re: question for Pam S
Pam Sorooshian
We don't define who is and who isn't homeschooling - we leave it up to
people to do that for themselves. Common sense would tell us that
someone who sends their kid to school full time and does homework with
them in the evening is NOT homeschooling and nobody at NHEN would ever
consider that homeschooling.
I know why the statement was made, however. There are people who are
really concerned that homeschooling,the term itself, should not be used
to describe anybody who has any involvement with public schools
whatsoever. They want NHEN to define homeschooling in that way - very
very specifically so that anybody with any such involvement would be
defined as NOT a homeschooler. Our problem with this is that, first,
there is disagreement within the homeschooling community over this very
issue - in fact it is an EXTREMELY hot topic and has the potential to
tear the homeschooling community apart. As individuals we NHEN board
members have our own opinions, of course, but we have to keep our
specific and rather limited organizational mission in full view - NHEN
provides information and networking opportunities for anyone with an
interest in homeschooling (this would include legislators, news media,
librarians, for example). Our information is available to all, we don't
discriminate based on religion, political views, homeschooling style or
other such choices, including the choice of utilizing some sort of
public school services. However, NHEN very strongly supports the right
of parents to take full responsibility for their own children's
education free of any government involvement at all. We have a lengthy
document, for example, which provides strong arguments as to why
homeschoolers should not be subject to any government regulation or
oversight. We've provided that document to homeschoolers to use when
they have been faced with threats of increased regulation.
We are very very clearly supportive of parents rights to choose full
educational independence.
We have no reason to "define" homeschooling, though. Our work doesn't
require us to do that - we provide our information to all.
There are those who want us to make some sort of statement that we do
not support parental choices which involve public school district
programs such as hybrid homeschooling/classroom schooling or such as
publically-funded charter schools which support homebased learning or
public school independent study programs, etc. They wish us to make a
statement that homeschooling is defined ONLY as parents educating their
children without any government involvement or oversight. NHEN has
chosen not to make such a statement - primarily because it is a huge
gigantic can of worms that we simply do not feel any need to open - we
feel that our scarce time and energy and resources are better used in
providing actual support for freedom from oversigh, for example.
Remember, NHEN doesn't "do" the work that should belong to local and
state people - we provide backup support for them, we help them get
connected with people who might be able to provide assistance and with
information that might help them - but we don't act FOR them.
So - that's the long answer.
The short answer is that there are a few people out there who want NHEN
to be something it is not - a sort of secular HSLDA - which will define
who is and who isn't a legitimate homeschooler. Because we don't define
it, they are making up extreme and ridiculous scenarios such as the one
described in your post. We don't want to even START down the road of
saying: "Yes, YOU are a homeschooler and YOU are not and YOU are and
You aren't." Trying to get that right across all states - some with
legal definitions of homeschooling, some without, some with public
school home-based learning programs that involve less government
oversight than other states require in their actual homeschooling laws
- it is just WAY too much - too difficult - to messy - and we have very
limited resources. Our time is better spent elsewhere. So we don't have
such a statement. Not having a statement about who is a "real"
homeschooler and who is not - doesn't mean that ANYBODY is considered a
homeschooler. If someone says they don't want to make a statement about
who is a real Christian, that doesn't mean she thinks Jews are
Christians.
On Thursday, December 19, 2002, at 07:59 AM,
[email protected] wrote:
people to do that for themselves. Common sense would tell us that
someone who sends their kid to school full time and does homework with
them in the evening is NOT homeschooling and nobody at NHEN would ever
consider that homeschooling.
I know why the statement was made, however. There are people who are
really concerned that homeschooling,the term itself, should not be used
to describe anybody who has any involvement with public schools
whatsoever. They want NHEN to define homeschooling in that way - very
very specifically so that anybody with any such involvement would be
defined as NOT a homeschooler. Our problem with this is that, first,
there is disagreement within the homeschooling community over this very
issue - in fact it is an EXTREMELY hot topic and has the potential to
tear the homeschooling community apart. As individuals we NHEN board
members have our own opinions, of course, but we have to keep our
specific and rather limited organizational mission in full view - NHEN
provides information and networking opportunities for anyone with an
interest in homeschooling (this would include legislators, news media,
librarians, for example). Our information is available to all, we don't
discriminate based on religion, political views, homeschooling style or
other such choices, including the choice of utilizing some sort of
public school services. However, NHEN very strongly supports the right
of parents to take full responsibility for their own children's
education free of any government involvement at all. We have a lengthy
document, for example, which provides strong arguments as to why
homeschoolers should not be subject to any government regulation or
oversight. We've provided that document to homeschoolers to use when
they have been faced with threats of increased regulation.
We are very very clearly supportive of parents rights to choose full
educational independence.
We have no reason to "define" homeschooling, though. Our work doesn't
require us to do that - we provide our information to all.
There are those who want us to make some sort of statement that we do
not support parental choices which involve public school district
programs such as hybrid homeschooling/classroom schooling or such as
publically-funded charter schools which support homebased learning or
public school independent study programs, etc. They wish us to make a
statement that homeschooling is defined ONLY as parents educating their
children without any government involvement or oversight. NHEN has
chosen not to make such a statement - primarily because it is a huge
gigantic can of worms that we simply do not feel any need to open - we
feel that our scarce time and energy and resources are better used in
providing actual support for freedom from oversigh, for example.
Remember, NHEN doesn't "do" the work that should belong to local and
state people - we provide backup support for them, we help them get
connected with people who might be able to provide assistance and with
information that might help them - but we don't act FOR them.
So - that's the long answer.
The short answer is that there are a few people out there who want NHEN
to be something it is not - a sort of secular HSLDA - which will define
who is and who isn't a legitimate homeschooler. Because we don't define
it, they are making up extreme and ridiculous scenarios such as the one
described in your post. We don't want to even START down the road of
saying: "Yes, YOU are a homeschooler and YOU are not and YOU are and
You aren't." Trying to get that right across all states - some with
legal definitions of homeschooling, some without, some with public
school home-based learning programs that involve less government
oversight than other states require in their actual homeschooling laws
- it is just WAY too much - too difficult - to messy - and we have very
limited resources. Our time is better spent elsewhere. So we don't have
such a statement. Not having a statement about who is a "real"
homeschooler and who is not - doesn't mean that ANYBODY is considered a
homeschooler. If someone says they don't want to make a statement about
who is a real Christian, that doesn't mean she thinks Jews are
Christians.
On Thursday, December 19, 2002, at 07:59 AM,
[email protected] wrote:
> Pam,
> I'm involved in another list that is all about linking unschoolers all
> over
> the world. This comment came up when I posted a link to NHEN
>
>
> "The very reason I do not support NHEN. A parent that sends their
> child to
> public school full time but does homework with their child in the
> evening
> (which is mandatory in most states) is considered homeschooling by
> NHEN.
> That I can not agree with."
>
> Is this true? I never got the idea that they supported this.
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/19/02 2:14:06 PM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Thank you SO much for that clarification Pam. It fits right in with what I
felt NHEN does.
I had posted their information when someone else had mentioned HSLDA and then
this other person chimed in with why they would not support NHEN.
Which is too bad. I posted what you wrote and hopefully that will help clear
things up.
Thanks again,
Ren
"Knowledge will not always take the place of simple observation."
~Arnold Lobel
Unschooling support at pensacolaunschoolers.com
[email protected] writes:
Thank you SO much for that clarification Pam. It fits right in with what I
felt NHEN does.
I had posted their information when someone else had mentioned HSLDA and then
this other person chimed in with why they would not support NHEN.
Which is too bad. I posted what you wrote and hopefully that will help clear
things up.
Thanks again,
Ren
"Knowledge will not always take the place of simple observation."
~Arnold Lobel
Unschooling support at pensacolaunschoolers.com