Home Schools, Alternatives, post-pandemic

[temporal1]

Home schools, faith-based schools, have been important topics on MD+MN.
i’d prefer to add to an existing thread. if/when existing topics are found, they are welcome here.

“New Census Data Show Homeschooling Tripled During the Pandemic—And One Key Group is Driving the Surge”
Once they experience the full freedom and flexibility of homeschooling, many parents and children won’t ever want to return to a coercive classroom.
https://fee.org/articles/us-census-home ... -response/

.. In addition to massive overall growth in homeschooling, the survey results also revealed increasing homeschooling rates across all races and ethnicities.

While the homeschooling population has become more demographically diverse over the past decade,
the Census Bureau found that the number of black homeschoolers increased nearly fivefold between spring and fall of 2020,
from 3.3 percent to 16.1 percent. This black homeschooling rate is slightly higher than the approximately 15 percent of black students in the overall K-12 public school population.

The new Census data confirm what previous surveys have shown while also suggesting a tripling of the homeschooling population from its pre-pandemic levels. ..

Presumably, “The Narrative” will be that this is “nothing.” 100% expected. No surprises.

i’m happy when parents are empowered and involved in their children’s education. We did not home school, but were always involved in our family’s school and church life. We had various friends that home schooled in the 1980’s-90’s, with excellent results.

In my area, home schools and faith based schools, private schools are thriving - even before the pandemic.

My first choice would be for public schools to be reliable centers of ed for all children, all socio-economic backgrounds.
Unfortunately, partisan politics increasingly dominate.

From what i observe, all parents who are able to sacrifice BOTH time AND money, choose alternatives.
It is a sacrifice, a labor of love.

[temporal1]

Presumably, “The Narrative” will be that this is “nothing.” 100% expected. No surprises.

This is not a thread for this ^^ particular message.

Goggle results: “how much has homeschooling increased?”
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+muc ... e&ie=UTF-8

[temporal1]

Forbes: “ Fears Children Going ‘Off-Grid’ As Homeschooling Up By 700%”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorris ... up-by-700/

In my area, home schooled children have options to participate in public school sports - after all, parents pay taxes.

We had friends, both medical doctors, who home schooled. They said part of their reasoning was time.
They were able to teach requirements in less time, enabling them to dedicate time to other topics of choice.

The Catholic school near my family helps home schooling families, offers some classes to them. Latin is one class that can be accessed.

[Josh]

“Fears of going off grid?” If the global elites wanted children to be well socialised, they shouldn’t have told us to “socially distance”.

[temporal1]

“Fears of going off grid?” If the global elites wanted children to be well socialised, they shouldn’t have told us to “socially distance”.

A big DOE/public school shake up has been needed for years.
Altho i never imagined one packaged in this way, i’m grateful for parents and children to have this unexpected opportunity to reimagine possibilities.

As for masking, physical distance, washing hands - ok. Great. Good hygiene and personal responsibility.
Hopefully, children will get the message, “Wow. i CAN make responsible personal choices that matter to me and others!”

For too long, “the messages” have been more in the vein of, “humans are animals, slaves to their instincts.”
What a negative hopeless outlook. And, WRONG.

There has been too much “soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Children are smart.
They’re always learning, often beyond intended messages. This is my prayer for them.

Take these same messages to HIV-AIDS, STDs, fornication, abortion, et al. All of it. All preventable via personal choice.

Union school teachers, PP, and others will fight it tooth+nail.

If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards,
that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today.
Thomas Sowell

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/tho ... ell-quotes

[temporal1]

i read this several weeks ago.
have not seen anything about it since. i’m not up to date on Michigan news.
intriguing report.

April 2021 / “Michigan reports thousands of lost students from public schools following year of COVID-19”
https://wwmt.com/news/local/michigan-re ... f-covid-19

Kalamazoo MI

.. Over the last decade, Michigan lost an average of 13,000 students per year.
In 2020, the state lost nearly five times as many, the largest decline in enrollment since the Great Recession.

Online learning: KPS says online learning has had benefits for students

Protest: Parents protest Kalamazoo Public Schools decision to remain fully virtual

School: Virtual learning presents challenges for some while others say the switch was beneficial

The trend in Michigan was driven in part by kindergarten, although data from MI School Data showed the decline was not just limited to one grade. Enrollment in certain categories fell more steeply than overall enrollment, notably among white well-off students, as well as students who were African-American, or from low-income families.

Black enrollment fell by 13,700, a 5.1% decline.
Enrollment of students from low-income families fell by 34,400, or 4.5%.
Native American enrollment fell by 496, or 5.5%.
Enrollment of white, well-off students declined by 25,000, or 4.4%.

Some families in Michigan sent their children to private schools that offered in-person learning during the pandemic.

Roxanne Lewis, a mom from Three Rivers, did exactly that. .. ..

Define “lost.”

[JohnHurt]

Union school teachers, PP, and others will fight it tooth+nail.

The way I understand it, when a public school student moves from one county to another, the Local Education Authority (LEA) funds allocated for the student's education follow the student.

The new county receives the funds, and the old county loses them.

If they ever allow School Vouchers, and let the LEA money follows the student into a homeschool, or private school, that will be the end of "public education". No one really wants it.

But if they did allow school vouchers, not only the teacher's union will fight it, but Planned Barrenhood and every other liberal group that indoctrinates public school children will lose their grip over the next generation.

I think Trump said something about school vouchers, but never did anything about it. This is a common experience with politicians on this matter.

And poor people really need be able to use this money go to a private school, to escape the next generation of poverty.

I went to both public and private schools and saw the difference, even at the college level. There is 'at least" a full grade or more difference in the academics. What it took for me to make a B minus in private school - study for an hour 2-3 nights a week - made me into an A student in public school.

At the private College, I had 1-2 hours of homework, nearly every school night to make a B. At the public college, I could skate by with just taking a few notes in class.

We homeschooled all of our 6 children, and they are much better educated than kids in public school.

The "authoritarians" keep poor people from sending their kids to better schools with this "public school" system. This keeps an entire group of people poor, dumb, and dependent on their system.

They tell you that you should not give our "public school money" to private schools or for homeschools - when it is our tax money in the first place.

[Josh]

Public schools are basically a jobs program to keep certain political constituencies collecting large salaries. A public school principal or administrator easily pulls six figures, and last year, they collected full pay and benefits and didn’t even have to work. (Pressing a button on a laptop to launch Zoom or Google Classroom is not “work” or “teaching”.)

[temporal1]

JohnHurt:
.. If they ever allow School Vouchers, and let the LEA money follows the student into a homeschool, or private school,
that will be the end of "public education". No one really wants it. ..

I appreciate your above post, questions about taxpayer funding are critical. because taxpayer funding is a TRAP that could quickly be the end to the point of alternative (non taxpayer funded) education.

When i first joined MD, obama was in office. Robert, i believe a Menno pastor and home schooling at the time, began a thread on the exciting possibility of taxpayer funding following students - which meant Menno schools would greatly benefit! - thousands of dollars allowed for each student! o.the possibilities! -

(Please correct where my memory fails.)

This was new to me, i was interested. First blush, it sounds wonderful. It was exciting to think. For a fleeting moment.
(i recall) obama+admin acknowledged the superiority of private ed, faith based ed, etc. There APPEARED to be possibilities of authentic improvement.

It did not take long on this forum .. before interest waned, because ..
accepting taxpayer funds equates to accepting ALL gov regulation+oversight. This DESTROYS the entire purpose.

If alternative schools cannot be independent - what’s the point??

More recently, in western Canada, lesterb shared some first-person RECENT communications his CM fellowship and school had with Canadian government. The “saving grace” their school had from immediate gov regulation was that they never accepted gov funds. And they could prove it.

(i have read) in Canada, gov wholly or substantially, funds MOST private and faith-based schools, including Catholic schools! -
and, the Catholic schools’ function is compromised by doing so.

In various ways, Canada can be the “canary in the coal mine” for gov policies. “Not all that glitters is gold.”

It’s popular to “wax poetic” about the fantasy of Canada. But fantasies are not reported in balance.

Many believe Canada is an innocuous mirror image of the U.S. False.
These are 2 different gov systems. Care is needed not to conflate realities - this is where the fantasy is created.
(i’m not suggesting you do this.)
Most of us WANT to pick the best of both worlds and pretend it’s possible to have it all. Reality proves otherwise.

The DOE needs a complete overhaul, sadly, Betsy DeVos was never up to the task.
Teachers unions guarantee failure. Conflicting motivations.

i believe most people are sincere in their goals. even unions. then, unintended consequences result.

It’s entirely possible you are correct that public schools might be ended, IF NOT for the bottomless pit of taxpayer funding that INCREASES WITH FAILURE. Politicians: Failing? - “Throw more taxpayer dollars at it!”

Problems are not resolved or “fixed.” Taxpayer funded chronic problems result. Taxpayer funded Careers!

Will Rogers Quotes

“Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.”

https://www.brainyquote.com ›

[Josh]

Conservative schools are not interested in government dollars. The government already harasses us enough and puts in place unwanted oversight, requiring things that makes sense for a 1,000 person public school but are nonsensical for a 50 student school.

In Canada the government requires conservative private schools to establish LGBT student clubs. I’m sure Szd and Ken will now show up to tell me how important that is.