Last night, Meteor Blades published an interesting open thread with a quote from an article about progressive homeschooling. The author, Dana Goldstein, stated quite boldly that homeschooling violates progressive values. That would be all homeschooling, even the type that my family takes part in, an eclectic mix of curriculums, language learning, and yes, maybe even some unschooling that scares the living bejeesus out of some folks.
The article doesn't surprise me but the comments from fellow Kossacks were down right shocking. I hadn't realized how ignorant this community is about homeschooling. I hadn't realized how easily they have bought into the stereotypes that the main stream media has loved to promote. I hadn't realized how quick they were to grab an extreme example and use it to state that an entire group of people should be judged because of the extremism of a few.
In short, I have never seen a group of less progressive responses to a subject that is essentially supposed to be about living a progressive life. Talk about hypocritical.
Well, I see a serious problem and I don't think it will be solved by writing one diary alone. I have a proposal to make to all you other homeschooling families out their in this little world we call DailyKos. I would like to see us start a series to erase these myths. I would like to start a series that welcomes the doubters into the conversation and allows for an exchange of information. I would like folks here to realize that progressive homeschooling isn't about getting rid of public education, it is about finding education models that work for ALL children.
Just from last night's diary alone, I came up with a series of topics that need to be written. I bet you can offer some more in the comments below:
Homeschooling and the Progressive Movement
- Can you homeschool and be truly progressive
- Can you oppose homeschooling and be truly progressive (h/t to Gareth)
- Class privilege and homeschooling
- Homeschooling in single parent families
- Stay at home parenting - why progressives should fight for families to be able to live off a single wage
- Progressive Homeschooling as a feminist act
- Homeschooling and Civic Responsibility
- Homeschooling and Politics
- Finding Education Models that work for more students
- A Progressive Education System in Your Neighborhood - Is it even possible?
- How So-Called Progressives Let Conservatives Take Good Things (like homeschooling) and Turn Them Into Something Bad
- Homeschooling and Racism
- Homeschooling and Diversity
- Rights of Children versus the Rights of Parents
- Rights of Children versus the Rights of Society
- Homeschooling as a model of Sustainability
- Homeschooling and Climate Change
Myths about Homeschooling
- Homeschool and Socialization
- Homeschoolers Hate the Public School System
- Parents have to know it for a kid to learn it
- Children Working at Home is Child Labor
Homeschooling within the Public School Model
- Successful Homestudy Charters
- Homeschoolers and the Standardized Test
- What Public Schools Could Learn From Homeschoolers
- What Public Schools Could Learn From Unschoolers
- Public School as a Factory Model - should include this well done video:
Types of Homeschooling
- Radical Un-Schooling
- Eclectic Homeschooling
- Strewing as a Homeschooling Model
- Curriculum Based Homeschooling, the most like Public School
- Secular Homeschooling
- Religious Homeschooling
- Fundamentalist Homeschooling
History of Homeschooling
- History of Homeschooling in the US
- John Holt - review of How Children Fail
- John Holt - review of How Children Learn
- John Holt - Growing Without Schooling Magazine
- Illegality of Homeschooling Around the World
How-To of Homeschooling
- Promoting Curiousity and Independent Thinking
- Why Homeschool Students are Motivated to Learn
- Teachable Moments - The Homeschool Golden Rule
- GED - myths and actuality
- Getting Into College - Homeschool Student Success Stories
- Starting Businesses - Homeschool Student Success Stories
Tongue in Cheek Topics:
- Meeting Girls... What's a Homeschooled Boy Supposed To Do?
- Meeting Boys... What's a Homeschooled Girl Supposed To Do?
- But, Mom, What about The High School Prom?
- My Mom is the Teacher, My Dad is the Principal
- Homeschool Parents Don't Teach Everything, but almost
- Children Working - the NOT Newt Gingrich Model
- Homeschooled or Homeschooler? - yet another great video take a look at:
Can you tell there is a lot of stuff to cover?
How about it... any of you other homeschoolers out there willing to give me a hand? Take a topic or two? Add one or two of your own?
We already have a group started that we can publish with thank to unschooling Leftyparent. It's called Education Alternatives. Let me know if you want an invite. We are a group of people interested in improving education in the United States for ALL children and have great folks writing for us, like teacherken and leftyparent.
Ideas for a series name? Time and date to publish? All will be considered in the comments below!
How about you non-homeschooling majority? What is it that just bugs you so much that you can't stand homeschooling? I thought that progressives were accepting of difference so let me know what differences are just too much for you to accept and we'll see if we can help clarify the issue for you.
And, Meteor Blades, thanks for bringing that little article to my attention!