The Homeschooling Movement Can be the Catalyst For Freedom

And there are a LOT of great homeschool curriculum choices these days, plus homeschool social groups.

If homeschool kids want to go to college they have to get a high school diploma or a GED equivalent. This is because of the PELL grants requirements that have been done at the federal level.

This is discrimanatory against homeschool studients who don't get a diploma if they don't attend high school all 4 years.

That's not true, mopar. I know it's harder to be accepted, even with a high score on the ACT, but it can be done. I know a woman that homeschooled all her children, and the brainiacs are attending college and majoring in physics.

Every home schooled child can take the ACT.

Yes, it can, if you teach them Freedom by setting an example of freedom for the kids.

I pulled my kids out of public school when they were still in elementary school for various reasons that aren't that important now.

The biggest piece of advice is to NOT replicate the broken public school experience at home. Use your brain, common sense, and philosophy of life to guide you as to what to teach, but more importantly what NOT to teach, your kids.

Now, if you're not free yourself, you can't very well teach your kids to be free. If you're dependent on others for your money, your safety, security, health and wealth, then you're not really free to teach your kids how to be free. However, anything is better than public school. Here's an interesting article....

[link to articles.orlandosentinel.com]

It's near impossible to be completely free, but the more self sufficient you are, the more free you are. Teach kids to be self sufficient, starting with teach them the 3-R's, and how to use those core skills to teach themselves anything they need or want to know. Then, give them the freedom to choose what they want to accomplish. Then, stand back!! You'll be amazed at what your kids will accomplish.

NO, NO, NO!!!

Fist, they don't. Second, why would home schoolers follow the same path as public schooled drones? They shouldn't!

My kids were taking online college courses in their early teens for a fully accredited college. They've never taken a placement test. Just do some investigating and you'll find the right schools that will allow you to either: a. completely test out of an undergraduate degree (for under $5000), or b. take online courses for those that you can't or don't want to test out of (for maybe a bit more $).

Homeschoolers by definition take the path less traveled. And the path to college is one that is much different than what most people think.

Core Skills. Did you use the website "Core Knowledge"? Excellent site for home schoolers.

People think parents aren't qualified to teach, but I know college graduates that home school.

My son is an excellent writer, and I'm not taking the credit for it.

What's wrong with taking the ACT? I see your point by taking college classes.

I'm one of the few parents that refused to allow my son to take the ASVAB. Going to war terrifies me. Every young boy will be called up and first in line will be those that took the ASVAB.

I home schooled my son for four years. I miss it. He wanted to go to high school, and he's a senior now.

Look out for the online "public school in a box" , which people think is homeschooling. (k12, connections academy, etc)

These are NOT homeschool curriculum. They may even be more damaging than brick-and-mortar public schools. Bid daddy govt is trying to head off the homeschool movement, offering free book, computers and internet to parents who want out of public schools.

But i agree with you OP. If we can raise a few generations of our children off the govt teat, we might just save our future.

Homeschoolers dont follow the sheep. Simply because there are no sheep to follow. That alone can shake them out of the zombie group-think virus that has infected billions.

There are homeschool courses that give state accredited HS diplomas. Others do take the GED at some point. The point to homeschooling often is to avoid the bad environment and certain objectionable curriculum. This does not affect a GED. But I agree sending your homeschooler off to traditional college would be a serious mistake in most cases. There are other ways to go about a higher ed. The kids often just want a paid vacation anyway, especially the little feminist girls who see it as an alternative to traditional marriage, one of the main reasons to avoid state schools w/sex-ed.

Fourth-graders who flunk reading have faces marked

[link to www.bigstory.ap.org]

Come on, the G.E.D. is designed for the masses. It isn't a problem for a home schooler.

Last Edited by s. d. butler on 11/18/2012 01:30 AM

[link to www.insidehighered.com]

WASHINGTON -- Students who wanted to attend college, but didn’t have a high school diploma or GED, used to be able to get federal grants and loans through a back door: either take a basic skills test to prove their “ability to benefit” from a college education, or successfully complete six credits.

This year's federal budget, in an effort to trim spending on Pell Grants, shut off both routes. As of July 1, newly enrolled students are required to have a high school diploma or GED in order to receive federal financial aid. College administrators say they worry the new policy will shut out older students seeking training to find a new job, immigrants, and students in states where money for basic adult education has been cut in budget crises.

Either those students will turn to riskier private loans, they say, or -- more likely -- they'll just give up on pursuing higher education.

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