Web Development on a Stick
West Michigan Homeschoolers Once Again Under Fire
There is a whiff of autumn in the air, and football has begun. One can feel the excitement. Why? Because it is back to school time! I know many children who just can’t wait to begin, from kindergarten to high school, looking forward to seeing the friends, including teachers, that have been missed during the summer. New clothes, new books and a new start in the year. Truly one of life’s greatest milestones when everything is filled with promise.
However, there is a group of children being robbed of this incredible experience. Their parents, probably [sic] that they are being especially virtuous, have decided that they will keep their children and “home school” because they (the parents) believe that they are able to bring all knowledge and learning to their children. Link to Full Article on Holland Sentinel.com (registration required) >>
Yes, it’s fall and once again evidently time for West Michigan homeschoolers to be subject to the opinions of Margeret Boyce, former public school teacher and public school board member here in West Michigan.
Margaret made a splash for herself 2 years ago with an opinion piece printed in the Sentinel, still available online (wth 21 pages of response) in the Sentinel Forums.
There is an excellent rebuttal piece to that 2004 article posted on About.com (as well as other responses), and since Margaret’s latest editorial says pretty much the same thing - with the same lack of facts and supporting data - just re-read the rebuttal article.
Still, I expect Margaret’s latest piece to once again stir up a response from the homeschooling community, and it should be interesting to see what they say.
What strikes me most with Margaret’s writing is the incredible arrogance she shows - like somehow the state and public education system are entitled to our children and by no other means will they receive a valid education. Certainly not by mere parents.
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January 30, 2007
Hey Mike,
It had been a while since I visited your site, and I was glad to see that you commented on this lady’s (I use that term very loosely) letter to the editor. I wrote about it on my site as well, though I was not able to be as brief as you.
http://thebossfamily.com/WordPress/index.php?s=closed+mind
After re-reading her letter from ‘04, I can’t believe that the Sentinel would run another one. I guess they are like any other paper though...contoversy sells papers. I was most surprised by her revisionist history of the US. “public education...cornerstone of democracy...one of the founding fathers best ideas....” blah, blah, blah. Yeah, history would be great if we could just make it up as we went. And she has been a teacher in the classroom! The scary part is that she really believes what she is saying. She doesn’t even realize that her assertions have no basis in fact.
Anyway, I know this post is old and this might be a dead thread, but I thought I’d comment anyhow.
Regards,
Chad Boss
Holland, MI