Catholic Family Vignettes

Thanks to Homeschool 2.0 Blog for this one. My apologies beforehand. The bold emphases are mine and the italics are my somewhat sarcastic remarks. Forgive the rant!

An excerpt from a 52 page document prepared by the National Association of Elementary School Principals:
:
4. Home Schooling

NAESP is concerned with the increasing number of individuals and groups who are avoiding public education

(avoiding public education or exercising our right to educate our children as we deem best?)

in favor of at-home schooling. When alternative options

(alternative options? I don't consider educating my children at home the alternative...public education is the alternative...and only after all other resources have been exhausted!)

such as home schooling have been authorized by state legislation, resources and authority

(what authority would that be? Social Services? The NAESP? hmmm...)

should be provided to make certain that those who exercise these options are held strictly accountable for the academic achievement and social/emotional growth of children.

(or what? They'll take away our "funding?" How do you measure social/emotional growth of children?)

When home schooling options are exercised, NAESP strongly recommends that state governments establish safeguards to ensure each child:
1. participates in appropriate social experiences;

(Appropriate social experiences? Such as those most public school children are exposed to? Drugs? Violence? Sex? Or perhaps just a little good, ol' fashioned peer pressure? No thanks!)

2. interacts with students from other social/racial/ethnic groups;

(once again, the myth of the "isolation of the home educated." Social groups? Would that mean "alternative lifestyles?" Are those high priced private schools ethnically and racially diverse? I wonder...)

3. receives the full range of curricular experiences and materials aligned with state standards;

(ALIGNED WITH STATE STANDARDS??!! We should "dumb down?" I hope I am stretching a little farther than this)

4. is guaranteed instruction by certified and highly qualified persons;

("certified"...so all parents must have a college degree and certification? And "highly qualified?" Like the public school math teacher who apologized to my oldest daughter for not being able to explain things well, because "math just wasn't his thing?")

5. is required to participate in state-mandated assessments; and

(because the state is such an excellent judge of what makes for a well-rounded education - home educated students outscore public school children in every area. And let's not forget the national spelling bee and geography bee winners for the past several years have all been home educated)

6. learns in a healthy and safe environment.

(HEALTHY AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT??!!! The audacity! Does that mean that homeschoolers should install metal detectors, post security guards in our bathrooms, install video surveillance, purchase bulletproof backpacks and background check all of the educators? Because this is the "healthy and safe environment" in which the average child spends 6 to 7 hours a day.)

NAESP strongly urges states to require home schools to comply with state and federal laws addressing children with special needs.

(does this mean every family must have their children assessed to determine need? Or will physicians be required to "inform?")

NAESP strongly urges local and state associations to address these issues as critical to the education of children. (’93, ’03, ’04)


My suggestion?

The NAESP has a big enough mess in it's own backyard. The public school system is a train wreck in progress. Rather than focusing their efforts on the "increasing number of individuals who are avoiding public education" (their quote), they should ask themselves "why?" The answers are all around them.