Scientific Communities and Christian Forums

[Josh]

High school is also a waste of time, and was invented to keep children of Irish immigrants off the street and to quit engaging in criminal behaviour.

now that is information that i have never heard before.
i find that a bit hard to believe

Are you aware of the origin of 9th-12th grade education? John Dewey was probably the most aggressive promoter of it; widespread 9th-12th grade education didn't exist before the 1920s (people just went straight to colleges/universities who wanted to keep pursuing education). Groups that resist change, like Amish or some Mennonites, ended up sticking with 8th or 6th grade education.

High school education really took off in the 1930s since it was proposed as a way to reduce unemployment without all those youth out trying to find jobs and provide teaching jobs. The model of secondary education in New York City was viewed as a success in doing the same with large amounts of immigrant youth in the 1920s. We basically embarked on a national experiment to the point that now everyone thinks that sitting in a classroom until you're 19 is normal.

[Josh]

I see your angle, but HS does a lot to teach important social skills, such as- you may not always be accepted by everyone in life, you will not always get what you want, and it forms bonds that can last a lifetime. In a sense, it toughens you up for adult living.

Its a gift I have. I'm a special snowflake

One can learn the exact same thing in a job from 9th to 12th grade age.

Or if college is really so important, go straight to college. (My state actually lets you do this once you turn 16; one classmate I had in college started doing this at age 14. He has his Ph.D now and teaches at WVU.)

To that end, and you may question my ability to do this, but I can smell a mennonite 8th grade education a mile away just by their maturity and how they interact in adult life. I can do the same with homeschooler's, too.

I would really question your assertion that all Holdemans, Wengers, Hornings, etc. are all lacking in maturity compared with the average public-school educated person. And yes, I can "smell" a homeschooled person a mile away as well.

[mike]

And yes, I can "smell" a homeschooled person a mile away as well.

Can you guys expand on this? I'm interested, because we have homeschooled for 13 years. What is it about us that stinks, exactly?

[Ken]

I’ve been in science and science education my entire life. But some of the most useful classes I ever took in college were humanities classes that actually taught me how to think critically, express my thoughts, and write in an organized manner.

This is interesting, Ken. Would you recommend taking those types of classes to the up and coming college students today?

Sure. My middle daughter is starting college this fall. She is specifically interested in molecular biology and genetics and thinks that she wants to do research in some related field and maybe work in some kind of biotech area in the future. To graduate her school also requires her to take credits in math, humanities, social science, and languages. She has complete freedom to figure out which exact courses interest her most and she has hundreds of options. Her AP credits from HS will get her out of some of those requirements if she wants. But I will encourage her to branch out and learn some new things in other fields. She isn’t a music major and doesn’t want a career in music, but she is still playing in one of the school bands for fun. I also want her to study abroad in another language (probably Spanish) during her time in college. And she might likely end up doing something completely different with her life than what she thinks now at age 18. She has the rest of her life to grind away in professions and raise a family. Now is a the time to broaden her horizons.

[Josh]

She has the rest of her life to grind away in professions and raise a family. Now is a the time to broaden her horizons.

The viewpoint that college is "fun" but the rest of life is "grinding away" reveals a very anti-family (and anti-work) mindset, as if the rest of life is going to be some terrible burden. Having a family broadens one's horizons. So does working for a living. Living in college, on the other hand, is a very artificial environment of endless consumption, partying, and studying things that don't matter.

There is an extreme degree of arrogance, too, in the mindset that people who didn't go to college, party, get drunk, and go into an extra $50k of debt a year do not have "broadened horizons".

[Josh]

And yes, I can "smell" a homeschooled person a mile away as well.

Can you guys expand on this? I'm interested, because we have homeschooled for 13 years. What is it about us that stinks, exactly?

It's just obvious.. I can't always pick out a plain-background homeschooled person but I can usually pick out a non-plain but homeschooled person. They are often over-educated in terms of knowledge, academics, etc. but come up short in areas like people skills or having more practical life experience. I'm guessing this is because they just sit in front of a computer or books learning facts through grade 12. (Maybe plain people are more likely to get some practical life experience before grade 12, but for a homeschooler in the suburbs, this is very hard to get.)

[Wade]

And yes, I can "smell" a homeschooled person a mile away as well.

Can you guys expand on this? I'm interested, because we have homeschooled for 13 years. What is it about us that stinks, exactly?

We homeschool too. And so hopefully it isn't everybody but generally homeschoolers have a level of better than others that comes across as they try to socialize with others that is hard to stomach.

[steve-in-kville]

And yes, I can "smell" a homeschooled person a mile away as well.

Can you guys expand on this? I'm interested, because we have homeschooled for 13 years. What is it about us that stinks, exactly?

Not really a stink, just a particular scent

My wife and most of her siblings were homeschooled, at least for the upper classes. After 24 years of marriage, I can still see it from time to time. Coworkers I've had ranged from a really bizarre and awkward sense of humor (or no sense of humor at all). Most had a hard time making/keeping friends. One was also the single child, so we can guess how that went... his world was *very* small

Typically the first clue is they know they're gonna have a hard time fitting in and so they try extra hard to fit in and hence make things harder on themselves. Does that make sense? Maybe I'm not explaining it the best.

To that end, last year when the COVID was in full effect, we had a paid ambulance crew here at work taking temperatures and the like when we came in the door. There was one bubbly young lady EMT that seemed to be well liked and respected. I was a bit shocked when I learned she was homeschooled most of her schooling career. So it must been her perfume that through me of the homeschooler scent

[steve-in-kville]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

[Josh]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

Maybe they are concerned about things like:

- a really bizarre and awkward sense of humor (or no sense of humor at all)

- Most had a hard time making/keeping friends

- One was also the single child, so we can guess how that went... his world was *very* small

- try extra hard to fit in and hence make things harder on themselves