques to address different learning modalities, utilizing organizational skills, etc.

So, my point is - she is one of the people who I believe is actually qualified to homeschool her children. My problem is that there are currently no qualifications to homeschool your children. Everyone should not be allowed to homeschool their children. I am a witness to this! My neighbor homeschooled her children for 2 years, and she is barely literate herself.

Is Josh’s story typical of the exception or the rule? Two years ago, I taught an 8th grader gifted 10th grade Algebra II. This extraordinary student would come from his middle school, take two high school courses, and then go back to middle school. He graduated high school when he was just shy of his 15th birthday! Amazing - yes, but, not typical. Public school teachers have amazing students as well, but, it is so popular to bash us as being not hard-working and the reason why Georgia’s students are so low in standardized test scores. Keep in mind that Georgia tests all students, not just the ones who are college bound!

Great success story, but, let’s not look down our noses at the amazing public school educated students as well.

By Andrea

January 20, 2006 09:38 AM | Link to this

We, the homeschooling parents are awful fortunate that what others THINK does not prevent up from accomplishing our job. My son has set his goals to enter College or start taking college classes at 15 or 16. Having set this goal, I am sure he will accomplish it. To each his own. My daughter on the other hand want to take the Hollywood road to politics i.e. Bono, Schwarzenegger, Reagan. Not my personal goal for her, but to each, her own.

The point of homeschooling the FREEDOM.

As for “qualifications” for homeschooling parents… Resourcefulness and common sense will do. You’d be amazed how many poor and “uneducated” parents manage to produce Joshuas.

By Leia

January 20, 2006 09:43 AM | Link to this

Andrea - you are right, poor and uneducated parents can produce a “Josh”, but, I bet they aren’t homeschooled!

By Doria

January 20, 2006 10:02 AM | Link to this

Andrea - I’m curious - are “resourceful” and “common sense” adequate qualifications (in your opinion) for professional teachers, or just for homeschooling parents?

By Andrea

January 20, 2006 10:18 AM | Link to this

Leia, One shouldn’t gamble unless they truly know the odds… spend some time learning the FACTS about homeschooling then you can make your “educated” bets and guesses.

Doria, of course teachers, in general, are resourceful.. though many appear to lack common sense, but how could they apply common sense when they have to take outdated methodologies and apply them to 30 plus kids at one time… that practice by itself is nonsensical.

ps. this is my last word for this comment section… have fun homeschool bashing!

By Doria

January 20, 2006 10:32 AM | Link to this

Andrea - you didn’t answer my question, but, I didn’t really expect you to!

Have a great weekend!

By Michael H. Smith

January 20, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this

Now why is “deregulation� not the same as “competition� must be that dang dictionary again?

The energy industry has no real competition in it Mr. Wilcox, all that has been deregulated is a monopoly. Where no viable alternative is allowed to exist…. oops that resembles the education industry controlled by the government in this country.

Howbeit, China has a population of how many? Of course in China the government controls everything from cradle to grave, Yo’ Hillary Clinton, then again China never tells of how many illiterates it produces…. oops that resembles the way this country arrives at using the almighty SAT scores, where some states only test the very best for examples?

Nice to see Washington D.C. mentioned, where more money is spent pre student than most anywhere else in the U.S. and yet one of the worst – if not the worst – performance records in educating children.

The Belgium model has one feature irregardless of size you can’t deny – “freedom of choiceâ€?. Here we have J. Alvins’ or bear the burdens of paying twice as much to have an alternative education.

Let the money follow the student.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 20, 2006 12:17 PM | Link to this

Lets see, “deregulationâ€? not the same as “competitionâ€?, really? Wasn’t the whole idea to place the energy industry into the “free market” by deregulation to create “competitionâ€? that would lower prices?

Washington D.C. is a perfect cop-out while also being a perfect example. A city that’s not really a city controlled by a Mayor and the United States government equally. But not only that, Washington doesn’t even have a voting representative in Congress. I wonder how anything gets done in Washington, I guess that would include Congress and bush too.

We do have a lot in common with China don’t forget, they SPY on their people too. Plus having one of the worse records on human rights and being a Communist country they are also our biggest trading ally, go figure.

Using Belgium is laughable, it compares with one large city in the United States. As they say Mr. Smith size does matter.

By Michael H. Smith

January 20, 2006 01:52 PM | Link to this

Laughable is calling deregulation of a monopoly – like big oil — conducive to creating competition. Deregulation is not one and the same as competition or creating competition.

Speaking of prefect cop-outs is these excuses of we have no congressional representation to further squander our money business. If money alone is the answer to provide a successful education – as so many think it is – then the Washington D.C. system, of no great comparative size to a nation like Belgium, should be the herald of the moment. It’s not.

The humor of calling China a “trading ally� defines hysterical-laughter and defies totally the word ally.

Defending government control of education and its’ sole monopoly over the money to provide an education is definitely taken as a joke by “those whose livelihoods depend on it�, the problem is so many of us have stopped laughing and refuse to play along into being duped. Losing control of the money might pinch that wallet, aye Mr. Wilcox?

Let the money follow the student.

By Mike

January 20, 2006 01:56 PM | Link to this

Not sure why anyone makes a big deal outta completing high school requirements by age 15 or 16. I’d be willing to bet that any student in the top 30% to 40% could accomplish this. It doesn’t really reflect advanced intelligence. However, one very large skill that sets many apart from success - Leadership skills - isn’t learned from a book or classroom. People who are leaders within their social groups tend to also be leaders within the business world. There are a lot of “C” grade level ex-high school quarterbacks who have risen to effective management positions. The personality traits exhibited in high school that attracted followers are many of the same traits found in adult leaders (charisma, friendliness, ability to easily connect with others). It is learned thru interaction with others. Thrusting kids into peer groups where they are younger tends to limit their ability to take on leadership roles within their social group and limits future opportunities.

And I agree with Michael - let the money follow the student

By posterchild

January 20, 2006 02:22 PM | Link to this

I find it ridiculous that 2 people I know who couldn’t even make it through high school now feel that they’ve got what it takes to homeschool their elementary and middle school children. I am wondering what is going to happen when the children surpass the knowledge base of the “teachers”, which shouldn’t be too long from now.

By posterchild

January 20, 2006 02:25 PM | Link to this

Leia: Just caught your comment regarding qualified parents in homeschooling. Didn’t mean to echo your thoughts :)

Yes, plenty of exceptional students in our public schools. Glad someone else knows that.

By V for Vendetta

January 20, 2006 02:31 PM | Link to this

What about the negatives of homeschooling? A child enrolled at my school last year who could barely READ OR WRITE. He was 16.

By Michael H. Smith

January 20, 2006 02:37 PM | Link to this

Government control of education and the funding of educations are failing too many of America’s potentially greatest minds. Look at the drop-out rates here in Georgia. God forbid you look at these drop-out rates among America’s diverse ancestries that make-up our American ethnicity, our American identity, for some-obtuse-one might call that “Black Bashing�. Then again, some-other-one might see those like Mr. Badie as the proverbial voice crying out in the wilderness for the so-often disenfranchised of America to not become once again the discarded of his nation — Walking that mile in those moccasins Bra.

Freedom of choice not only means freedom to fail but rather the freedom to succeed for many, whom otherwise are predestined as the proverbial square-pegs never meant to fit in that unfashionable Eurocentric government controlled hole!

Whether it is home-school, religious school, private school or public school it matters little to me. However, I now pay to educate the children of others and for my two pennies “I say let the money follow the student”. For as you say Bruce Almighty “SIZE MATTERSâ€? and one size doesn’t fit all.

By Leia

January 20, 2006 02:56 PM | Link to this

posterchild - Don’t worry about it - it can’t be said enough - everyone is not qualified to teach! I have 4 degrees, and I don’t even feel qualified to teach my children every subject! I could if I had to, but, I would doing them a huge disservice in certain disciplines. I am excellent in my own area(s), but, I would be horrible at the others.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 20, 2006 05:37 PM | Link to this

Mr. Smith this may come as a huge surprise to you but we do have competition in schools, home schooling, private schools and charter schools. No one is forced, like our ally China, to attend public schools there is no monopoly. Sorry to be the one to break it to you.

All this whining about too much government control by you has me bewildered? That is exactly my point, Washington being the perfect example. A city run hand and hand by a Mayor and Federal government on an equal basis.

Take bush’s ‘NCLB’ Act, it doesn’t allow a teacher any freedom in teaching, it’s been discussed here many times. The individual states all having different standards and the local school boards making up their own rules as they go along. Doesn’t even come close to being a monopoly. Being a monopoly may even ease the problem, does Belgium have one standard for all or whatever the school or corporation may believe. Because after all Mr. Smith this idea of free market competition will just become another money making corporation the children are not students anymore but nothing more than products. I can imagine the board room, “Remember teachers faster turn over means higher profits”.

By Michael H. Smith

January 20, 2006 06:39 PM | Link to this

What a dance Mr. Wilcox. Does the money, my tax dollars and those of others (the government’s FORCED confiscation of our money) go to the students of these alternative schools in equal dollar for dollar amounts as they are given to your public schools on a per student bases? The money does not follow the student it goes to the school system. Public school systems control the education money in this country and hence education. Twist and shout time, throw another log on the dung heap and break it to me gently. No government education monopoly? — the hooey alarm is blasting!

A liberal and a “contrarian liberal� at that, can’t understand why a conservative is against big government big tax and spend and government control? Stop drinking that Kool-Aid guy.

Face it if parents can buy a better education for their children than a public school can provide for their child, they should get the money normally given to the respective school system wherein they reside to pay for that superior educational product.

Let the money follow the student.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 20, 2006 08:19 PM | Link to this

Oh now I see what you’re getting at vouchers, which follows the conservative ideal, only those who can afford it deserve it. Ah, now that is what I call improving education, the two class system, one can afford the best, the rest well if you just try harder you can be rich too, just get a good education. THAT will really make us competive on the world stage.

I like to follow my money, how can I get off the federal corporate welfare list, those who want to subidize private corporations should, thosr who don’t shouldn’t.

I don’t like invasions based on false pretences, can I get off the Iraq list and just support the military programs I agree with?

Wonder why the government has grown by leaps and bounds the past six years, I thought the conservatives held full power?

And while we’re at it, please explain again why breaking up a monopoly by deregulation isn’t for the sole purpose of creating competition?

You better stop drinking that special coffee you enjoy.

By Michael H. Smith

January 20, 2006 08:56 PM | Link to this

Duh! One ringie dingie, two ringie dingie. Now he sees now he doesn’t see. Being a parent does not require one to be rich or poor but being poor and a parent in a failing school district really sets the stage for world class failures with few options out…. Oh but wait a minute, no child left behind will stop that, another load of hooey.

O’ pal keep drinking that Kool-Aid, given the choice to do for myself rather than have government in any form do something for, or namely mostly unto me, I’d rather do unto myself. At the end of any failure I make, as opposed to the one your wunerful big government makes for me, I want be half as tired and certainly not nearly as deeply indebted.

Calling Bush and the OBL/mercantilists Bush-ites conservatives, now that really is laughable. Conservatives like me wanted this guy and his ilk out back in 2002. Remember his big talk against nation building in 2000? Talk about flip-flop in mouth and you libs missed it, but at least we Conservatives will get the Supreme Court we elected ;)

By Michael H. Smith

January 20, 2006 09:32 PM | Link to this

Since you’re playing round robin Sire Bruce, once again deregulation and competition or creating competition, is not one in the same. Deregulating a monopoly is only taking the chains off of a monster with an insatiable appetite. Competition gives the little guys the power to sly this monster. Energy for example, yours truly from as far back as 2000 when the energy policy was up for debate in Congress called upon as many members of the Senate as possible to Make America Energy Independent in a Decade. Where o where does America now stand nearly six years after that fact. Saxby I love Georgia Farmers Chambliss has his head stuck in oil sand and granting illegal aliens’ slave worker amnesty, while in fact Georgia Framers and Foresters who need no Mexican labor, could produce enough feed-stocks employing U.S. citizens to provide distill ethanol in quantities that if Georgia only had a few smart folk una da gold dome, E 85 and flex fuel cars could give real competition to the now deregulated monopolized energy market, In…. in, our march to reach the ultimate Hydrogen economy. Want to talk about job creation, keeping U.S. dollars in American pockets, real homeland security, true advancement in the technologies, a clean air Georgia environment and watch those Wal-Mart gas price$ really do the roll-back ching ching…. Make America Energy Independent and kick the oil addiction, that’s killing us.

By Jim

January 20, 2006 10:49 PM | Link to this

Josh and his sibling’s story highlights the fact that public school is nothing more than a holding pen for kids. A place where otherwise bright kids are dumbed down and kept off the streets like criminals. I have faith that in time we will figure out that government has no business in educating our youth. Until then we can only admire a privileged few who are able to have a purpose and direction at the age of 15 or 16.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 21, 2006 06:38 AM | Link to this

Wow, you covered a lot of ground while I slept looks like I’ll be needing it. The monopoly of energy companies was kept in check by regulation by the government. Certainly you recall when the monster had to prove their case for a rate increase before the state energy board. Deregulation was sold to the people as a way to create competition among little mom and pop energy companies that would forced them to keep prices low. So while you, Sir Knight Michael, slayed the monster, you created a local opec of vampires. So in fixing something that wasn’t really broken it made the problem worse.

I did some research on the Belgium education system, public and private schools, gee sounds like ours. State controlled, again sounds like our system. Now here is where the difference is as it is in most European countries. In Belgium by the age of twelve which high school you’ll be attending is already decided by your grades. Either college prep or a tech school, this is the European model that I have endorsed before. As far as the money following the student I was unable to find any reference.

Now I always enjoy a good laugh in the morning it sets the tone for the day and I thank you for providing it. Being a liberal one must drink the cool-aide, but you as a conservative are truely independent, now that IS funny. It’s funny, when everything is going great you supported bush, when everything is going down the tubes you never voted for the guy? Why do conservatives enjoy this option, yet liberals do not?

Top of the Mornin to ya’.

By Michael H. Smith

January 21, 2006 10:21 AM | Link to this

A little cheese with that wine Bruce Almighty…. Do some more research

Snippet from the previously referred to 20/20 segment

Monopoly Kills Innovation and Cheats Kids

Chavis’s charter school is an example of how a little innovation can create a school that can change kids’ lives. You don’t get innovation without competition.

To give you an idea of how competitive American schools are and how U.S. students performed compared with their European counterparts, we gave parts of an international test to some high school students in Belgium and in New Jersey.

Belgian kids cleaned the American kids’ clocks, and called them “stupid.”

We didn’t pick smart kids to test in Europe and dumb kids in the United States. The American students attend an above-average school in New Jersey, and New Jersey’s kids have test scores that are above average for America.

Lov Patel, the boy who got the highest score among the American students, told me, “I’m shocked, because it just shows how advanced they are compared to us.”

The Belgian students didn’t perform better because they’re smarter than American students. They performed better because their schools are better. At age 10, American students take an international test and score well above the international average. But by age 15, when students from 40 countries are tested, the Americans place 25th.

American schools don’t teach as well as schools in other countries because they are government monopolies, and monopolies don’t have much incentive to compete. In Belgium, by contrast, the money is attached to the kids — it’s a kind of voucher system. Government funds education — at many different kinds of schools — but if a school can’t attract students, it goes out of business.

Belgian school principal Kaat Vandensavel told us she works hard to impress parents.

She told us, “If we don’t offer them what they want for their child, they won’t come to our school.” She constantly improves the teaching, saying, “You can’t afford 10 teachers out of 160 that don’t do their work, because the clients will know, and won’t come to you again.”

“That’s normal in Western Europe,” Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby told me. “If schools don’t perform well, a parent would never be trapped in that school in the same way you could be trapped in the U.S.”

Last week Florida’s Supreme Court shut down “opportunity scholarships,” Florida’s small attempt at competition. Public money can’t be spent on private schools, said the court, because the state constitution commands the funding only of “uniform … high-quality” schools. Government schools are neither uniform nor high-quality, and without competition, no new teaching plan or No Child Left Behind law will get the monopoly to serve its customers well.

The longer kids stay in American schools, the worse they do in international competition. They do worse than kids from poorer countries that spend much less money on education, ranking behind not only Belgium but also Poland, the Czech Republic and South Korea.

This should come as no surprise if you remember that public education in the United States is a government monopoly. Don’t like your public school? Tough. The school is terrible? Tough. Your taxes fund that school regardless of whether it’s good or bad. That’s why government monopolies routinely fail their customers. Union-dominated monopolies are even worse.

In New York City, it’s “just about impossible” to fire a bad teacher, says Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. The new union contract offers some relief, but it’s still about 200 pages of bureaucracy. “We tolerate mediocrity,” said Klein, because “people get paid the same, whether they’re outstanding, average or way below average.”

Here’s just one example from New York City: It took years to fire a teacher who sent sexually oriented e-mails to “Cutie 101,” a 16-year-old student. Klein said, “He hasn’t taught, but we have had to pay him, because that’s what’s required under the contract.”

Only after six years of litigation were they able to fire him. In the meantime, they paid the teacher more than $300,000. Klein said he employs dozens of teachers who he’s afraid to let near the kids, so he has them sit in what are called rubber rooms. This year he will spend $20 million dollars to warehouse teachers in five rubber rooms. It’s an alternative to firing them. In the last four years, only two teachers out of 80,000 were fired for incompetence. Klein’s office says the new contract will make it easier to get rid of sex offenders, but it will still be difficult to fire incompetent teachers.

When I confronted Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers, she said, “They [the NYC school board] just don’t want to do the work that’s entailed.” But the “work that’s entailed” is so onerous that most principals just have just given up, or gotten bad teachers to transfer to another school. They even have a name for it: “the dance of the lemons.”

Enjoy ;)

By Lisa

January 21, 2006 10:54 AM | Link to this

My dad used to always tell me….it’s not how you get your education that matters, it’s how you use it.

I believe Billionaire Bill Gates was educationed in public school. I also believe he uses in education better than the mass majority however they are being schooled.

Einstein didn’t do well in school. But he used what he learned.

Working in the electric industry, I know that results of dereg of the gas company has kept the electric industry from doing so. The dereg was to bring prices down for the consumer but it didn’t. So electricity isn’t going the same way.

By Michael H. Smith

January 21, 2006 11:56 AM | Link to this

@Lisa

Deregulation is not the answer to America’s energy needs. Unfortunately in a vain attempt my counter part tries to insert deregulation for the word competition. Face it, our energy source for this nation is for the most part fossil fuel dependent with no real viable alternative being pursued in my humble opinion. When COMPETITION become a reality in the energy market via multiple fuel sources such as E -85 then we will see meaningful price adjustments in energy cost. Gasoline is a major portion of the energy we use, by using ethanol or an 85% mixture of ethanol and gasoline…. Well it’s easy to figure out that once infrastructure and supply are in place gasoline will have some real competition that will drive down energy prices overall and that is not possible through deregulation.

Now as for Bill Gates he dropped out of college. Because he couldn’t cut it…. no he was, to put it simply, smarter than those that were teaching him. Seems he was right in that now proven assumption.

The power of choice and the freedom to choose the quality of your education should be up to you and/or your parents not the government controlled education monopoly.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 21, 2006 12:35 PM | Link to this

That’s true Lisa, many of our leaders like Colin Powell went to public schools, then you look at bush, private schools like Andover and he can’t complete a sentence without an “er” in it.

“Union-dominated monopolies are even worse.” I guess that would explain why Northern schools with strong unions do better than Southern schools with lower pay, benefits and weak unions.

You can change schools here if they fail the goverments standard, there is all kind of choices offered here, private schools, religious schools and charter schools.

Vouchers won’t help the majority, just the rich that conservatives adore. Lets just use Gwinnett schools for example, let every parent keep their school taxes as vouchers and find a school that will accept them. Of course if you don’t have children you won’t have any taxes at all. Now about those parents who are not able to afford their own home, maybe we could allow them to work on an owners property and he would get a percentage of the tax voucher refund, you know like sharecroppers.

Another nice aspect of the voucher system is that schools are not forced to take you. You know the special needs children that really wouldn’t be cost effective for the corporation.

Of course sports would have to be taken into consideration, all schools love a good football team. Special scholarships would be available and grading to those who would really make the school known.

I’ve been saying long before you raised the European model today that it is the one we ought to be following. A major overhaul of our system is in order, it isn’t unions, it isn’t students, it isn’t teachers, the system has always been broken. Vouchers won’t change anything and in the long run will cost more than the system we have now.

“Now here is where the difference is as it is in most European countries. In Belgium by the age of twelve which high school you’ll be attending is already decided by your grades. Either college prep or a tech school, this is the European model that I have endorsed before.”

By Michael H. Smith

January 21, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this

You can change schools here if they fail the goverments standard, there is all kind of choices offered here, private schools, religious schools and charter schools.

Does the tax money collected to pay for the student’s public education go with the student should they decide to make this change to an alternative i.e. private schools, religious schools and charter schools? Or does this tax money collected to pay for the student’s education remain in that big public school monopoly-bureaucracy slush fund trough?

The money the government forcefully extracts from me to pay for a child’s education belongs to the student in my opinion and not to GCPS or any other government controlled education monopoly.

If the money follows the student, which the word student makes no fine distinction between rich or poor, then equal benefit exists for all in the use of public education funds where no one is twice penalized by having to pay to fund public education and if they so choose an alternative i.e. private schools, religious schools and charter schools, have to fund that education as well.

Without the public money following the student (to private schools, religious schools and charter schools) there is very little choice, and in the case of the truly poor even less than a very little choice exists – barring out and out charity or a scholarship.

Let the money follow the student.

By Shell

January 21, 2006 01:43 PM | Link to this

I’m truly surprised that in amongst all the homeschool-bashing there was only one that brought up the “socialization” issue. That’s far below average. Every time I hear it I’m reminded of the admonishment we got from our public school teachers on a regular basis: “You’re not here to socialize, you’re here to learn.”

Here’s a little jewel of a quote on the matter from Vox Day, a conservative christian commentator with a good mind and a fine eye for the modern world: “On a related matter, lack of socialization is the bugaboo of the anti-homeschooler. Of course, socialization during my high-school years largely consisted of learning how to be cruel to others, valuing the judgment of one’s peers in the place of one’s elders, and improving one’s sexual technique. So, if you’re really concerned that your homeschooled child lacks socialization, a rigorous schedule of Vivid films and Nietzsche should set them straight in no time.”

And one more on homeschooling from Vox: “I think it’s funny that people who dislike homeschooling will write in to tell me an anecdote about a dysfunctional homeschooler they once met. Like it would take more than five minutes to find 100 dysfunctional kids at a single public school. Fifteen minutes, max, to score some ganja or a girl ready to go.”

Just like anything else, you get out of homeschooling what you put into it. I’ve known people whose homeschool technique consisted of telling the kid(s) “Here’s the material, do it.”, and never bothering to check back on it. They just pencil-whipped the book to show that their kid had been in class the required amount of time and went on. Most homeschool parents, though, are like my sister, who takes the time to make sure that her daughter’s material is well-presented and then done in a timely manner.

And to return to the “socialization” issue, I’ll put my homeschooled niece up against anybody’s public school kid in her ability to conduct herself among a group of people, her age or older.

Sis has taken the time to do the job right. Unfortunately, as in all other human affairs, the crux of the problem is that humans are involved, so there will always be those who don’t do it right. And there will always be those who say that because of those screwups, everyone should suffer.

By Michael H. Smith

January 21, 2006 02:11 PM | Link to this

@Shell

And I think everyone should be able to use my tax dollars dedicated to educate children to un-screw those screw-ups and take charge of an intolerable situation to make the needed changes and set things right. I pay to see the children of our nation educated not to keep them locked into systems, for the shake of keeping a bureaucracy and those whose livelihoods benefit from it alive and politicians empowered.

After reading all the home school comments from these blogs I’m more convinced than ever before to attach the money to the student.

By Shell

January 21, 2006 02:24 PM | Link to this

Agreed, Michael. The Belgian system, rather than not being a good analogy because of its relative size as postulated by many, serves as a template for how to do the task. As it says in the Constitution, the people are worthy of being entrusted with the responsibility for their own lives. Give ‘em back their own money and let them decide where to spend it.

By Bruce Wilcox

January 21, 2006 06:17 PM | Link to this

All fine and good boys, now if you could only answer the many questions I raised you may have a case. Repeating and repeating the same spin from the Dean of American Schools John Stossel, till next weeks show when he’ll become an expert on some other subject is getting tedious.

By Diane Davis

January 21, 2006 10:01 PM | Link to this

Hello,

For example, Josh started the chess club there at GPC, and everyone there has been very accepting of him, interested in him, and so forth. He has told me of a few things some people put pressure on him to do, but it wasn’t a problem for him. He didn’t think it was a smart thing to do and so he didn’t follow it. I think that especially with homeschooling, our children have had more time to develop relationships with others who are different ages, and that helped a lot. My daughters tell me that Josh is very well liked there. I really prefer community colleges, at least I prefer GPC, because you have people of all ages in all walks of life. It’s not snooty, and people are just there to get an education. I think highschool, in my humble opinion, is a social experience that is very unlike anything else that you experience again in life. College and work life, to me, seems to give you a much bigger choice of peer groups. I’m no expert on the answer to education and social groups. I have opinions, but I’m not speaking as an authority on all of this. I will say that every day I pray with my children, “Oh, God, help me to be the mother that You want me to be to them, and help me to teach them what You want them to learn.” I try to listen to Him, and this is what He has done for me and will do for anyone else who asks Him for instruction.

I do think that young people must get tired of all of the book work and would like to get more hands on experience, and I see that, for us, this kind of setting just naturally gives that opportunity. It’s impossible to have that with all the necessary regulations for safety and control that you have in a school setting.

I would like to say for those who might want to homeschool but feel hesitant for various reasons, that there are sooooooooooo many different ways to homeschool and so many groups who can help you that one shouldn’t ever feel that he/she is incapable, if this is what he/she wants to do. There are online schools, homeschool coops, video schools, individual classes offered, etc. Also, when I look at what our, and I mean yours and my, children are capable of - for instance with computer games that are very challenging - I do think that young people are mostly all so able and capable and intelligent, if we can steer them in the right direction and help them to discover their interests and goals and help them to reach them. It seems to be very helpful when they can see where they are going with all of the school work. Thank you for the chance to share with you all what our children have been working on thanks to the freedom of this wonderful country, and I hope that you all will be encouraged. May I educate children that will enrich your future and be a blessing to you all. Diane

By Lisa

January 22, 2006 07:33 AM | Link to this

Everyone needs to educated themselves as to the origins of public school. This type of schooling was developed by Ford, Carengie, etc. to dumb down the population so as to create more workers for their companies. It is a totally foreign environment separate from the real world.

I homeschool our children, and they are social, bright and well rounded. They experience life in the world but with some ‘insulation’ from the dangers. We enjoy raising our children past 4 yrs. of age when normally the public education system takes over and destroys all you have done to make that child an individual.

And has anyone taking a good look at what is going on in public schools. Sex, drugs, guns, bullying, teacher/student relationships, on and on and on. That where I really want my kids. You can call that the ‘real’ world, but in the real world, you can walk away from all that. In school you are there and can’t leave. You can’t walk away from those that would harass you; you have to go back day after day.