Columnists’ opinions

 Accent on the opinions.

More unsolicited negativity about homeschooling, this time from USA Today founder Al Neuharth. It seems that the anti-homeschooling tongue lashings just keep coming. Maybe this time the opinions were brought on by the flurry of excitement over BACK TO SCHOOL. (Should we make this event a national holiday?)

I arrived at the article courtesy of Cocking a Snook! and found that a few homeschooling advocates had already been there to insert common sense into the strange realm of homeschool doubt.

My question, as always, is why does anyone care what homeschoolers are doing? The argument cliche about homeschooled children being strapped to their parents is weak. Couldn’t someone please come up with some sort of negative statistic that has some substance?

My favorite comment from the article is:

“Not letting kids try out their own wings after we’ve provided the right roots will disadvantage them later in life.”

In my opinion, kids that are educated at home are more likely to sprout those wings earlier in life. Who needs a public education system feeding you a life in 30 minute segments?

All ready for school?

I will seriously gag if I hear one more person ask my child, “are you all ready for school?” Sometimes I forget that the rest of the community is actually going to be going back into a classroom in 3 days.

By the way…we are always ready for school.

Tag surfer

Just tag surfing WordPress for the magic word RELIGION makes me wonder…do these people think that God has wireless access?

Training the future taggers

Looking for a cool art lesson that doubles as science? Grab some spray paint and download this stencil. Now go ahead…paint the town. You know you want to.

Raise em’ free

 

Check out the Richard Dawkins Foundation 2-disc DVD set, Growing up in the Universe.  This product has the best tag line of any product that I have ever seen…Science as Epiphany.

Damn that rocks.

If I had no conscience…

It is painfully clear that if I was interested in making some quick cash, the easiest thing to do would be to set up shop selling religious articles. All I would need is a smooth marketing gimmick and alot of Biblelicious merchandise and I would be in serious business. Exploiting the easily exploited is like shooting fish in a barrel but then it hits me…I have a conscience!

The atheist revolution

So much bullshit, so little time.

So the atheists are out of the closet. Now what? What should us atheists be doing to…you know…change the world?            

I struggle with this ‘atheist revolution’ that is everywhere these days. I’ve always been a nonbeliever. I have never needed a word for it until now. Suddenly everyone is trying to define atheism, give it a hip catch phrase. There is a movement to bring atheism into the country’s consciousness. All the better. I’m on board. It’s the labeling process that irks me. I don’t want to wear the giant letter A.

I don’t need no stinkin’ label.

I’m not the only one. I’ve heard the rumblings. The rants from other malcontents who dislike the words atheist, humanist or ((shudder at the thought)) bright. Personally, I’d just be happy if some of the rest of the country comes to their senses and joins the world of rational thought. That would be ground-breaking.

I read a very interesting comment the other day…

“I hope in the end the Bush Govt. creates the same negative association for religion that the Jehovah’s witnesses built with their intrusive doorbell ringing.”

Ah…I think it already has but the 2008 election process will surely seal the deal.

Nonbelievers hold fast – freedom from organized religion is closing in.

Presidential nonsense

There is nothing that irritates me more than the ‘poop surge’ of political doublespeak that accompanies an upcoming election. I have always had a difficult time choosing a candidate simply because I really don’t trust anyone that steps up to run for office. All of the red-white-and-blue schmoozing is enough to make anyone distrust public officials. I can’t help but wonder - is there such a thing as an honest politician?

Faith has no chance against reason

I stumbled across Pharyngula while on a militant search for evolution resources. I don’t drop in on the blog because the links are scattered across every pro-science website on the web, I read because the commentary makes perfect sense.

“…college professors and administrators don’t even try to divorce students from religion — despite my evil reputation, I don’t say a word about religion in any of my classes. All we do is open students’ eyes and expose them to a world of the mind where they are free to question and doubt … and presto, many of them suddenly realize that they can disagree with those obnoxious religious authorities back home.”

Say it louder brother!

Homeschooling debate

Did I mention my distaste for the overused debate on homeschooling vs. public school? How many times can one be expected to read the same arguments and not want to rip your hair out? Socialization, socialization, socialization. ((Gag!)) The term is sickly misrepresented.

There is no real threat of homeschooled children becoming socially inept as a result of being taught at home. Generally parents don’t make the decision to homeschool because it is easier. Packing a PB&J in a brown bag and getting Johnny up by 8 a.m. is most likely the easier row to hoe.

With all that said, those nagging naysayers are at it again, spreading images of emotionally crippled children being taught in figurative caves by completely incompetent parents masquerading as teachers. What ever should we do? Form a homeschooling police force?

How about get a life.

Public school education has certainly hit its own share of snags in the past, let’s say, 30 years. How about concentrating on the things that matter to your own children and leave the educating of homeschooled children to us.

Homeschool blogger Alasandra speaks for many of us when she challenges the homeschool naysayers on their socialization issue. It’s like beating a dead horse but you get em’ girl.