What is a Homeschooler, Really?
by Amy Cortez,
Editor The Eclectic Telegraph
I
always enjoy reading Daryl
Colbranchi's blog. The man is a genius for covering every
bizarre bit of news as it pertains to a Democratic/Libertarian-leaning
point of view. I often find myself thinking, "damn, that's
a good way to look at it"....On one particular day in early
June, I read his post "BUMPED"
and he was unusually vague about what he thought. Once I jumped
to the other blogger's site, I understood why. It was a seriously
long rant touching on many of my favorite topics, and in particular
detail the trials of women still searching for the meaning of
feminism. A pearl from Daryl to be sure. The best part of the
rant was:
"I
consider homeschooling a radical feminist act." |
What a thought.
This embedded into many other fine ideas from Liza
Sabater at the Culture
Kitchen:
|
"Americans
have been so conditioned to think of our lives as completely
devoid of any wealth that the concept of actually having
the ability to create independent paths to wealth, to education,
to political power, scares shitless a lot of people including
many people in the so-called left.
I consider homeschooling a radical feminist act.
It's empowering to see your children as whole human beings
who are on the path of self-awareness as opposed to unformed
human blobs waiting to be given knowledge by people who
see them as just a path to a paycheck.
from: Some
thoughts on marriage, stay-at-home mothers and homeschooling
as a radical feminist act
Liza Sabater at the Culture Kitchen
5 June 2007
|
Comments
and links at this blog and other places show how polarized people
are. It always amazes me how people can craft thoughts together
with strings of interesting words. Sometimes one arrives at a
conclusion that the author had good intentions, other times, the
thoughts were intended to be mean spirited. My words here are
not intended to be mean spirited.
But the more
I read through comments and links to other places, from this one
blog, the more I began to realize that not only is a stay-at-home-mom
under attack, but also, the stay-at-home-mom who homeschools,
is open to another channel of criticisms. But then as shocked
as I was at some of the latest ideas out there regarding feminism,
it shouldn't surprise me any that this hasn't changed much from
when I actually cared about what the real meaning of feminism
was. As a woman who went through a high conflict divorce after
16 years of marriage, who had to prove to the courts that the
result of being a stay at home mom for 10 years really does disassemble
an awesome career in high tech enough to merit alimony and an
equal share of all assets, I should have realized that the battle
between moms who "do it all" and moms who "just"
stay at home rages on.
It's just kind of
funny to me that now there's this homeschool mom twist to it.
I guess I
manage to isolate myself well enough from this kind of conversation,
probably because so much of it is so crass to me as an individual.
But those few paragraphs from Liza were beautifully written and
really ring true to as to what I really think.
Homeschooling
is a radical feminist act
If
you google [radical feminist act], you get all kinds of interesting
results, including Brtiney's Shaved head. But if you think about
it, this string of words is really brilliantly crafted as to the
true idea of what feminism is, at least by my definition as a
single, stay at home mom that homeschools.
The ladies who invented the word feminism I think, envisioned
a world for women beyond hearth and home. But I think as we evolve
as humans,the definition of feminism has changed, at least for
me somewhat and feminism is really all about being true to myself,
never compromising who I am, yet being generous and patient enough
to be a contributing member of society.
Feminism
is all about being a true individual.
Many
times as homeschoolers we are accused of sheltering our kids from
the evil liberal world to inflict religion, or other archaic beliefs
on them. Maybe this is true in some cases, but not all. The media
sure loves to paint us as religious zealots. The popular media
sees homeschoolers for the most part as all being the same. An
alarming idea for me to be sure.
Recently
there was a story about the National Spelling Bee and as it turns
out, the winner is a student who is schooled at home. But as the
news buzzed through the homeschool grapevines, this victory for
a 13 year old, reignited the old debate among homeschoolers as
to what homeschooling really is, and that is if you are using
a public school program at home are you really homeschooling?
As it turns out, this particular student was being public
schooled at home and the popular media was calling it "homeschooling".
Another instance of homeschooloers all being painted the same
way.
I
like to think that homeschooling is a political statement because
in general, by taking your kids out of the school system you are
saying that it is unacceptable. It is unacceptable - especially
for the gifted student.
Now,
I also like to think of homeschooling as a radical feminist act
because to make a political statement, you're being a radical
feminist - these days. The "fairer sex" just doesn't
do that, revolt against the "system", I mean, especially
if you are a stay-at-home-mom and a homeschooler.
Yes
we do.
But
what about the question of what homeschooling really is. Well
if homeschooling is a political statement about the sad state
of the public school system, then those who don't really wean
themselves entirely from the public school system are making only
a half statement and therefore are only "halfway homeschooling".
The whole public-school at home always causes me to drag out my
free corn
story, because that's what these public school-at-home programs
are. Often these programs are called homeschooling, intentionally
to blurr the lines between these kinds of programs and those of
us who are not enrolled in public school at all. This blurs the
lines between those who care about having the personal freedoms
to have no regulations as homeschoolers, and those who prefer
to take the free corn and allow the government into their homes.
It's when people quit caring, when they quit understanding [or
taking the time to actually think about] what the implications
of their actions cause that results in the loss of individuality..
So does that opinion make me a mean person? A mean mom? I don't
think so. But some think so.
This
opinion makes me a radical feminist because I am very aware of
the idea that if our popular media begins to see and promote all
of us homeschoolers as being the same, as they do with the idea
we are all religious zealots, then what is to stop the wildfire
idea that if we are all the same, why not regulate us all the
same way? Those of us who don't take the free corn and homeschool
our highly gifted children as they want to be educated are outside
"the system" and there are many educrats who take issue
with that idea and would love to see further regulation, for the
"good of the people".
A perfect example is in our hometown, nothing to do with homeschooling
but nonetheless, an example of newly elected government officials
taking carte blanche actions because they believe it is for the
good of the people. They raised the
local sales tax to pay for a jillion dollar luxury jail without
letting us vote on it.
Many
people who take the free corn that is offered by the school system
genuinely don't recognize that this is public school at home and
this is where I go back to Liza's beautifully written paragraphs,
where we have been conditioned to be fed information. We are dependent
on what others think, what the media has to say, what we believe
to be true. Though the choice to accept public schooling at home
may be a valid and necessary choice for some, if that choice is
going to be made, do it with recognition of what it is, a half
political statement, not a radical act of feminism. The radical
feminist breaks away from the herd and finds her own information,
she understands that though she is an individual, her actions
may have implications for others . So does the homeschooler. Really.
Further
Reading: An
Open Letter to Fellow Parents
"My suggestion to any homeschool parent considering entering
into a parent partnership with a public school is to learn all
you can about the program. Take a look at what it involves, what
it requires and what rights and responsibilities come with it.
By doing so, you will be fully informed and help to prevent losing
your child’s homeschool autonomy to schools who claim they
are offering a “homeschool program” while they are
attaching many public school strings to a homeschooled student."
[read
on]
In general offers a good toolbox for parents of gifted kids. Not
a good guide for homeshooling a gifted student. 
