Families turn to homeschooling after Newtown, Connecticut shooting

[The Straight Story]

Homeschooling support groups nationwide are reporting an increase in families seeking information regarding homeschool options following the Newtown, Connecticut shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school. A Dec. 20, 2012, report from Fox 5 San Diego stated that an online school in California received an influx of inquiries following the tragic Connecticut shooting. Other media outlets nationwide have reported similar occurrences. As more families look towards homeschooling following the deadly massacre, it must be pointed out that homeschooling should never be a knee-jerk reaction in response to fear.

Homeschooling Pros & Cons

There are many homeschooling pros and cons that must be taken into consideration. For some, the idea of sending their child or children back to public school after a tragedy such as Columbine or the Newtown, Connecticut shooting is enough to finalize their decision. These families may simply believe that public school is an unsafe environment and refuse to send their children. While there are many advantages to homeschooling, it should be recognized that homeschooling is a time-consuming process. Though there are numerous homeschooling methods available to choose, and each may have varying demands, homeschooling is a serious commitment and parents should make certain it is something they not only want to do, but are prepared to do for the long-term.


Those who choose to homeschool, whether as a response to the Connecticut shooting or because it is believed that homeschooling will be the most effective educational strategy for a child’s educational needs, should connect with other homeschoolers through support groups and other local organizations.

....

It is never a wise idea to rush into homeschooling; however, those who are concerned regarding issues at their local public school may find that choosing an online or virtual private school or beginning a homeschooling program may be the right choice for their family.

http://www.examiner.com/article/families-turn-to-homeschooling-after-newtown-connecticut-shooting-at-sandy-hook

[phantom power]

1. the Conservatives are smiling

more people walking away from public education does nothing but further their goal of dismantling public education along with everything else public

[The Straight Story]

2. There are a lot of knee jerk reactions by people all over the place

Looking for answers and ways to protect those they love.

Some buy guns. Others are looking to put their kids in what the see as a safer environment. Some want to ban all guns, some just more regulations and laws.

I homeschool. As did my sister and her kids. I had a decent public education I liked and fully support those who want to send their kids to public schools.

Choices. Big Tent.

[Spider Jerusalem]

25. "I need to buy a gun!" and "I need to homeschool my kids!" are both manifestations of the same thing

that thing being the continuing fracturing of civil society. Living in fear of potential threats, and withdrawing your children from public schools out of that fear, is not a healthy or rational reaction; follow that road and you end up with a heavily armed, isolated, non-society of individuals living in fortified compounds (or gated communities) straight out of a libertarian's wet dream. The American belief in the primacy of the individual over society as a whole is almost a form of collective mental illness.

[Journeyman]

9. Actually, here in California homeschooling and private education serve to fortify public education…

I sent my children to private school for a good portion of their formal primary and secondary schooling. Throughout those years, I continued to pay all taxes for public education. The schools received my money but did not have to make room for my children, so the district benefitted.

There was a proposition on the ballot (38), about the time my eldest was in high school (2000), to create vouchers for education. I voted against it, as did more than half the parents whose children were in that private school. The proposition failed by a margin of 70% to 30%. A similar proposition (174) failed by a similar margin in 1993.

Both times, the margin of defeat was better than 2 to 1, and less than 50% of the parents at the private school supported it. And throughout those years, the percentage of California students in private schools never rose above 10, and has precipitously dropped in the last 12 years.

[kelliekat44]

23. Fear makes people irrational. nt

[shintao]

32. Seems like the right decision to me.

We got the crazies and they have access to guns regardless of whatever you ban. And we have schools that should be secured, and we refuse to spend the money to do so, instead we are hell bent on cutting their budgets back to where they can't even buy school supplies. If you can't protect my child (mine are grown) in a school, he don't go to the school. we have had 36 years of this BS, and it is time to protect the children at least as well as we protect our congressmen, people in airports, etc. Just do it!!

[duffyduff]

3. No accounting for stupidity, as schools are among the safest places for students to be,

while for many students the home is the most dangerous.

I don't have much use for homeschooling, let alone online education for K-12.

[mzmolly]

27. Yes bullying, fighting

and now - gun fire. All safe.

Calling traumatized parents and children stupid is ... stupid.

[question everything]

4. Yes, just like Adam Lanza. The killing maching at Newtown

was homeschooled.

[The Straight Story]

5. For but a brief time. Correlation does not equal causation.

He was also public schooled and private schooled.

So I guess that makes all 3 turn kids into killers by that logic.

[question everything]

7. True. But the irony... (nt)

[jade3000]

11. exactly my thought, i figure people would have the opposite reaction

less homeschooling

[jberryhill]

10. There have been several homeschooled children who have gone on shooting sprees

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20038517-504083.html

BURLINGTON, Colo. - A 12-year-old boy who reported shots fired at his eastern Colorado home is in custody after officers arrived to find his parents dead and two of his siblings in critical condition.

...

The Longs had seven children, ranging in age from their mid-20s to 5, and the younger children were home schooled by Marilyn Long. One church member, rancher Paul Rhoades, 74, said Marilyn Long grew up in Burlington and attended high school with his daughter.

Lee said the injured children were Sarah, 5, and Ethan, 9. Greg James, an elder at the church, said he visited the family -- including older siblings and the children's grandmother -- at The Children's Hospital in suburban Denver and visited the children as they recovered in the hospital. He told the congregation that the family was hopeful the children would recover.

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2012/10/parker-county-teen-in-custody-after-mother-sister-shot-to-death.html/

UPDATE: Parker County teen suspected in his family’s slaying was home-schooled by former principal mom

http://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/ludwig-david.htm

David Gregory Ludwig (born April 28, 1987) received two life sentences in prison without parole for murdering Michael and Cathryn Borden on November 13, 2005. The Bordens were the 50-year-old parents of his girlfriend Kara Beth Borden, who fled with him after the murders.

Background

The Borden and Ludwig families are both from Lititz, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. While apparently not members of the same church, the two families are stated to be devout evangelical Christians, and each family similarly home schooled their children. David and Kara are reported by the Carlisle, PA Sentinel to have met in a support group for home schooled children.

[The Straight Story]

12. Ok...and what does that mean to you?

Is there some sort of correlation like:

owning a gun makes you a killer, maybe not now but it will because other killers had guns?

Homeschoolers kill more than kids who go to public school so that is the cause? Ban homeschooling?

Those who killed played video games/watched a violent movie/etc so ban those?

[jberryhill]

13. What does it mean to me?

WTF?

What it means to me is that there have been several homeschooled children who have gone on shooting sprees.

One way to deduce what it means is by READING THE WORDS I WROTE.

This simple technique, of READING THE WORDS I WROTE, would enable you to unlock the mystery of what it means to me, to wit:

"THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL HOMESCHOOLED CHILDREN WHO HAVE GONE ON SHOOTING SPREES"

So, let's break that down for you:

"There have been" - this is a signal that what follows is a statement of events which have occurred in the past.

"several homeschooled children" - this is what we refer to as the "subject" of a sentence. It is the part of the sentence that more or less sets the stage for action coming later in the sentence. In this instance the subject, strictly speaking, is "children". The terms "several" and "homeschooled" modify the word "children" to indicate their plurality, and a characteristic about them - namely, that they were homeschooled.

"who have gone on shooting sprees" - this is really kind of a tricky phrase, as the word "who" here refers back to the children. That is the "who" which have "gone on shooting sprees". In other words, this part of the sentence wraps things up by telling you that the children in question - that is, the "several homeschooled children" have gone on shooting sprees.

I am confident that this detailed explanation should greatly assist you in determining what I mean.

[The Straight Story]

14. Not really - because you have yet to explain your point

as to why it is even relevant.

[jberryhill]

15. Ah, relevance?

Clearly homeschooling does not have some magic power to prevent kids from shooting people. The notion that it does have such magical power is clearly contradicted by several counterexamples readily at hand.

[The Straight Story]

17. I didn't think it did

But I do think most kids are safer at home than in some schools.

Which is what the article was about.

[jberryhill]

18. "kids are safer at home than in some schools"

Well that "some" is an interesting qualifier.

Some kids are safer in ANY school than at home. That is also an unquestionably true statement.

[The Straight Story]

19. "Some" is always a key word we should use. SOME

people use guns to kill others, many don't.

Some homeschool for religious reasons, other safety, some for a better education, and sometimes homeschooling (like public school) does not work well for the individual.

Having choices is important. I respect those who don't do things the same way I do, but I lose respect when they try to take away those choices.

Sadly, some people hate homeschooling and that choice and want to take it away because it is a choice they would not make. I see such as controlling. Same as I do other choices from abortion to smoking in a bar where can chose to go to or not go to (grocery stores/doctors/etc are places people have to go to though).

For me it always comes down to choice, across the issues - but some only see a singular issue and not the principles behind it.

[jberryhill]

21. Some people ruin things for others

If, for example, homeschoolers do not vaccinate to the extent that it becomes a public health issue that threatens the community at large, then something's gotta give.

I could give a wet frog's fart one way or the other about homeschooling, but among those I'm aware, it seems they are awful fired up to attack public education every chance they get, and would take away that choice from everyone else given half a chance to do so. Those types consistently exaggerate problems in the schools, elect representatives who want to de-fund them, and the things the religious ones say about public schools are simply atrocious. My experience with homeschoolers is that they are narrow minded reactionary fearful people.

So I have obviously not met the right ones, but they are the only ones I've met.

[The Straight Story]

22. Well I can respect that honesty

I have some like that as well, but most I know and have met (since I homeschool I probably have met more) are doing for many reasons.

Here where I live our public schools are god awful. Not just the drugs and violence but the kids simply are not learning. As of right now I cannot think of a single kid in my hood who has graduated school but several have dropped out now.

Part of it is the parents. Part is the environment in this schools here. And these are the schools I myself went to so many years ago. 6 People I can think of off hand have now pulled their kids from the schools, 4 home school the other two kids are going to a charter school.

From 'zero tolerance' to no baked goods for parties, to drugs, sexism, gangs, etc. When my daughter went to public school in Bakersfield, CA it was mostly awesome on the education level, but being one of the few white girls in a mostly hispanic area she was picked on and made fun of to the point she would cry on the drive to school.

Now she focuses on school. Learning, weaving, science projects, she is already doing geometry and algebra at 11. She can get more school done in one day then some kids in two.

It worked for us. For others it is not the way to go.

And as far as religion...never mentioned unless maps to something historical (like, uh, the pope is catholic and there were crusades).

[mzmolly]

29. What if adults don't vaccinate?

Like the 90% of adults who are not up to date on vaccines, in the US?

[mzmolly]

28. There have been several public schooled children who have gone on

shooting sprees.







and so on. What's your point?

[jberryhill]

31. Quite obviously homeschooling does not prevent shooting sprees

[mzmolly]

33. Quite obviously, children who are home-schooled will not be shot

by a "school shooter".

[femmocrat]

6. It all depends on what is best for the child.

I can see that some children would benefit from a semester at home after such a traumatic experience. However, other children could benefit from going back to a routine of seeing friends and having caring professionals to keep an eye on them. I would weigh which option was best for my child.

[libdem4life]

8. It was only a matter of time. Many home/charter schools have been successful for decades

Half of my great nieces and nephews were home/charter schooled. Even though we are a family of teachers, they are the first generation not to graduate from public school and none of their parents were trained teachers.

With varied native abilities, all have high test scores and the oldest are headed for the colleges of their choice.

Social adjustment? Church ties, numerous field trips and educational experiences, and the fact that their homes are often the parent-supervised, kid-friendly center of after-school neighborhood social life, create a rich environment. Both families had to make the early decisions to make that a long-term financial and parental time choice. And the kids got to determine if or when they went to the public schools after 6th grade. A couple of them chose to go to public school for a time, but the academic levels were just not there.

[liberal_at_heart]

16. if moving to a smaller town doesn't help my son I would be open to private or home schooling

Special education is not giving my son the education he needs or deserves. Right now he is failing math and has a D in science. We are moving to a smaller town to see if a smaller class size can help, but if it doesn't I may consider private or home schooling. The high school he would have gone to if we stay where we are is going to have 30 special education kids next year. No thank you.

[libdem4life]

24. This is precisely the reason Charter Schools were originally formed...we did one of the first ones

back in 1996 in California. The excuse for not funding Special Ed was called Inclusion. Classroom teachers were not equipped. Also, for class size reasons, ironically school safety issues, bullying. It's not as black and white...and definitely not politically cut and dried as folks here think.

Just a thought...sometimes we found that the kids had basic vision challenges...called vision development eye/brain issues. Not related at all to eyeglasses, somewhat to dyslexia, but without special types of testing, impossible to diagnose, let alone treat. My son had it. Some (few) optometrists are specially trained. It also lends itseslf to parent help.

Good luck with your son.

[musical_soul]

20. Sad.

I think many parents are afraid to send their kids to school in fear of a copy cat. The more sad thing is we can't reassure them.

[NoOneMan]

26. Who cares?

Its everyone's own agenda. Where I live most homeschoolers I talk to are "liberal". Its not my thing. I don't do it.

All in all, everything is broken and lost. Systematically, that makes people afraid to trust their kids' safety in the hands of the public. This might lead to a more messed up environment when more nuts are created, but its just the system flaking apart. Why get angry about it? I have no power or will to fix a broken, oppressive, destructive system riddled with cancers of its own creation

[Taverner]

30. Aw fuck. Homeschooling can lead to these tragedies! The killer was homeschooled!

[mzmolly]

34. He was briefly homeschooled.

He spent most of his time as a student, enrolled in public school.

Guns lead to these tragedies. Especially assault weapons.