Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

I agree that the government is not a magical power.  I did not imply that in my posts........I am simply stating that there needs to be an accountability for all students.  Regardless if they are home schooled, unschooled or publicly schooled.

I don't want the government's nose in my business any more than it already is.

Ha Ha!  I agree, although in living in a democracy it really is the governments business to have it's *nose* involved with all aspects of the nations undertakings.

My bottom line remains as such, I feel that EVERY educator should be held accountable in that the very best interests of the child are being met.

Fredi

Teachers have biases.

Parents have biases.

TV has biases.

PBS has biases.

What I'm saying is that an episode of Sponge Bob did spark a discussion on labor unions.  Lots of entertainment has tidbits of info there for the kids to want to learn more about.  Earlier in this discussion people were asking how a kid would know to ask what a radius and ulna are.  Well, TV has an endless supply of topics.

And yes, the whole world is educational.    What's wrong with humor?  Social commentary?  Ethical dilemmas? Etc?  Everything is educational.  Not just 'educational TV, games, or textbooks.'

if you had neighbors who claimed to be homeschooling, yet you KNEW all they were doing was watching TV all day,

But this is a slippery slope here, because on occasion *I* watch TV all day, and so do my kids.  But it all depends.  We have unlimited TV (right now it's rarely turned on).  We have unlimited computer time.  Right now my kids are on Neopets a lot.  Yes, they're having fun, but there's a boatload of learning going on there as well.  Primarily reading, writing, math, and geography, time zones, etc.  But we travel, work, have play dates, go camping, museums, and all that good stuff, too.  But some weeks, if some nosy neighbor were spying on us, they'd claim we watched tv all day and there was no learning going on.  But TV is very educational.  Sets, writing, lighting, props, characters, actors, Hollywood, and that's before we even get to the music from the shows, bands, cultural references, etc.  Then add in the history channel, discovery.  We learned about labor unions one day on Sponge Bob Squarepants...

I disagree with regulation of homeschoolers for the main reason is once they start, they won't stop, and before we know it they'll be dictating curriculums and having us teach to the test.  No thank you.

It would depend on the kid and the reason.

Sure, if TV was the most exciting thing happening around our house for weeks on end, then yes, that would be an issue.  But sometimes life throws serious curveballs -- death of a grandparent, life threatening illness in a sibling are two biggies we've had in previous years.  Someone mentioned a broken crush.  Sometimes it's just the weeks before a huge developmental leap.  But if all is well with the child, we're offering plenty of alternatives, well yes, I do trust that for whatever reason my kid needs to veg in front of the TV for whatever time period he or she needs, it's a valid reason.

I don't watch much TV, either, but sometimes in the winter months I get Seasonal  Affective Disorder and am more likely to want to curl up under a blanket and veg.  Nothing wrong with it.

Bottom line for unschooling is:  Trusting the kids, and the Freedom to choose.

Example:  One kid was in and out of the hospital at a young age.  All he wanted to do was watch Toy Story followed by Toy Story 2, over and over, day after day, for weeks on end.  Thank Goodness I liked the movies!  I'd have been tearing my hair out if he preferred Barney's Sing-Along!  But the point is, that he found the movies comforting and familiar, and yes, I allowed him to watch them.  And if the tapes wore out I would have bought him new ones.  I trusted him to know what he needed (familiarity) and freely allowed him to watch.

Its the parents responsibility to do what is best for their children....

I couldn't agree more with that statement.  Unfortunately there are many parents that are not responsible in doing what is best for their children.

I'm sorry if my view that there must be some sort of umbrella of protection for children is upsetting for you.  The only answer that I can come up with is in government monitoring and yes holding it's citizens accountable for their actions.

Again I am NOT against homeschooling at all.  I feel that every poster here is making the very best decisions in how they choose to educate their children.  My only concern is the parent that is not able to properly educate their children.

How do we keep that child from falling through the cracks without a specified regulations? 

Fredi