Homeschoolers, is the inability to see this irony a result of public schooling?

Question

…or just a personal short coming?

I notice that the very people, who most rabidly declare that homeschool should not even be a legal option, often claim that homeschoolers are overly controlling and intolerant of the choices of others. Surely I am not the only one who finds this wildly hilarious?

Answer 1

It is wildly hilarious. Since I wanted out of public schools so badly when I was a kid because I developed a seething hatred for others we saw it happening to our children too.

Since we began home schooling them 3 years ago, our own children are so kind, polite, and caring towards others.

Plus they learn far more at home than any public school could ever offer.

Answer 2

I find it maddening.

I have recently had issues on another board and been accused of being "insensitive,ill informed and racist" because of something I said. Mind you it was none of those things but rather that I disagreed with the politically correct view on the subject (illegal immigration) and was told I was ill informed about the NEA when I said it was hostile to homeschooling (no it's not the first page people you actually have to READ the resolutions....sigh).... but I digress a bit..... the point as others have stated on here is the ideology that anything goes as long as you agree with me is inherently flawed!

Very often the people who post on here as anti homeschooling have no clue what they are talking about but prefer to remain ignorant.(trust me it's the same on the military board).  Schools today do not teach students to THINK and be able to debate with others calmly and still disagree at the end and then go out for coffee! So yes I think it's both a result of ps and a personal short coming as many of those who post on here are coming from a visceral, gut reaction rather than a logical one.

Answer 3

Observing irony is not really encouraged in public schools.  At least it wasn't back when I was there.  Fortunately my parents appreciated irony and wit, and I quite enjoy both.  And yes this argument is really funny when you think about it :D

Honestly, I think some people really just don't realize how illogical this is when they say it.  But, I would chalk it up to a personal shortcoming rather than blame the schools.

Answer 4

This is the liberal approach to everything.  They tout being open minded and accepting, but this only extends far enough as long as you support their ideas, because if you don't, you are accused of being a bigot, hateful and narrow-minded.

Answer 5

Amen!

Diversity is preached like a religion......until that diversity is in opposition to their personal biases.  

And I find it so disturbing that people (teachers unions) need to prove their superior qualifications not by presenting evidence of superior outcomes, but rather by eliminating anything that remotely smacks of competition.  And anything that remotely disproves their belief in their own qualifications.

We have seen in so many other professions that a degree and a license doesn't mean you can perform the tasks at hand.

Answer 6

Probably both :-)

I don't think it's any coincidence that once things like Logic were taken out of schools, people started following fallacies like little lemmings - you know, things like "you have to be in a desk, not talking to the other 32 kids in the room for 30+ hours a week in order to be properly socialized" and "only students whose information is strictly controlled by state-set lesson plans are allowed to be called open-minded".

You're not the only one getting a good giggle this week :-)  Lots of pots calling kettles black!

Answer 7

What gets me is how agressively some adults will voice their strong opinions against it... talking about how horrible an idea it is and how it needs to be illegal and how horrible parents who homeschool are.

I sometimes wonder what traumatic event in their childhood brought this one. Maybe it was their childhood dream to win a spelling bee, but lost to a homeschooler on the final word.

Or maybe they have issues of jealousy because some homeschooling family they know actually enjoys time with their kids and gets to make learning a fun experience for everyone, and not a chore and a bore.

Answer 8

I like the ones who can't spell, have no notion of the word "grammar", and just generally slaughter the English language.  They make me glad I homeschool my kids.

Answer 9

It is wildly hilarious, but I don't think it is a result of public schooling per se.

I think that people who are inclined to tell other people what to do, who are overly controlling of others, do have difficulty with subtle forms of humor. Have you ever seen the P&T burning the American flag trick? They point out that the uncertainty inherrent in the trick can only exist in a free society, that in a repressive regime like China, they would have to show every detail...because people who require control require no ambiguity. So, if humor is not spelled out (e.g. "Let me tell you a funny joke..."), they don't get it.

And I do think that people who believe in that level of control believe in public schooling (and were probably publicly schooled themselves).

Answer 10

When I was teaching in the PS system, I had a kid in a morning class that refused to say the Pledge...

I pulled him aside after class one day and asked: "Do you see the irony in what you are doing?"  

He didn't see the irony.

I consider myself to have a good sense of humor but I have a hard time finding this wildly hilarious.

I find it inexplicable.

The folks who absolutely refuse to see any side of an argument except their own is ... infuriating, disconcerting...

It leads me to believe that they do not care about the facts and they only care about their own agenda.

I also find it interesting and telling that many of the regulars here, acknowledge that homeschooling is not the right choice for all.

So... I do find it "funny" but not in a humorous way.

Answer 11

People are prejudice because they don't know anyone that homeschools and therefore think that only crackpots are involved.

Homeschoolers can adapt better to adult situations and can talk on an adult level at an early age, but they also enjoy traveling which they could never do in a public school mode.

My husband was against it until he found another homeschooling husband who encouraged him to try it out.

My kids graduated early my son has Bachelors in Computer Science and his sister takes courses at Cornell.

Nobody asks you where you got your education once you have some college courses or job experience. It doesn't matter anymore.

Answer 12

My first thought in all of this would be an attack on the public school system and the college said Judge got his law degree from. I do not think I am the only one who has considered that he had no idea what he was ruling on. Did he research the laws and precedents (or lack thereof ) in this case? Did he not consider what the results would be in making this ruling. They say Judge Ito ruined his career on the OJ Simpson case. I think this Judge needs to call Ito for some advice on what he should do to not be a total mockery.

I also think that the one thing you NEVER do is attack a mother's rights to protect her child. Too many ticked off homeschooling Moms (and Dads) are going to fight this tooth and nail.

Answer 13

Uh Huh.  Most indubitably.

Answer 14

ha! i got a kick out of that and i've been public schooled my entire life.

Answer 15

Hehehehehehehe.

No, you're not the only one.

But here's the thing: what we see, and what we have the most problem with, is a reflection of ourselves. I wondered if that was a psychological truth for years and have tried to pay attention and have discovered it's very true. In various places--online and in real life--those who are the most judgemental are the quickest to accuse others of being judgemental; those who are the most closed-minded are hotly opposed to those they perceive as being closed-minded; those who are most bothered by others being highly critical are themselves highly critical; and so on.

That is why I'm somewhat convinced that many parents who are opposed to homeschooling because of parental inadequacy are really just showing their own personal sense of inadequacy; those who accuse homeschoolers as being intolerant of other opinions are the ones who are the most intolerant of other opinions.

We react most volatilely to what we perceive in others not because others actually have that characteristic, but because it's our own character trait that we can't stand.

Answer 16

last year we had a girl who was home schooled go to our school. she was really nice and open minded. but i think public school poisoned her personality, she became different.

when i was younger i went to a church with someone who was homeschooled and her family was really open minded. their son is in an advanced public high school for science and tech. and im guessing my friend is going to a public high school now too.

in my opinion its public school that has overly-controling and intolerant people in it. id need more than two hands to list all of the close minded and intolerant people at my school who wont hang out with you if your style doesnt match theirs. the hot topic kids hate the aeropostale and hollister kids. and the aeropostale and hollister kids hate the hot topic kids. and the pot heads hate everybody and wont hang with you if your on either side. and people like me who like to shop at both aeropostale and hot topic and rather not smoke weed don't know where we belong. public school is terrible.

Answer 17

Definitely.

And the thing is, most of us homeschooling parents WENT to public school and college, so we know firsthand why we want to homeschool.

The brainwashing that school is best, homeschoolers are social outcasts, etc, is one reason why *I* choose to homeschool:  I'd rather my kids form their own opinions rather than follow the crowd.

Answer 18

Honestly I think it is a result of public schooling.  While one is in public school, "fitting in" becomes a very big issue! That is the one major thing that students deal with and I think it runs over into adult hood with some of them, especially the ones that you are referring to. Home schoolers just don't fit in with them because one that is home schooled is considered "different"! Just my opinion.

I also think that there is some jealousy there too.

The thing that bothers me the most is that an adult will bash the HS students and yet they really have done NO research to back their claims of poor education or poor socialization due to being Home Schooled. I am home/cover schooling my kids starting the end of this school year, and I have done a lot of research on the actual turn out for HS students and found that the HS students overall are scoring higher on their entrance exams for college compared to public/private schoolers.

The majority are level headed and have their feet on the ground and their ducks in a row! Compared to the public or private schoolers! This is an option for many types of families and it should be legal. The  HS students are tested regularly by the state and that says it all. I just hope that the ones that are so willing to bash home schoolers, will actually "educate" themselves on this issue before they run off at the keyboard and make themselves look uneducated on this subject! Overall, I totally agree with you, good question too!

Answer 19

Your so right! I thinks it's funny actually beacuse they obviously think we stay home all day and never go out at all!

We've all called it car schooling at times!lol!

Answer 20

Yes!  We met quite a number of new homeschoolers this week - all very different.  It's unfortunate that the rest of the world cannot have our live and let live attitude towards people's choices.

Answer 21

I am finding it hilarious as well.  Have you read the book Dumbing us Down?  It seems public schools are doing exactly what they've been designed to do.