Parental Rights in Hernando County, Florida

I'll keep this short. It is absolutely shocking how liberal, agenda-driven public teachers in Florida want to pretend that the LGBTQ issue isn't an ideology issue which plenty of good parents have a problem with. Are these so-called educators  truly of such low IQ that they think parents are THAT dumb? This is not an issue over educating rightly, or using all of the wonderful resources to broaden their student's minds. Nope, anyone with half a brain sees right through the comments of these 'educators'. They can't find something more educationally rich or stimulating than a controversial PG movie (and yes, folks, it is a controversial movie!) to reinforce the Earth Science lesson? C'mon, son, how uneducated do these so-called intellectuals think people are? 

Parents, it is all over this blog: take responsibility for your children and their education and get them out of the government-run schools. Run, don't walk. 

Hundreds gather at Florida school board meeting over Disney movie controversy: 'Your policies are not protecting us from anything' (msn.com)

Corruption in Stafford Public Schools

Entrusting children to government-run schools, whose ideology aligns with this world system rather than God's, yields things like hiding your students successes because of woke agendas. It is a disgrace. What fellowship has light with darkness? If we believe two people should be equally yoked in marriage, why do we yoke our tender children up with those who deny God's truth? Wake up, Americans. The public education system is an agenda-driven industry seeking to produce a desired product. The "teacher" is a godless curriculum and numerous peers from every sort of background and home situation. Protect what God has entrusted to your care. 

Stafford Fails to Notify Scholars

Courageous 10 Year Old Knows How to Think

If you regularly read Not the Bee, you probably saw this. If not, check out this brave and smart 10 year old.  Logic may be out of fashion, but it is still a worthwhile pursuit educationally.

Children Are Almost Immune to COVID--Have you seen this?

In Virginia there have been 2500 deaths from COVID-19, and do you know how many of those were in persons under 40 years old? 

Take a guess........

25.

Twenty five deaths in people under 40 over the course of 6 months has led to the insanity we're dealing with. 

The Federalist has this interesting article about the survival rate for children with COVID and it is great. 

https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/21/yes-children-are-almost-immune-to-the-worst-of-covid-19/

Your public school is trying to make your Christian kid a little Buddhist.

Wretched Radio---the name is a little off putting until you realize why it is called that. Some important understanding for Christians with kids in public schools. Be aware so you can opt your child out and talk to them about this. 

Hard Cases Make Poor Theology-Public Education for Christians

The original saying is that Hard Cases Make Bad Law. But with theology and how to live the Christian life, I often think of the reality that the toughest circumstances are not what to consider, or the minority issues. In regard to education, of course there is no guarantee of how a child will turn out. There are home schooled children who rebel, Christian school children who rebel, and public school children who rebel. But the outliers are not what we ought to base our thinking on. We need to look at the majority of outcomes to make wise decisions, that is, if we are thinking the ends justify the means. 

I'm not one to favor the ends justifying the means, because God's word is the standard. He is clear about how to raise children if we are Christian. I've covered that in various places on this blog. We know He takes His word seriously and we know children are very impressionable. They will become like their teacher the Bible says. Should we test God in that because we know of a few cases here and there that didn't align with Luke 6:40? 

Public Schools Blocking Withdrawals?

Public Schools Blocking Freedom

We knew this would happen.... Around 40% of parents now want to homeschool their kids, on top of the 2.5 million parents already taken ownership of their children's education, and, to no one's surprise, some public school districts are pushing back.

Freedom is at stake here and in focus. This sort of thing can only happen in states that require permission to homeschool or require people to get permission to withdraw from the government schools. Not all states operate like that.

Bear in mind, homeschooling isn't for everyone. It is a huge responsibility and a serious one, much like parenting, which many these days seem to phone in. Private schooling might be a better option for some families. Know thyself!

Thankfully in Virginia we don't need permission to homeschool. We just need to send the superintendent notification of our plan to homeschool. The Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) is the place to start and also is where to get the Notice of Intent form. Joining them is a great idea as well as The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

The Federalist: Why Christian Kids Don't Belong in Public Schools

Why Christian Kids Don't Belong in Public Schools-The Federalist

Ignoring that there is ideology and worldview wrapped up in education does not negate the negative impacts that those ideologies bring. I know it is unpleasant to think of such things...it is nice when we in society are all on the same page. Sadly, the truth is, there is no such thing as neutral education.

The Bible tells us we are to be as shrewd as serpents yet innocent as doves. When I think of education, I always think of this verse as well as Luke 6:40. There are world forces in play that we cannot stem simply by wanting to, or giving a measure of mental ascent to.

Just as a sapling will grow in the direction the gentle, yet steady, breeze urges, so our children will grow based on the worldview of their educational years. Is God given glory and woven into all subject matter, or is self-reliance, positive self-esteem, and humanism really the foundation being laid? What is our own foundation, if we take time to examine it carefully, in light of God's word?

It is a humbling exercise to see how my own thinking is still impacted by my public school education. The issue of worldview is so pervasive, most of us fail to see our own humanistic undercurrents. It takes regularly rubbing up against those whose worldview is more biblical to gradually see where ours actually aligns more with those who deny God and His truth. It takes bringing every thought into captivity under the careful eye of God and the truth in His word. He has given us resources and leaders to explain these things to help us all. I've posted several videos on my side bar for just this reason. Ken Ham and Pastor Voddie Baucham know what the deal is, and they care enough about the church of God to tell it to us straight. Isn't that what love is?

One May Surprise You-- 10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto

Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto


Donna Calvin posted this write up I've linked to above in 2011. She reposted someone else's work a man by the name of Kirk Elliot. What I most wanted to share is the origin of public (government) education.

Government sponsored education is a newer concept in the history of the world, and it is not good. We need to understand, at least on a rudimentary level, the forces of the enemy that work in direct opposition to God, particularly in the lives of children.

Public education has its roots in Communism. The underlying thought is that the government should have more control over children and their minds than parents. Individual thought is a disruption on the conveyor belt of a thrifty working class that thinks as it is told to think. If the authority of God can be undermined, the world is the oyster of the secular humanist.

Harvard Kennedy School of Government Countering Harvard Law School's Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling

**Meeting is going on now at a new location. Live on FB and being recorded. Please tune in. This battle is about the American ideals vs. countries like Germany, where freedom in education is not permitted. Bartholet does not share traditional American ideals, which we see by what she's published about homeschooling.

This is very good news. My prayer is that this counter campaign will be used by God to bless families in America.

Harvard Kennedy Hosting Disinformation Campaign Regarding Homeschooling

Harvard Kennedy to Host Event to Counter "Disinformation Campaign"

You can join this meeting via Zoom.

May 1

Please pass the word. 

(Photo courtesy of this website with free images at Harvard.edu, Sanders Theater. Content of blog not endorsed by Harvard University.)

Harvard Attacks Homeschooling in USA Amidst Worldwide Pandemic

4/22/20

While nearly the entire nation is schooling their children at home, Harvard University is launching an attack on homeschooling with their summit to discuss severely regulating the practice. 

This is ultimately an attack on parental rights; who gets to decide what is best for children, their parents or the government? Should parents be forced to put their kids in a school they disagree with? Think about these scenarios: Catholics must send their children to a Protestant private school; atheists must send their kids to a Christian school...Christians should not be forced to send their children to government schools, but that is essentially what is being promoted by Elizabeth Bartholet of the Harvard Law School. 

Homeschooling: Parent Rights Absolutism vs. Child Rights to Education & Protection is the original article. (love how she says we do this with very little scrutiny...we test ANNUALLY and submit those tests, we are in church 3 times a week, piano weekly, tennis weekly, Civil Air Patrol weekly, work WEEKLY, and they see friends...we're just one family, and we tend to do less than others we know. Question science? My oldest finished with a top score while in 12th gr. college A&P I and II, microbiology...we don't agree with secular humanistic thinking is what she is complaining about, which is POOR science, so she seeks to regulate people she disagrees with...)

The Risks of Homeschooling-Harvard Magazine (agrees with and heavily cites the original article and is being more widely circulated)

The comments at the bottom of this post were in response to the article linked to directly above (The Risks of Homeschooling) and were quickly closed. There is no doubt as to why when you read them--not a single comment agreed with the article and several people listed compelling information as to why the topic is irrelevant. 

I realize there are families home schooling is not right for; I'll be the first to tell someone not to home school in certain circumstances. For those who must rely on government-funded education, being aware of the pervasive worldview is critical to helping your children steer clear of it. We cannot pretend there isn't an active agenda in the educational area. Bartholet seeks to be seen as some sort of expert, but one can't help wonder if she would say the same things if the public schools taught from a Christian perspective. Is she interested in rounding out her kid's education by putting them in a Bible teaching church 3 times a week? Why should her worldview trump my worldview?

If you like to read, consider John Taylor Gatto's tome: The Underground History of American Education. Ken Ham's The Relevance of Genesis videos, which can be found on YouTube are also helpful as well as Voddie Baucham's The Children of Caesar. I've linked to part one of each of the videos and you can also view part 2 free on YouTube.

Al Mohler's rebuttal to Bartholet is excellent. Worth reading.

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  Kim Cheney Wayman • 2 days ago
  
  

  This article is sad in its total inaccuracy. First of 90% of homeschoolers are not Conservative Christian. I have homeschooled for 8 years and we are atheists. In my state of NC only 60% of homeschoolers are christian and only a small percentage are Conservative fundamental christian homeschoolers. The reason they do not have lots of regulations on them is because homeschoolers have proven over and over again that the majority are above in academics, social skills and life skills of public schooled children. You can get around the mandates if states wanted to by asking every homeschool to turn in a well visit dr visit every year honestly. I believe you know nothing honestly about homeschooling or homeschoolers and i would happily invite you to my state and introduce you to the world of homeschooling. You might also want to look at statistics on how many homeschool children not only go to college yes including Harvard but get scholarships thrown at them because they are so advanced.Your knowledge in this area is so bad that i could do an equally bad article on Quantum Physics because my knowledge in that area is about as extensive as yours is in homeschooling.

• Cait Blakley • 2 days ago
  
  

  This article and others like it stun me and show a true lack of understanding of what homeschooling is. It's sad to see such a one-sided, uninformed article on Havard's website.

  
  

   TJ • 2 days ago
• Um. Ok. I was homeschooled from pre-K through highschool graduation. Went to college and got double degrees. Homeschooling is amazing. The kindest, most intelligent people I know were homeschooled. I loved it. Every other homeschooler I've known/met loves/loved it. Way to intolerantly attack a minority group here though.

  And what's with the picture? Contradictory. It clearly shows a kid imprisoned in their public school while the homeschoolers run around having fun. Doesn't fit the article.

  
  bdbaugus • 2 days ago
• Fascinatingly out of date. I would urge the author and the professor to do some research and homework and check their internal inconsistencies. Putting a government bureaucrat called a teacher in charge of the children is also authority figure with much poser (see numerous teacher student sex scandals as exhibit A). But the research shows that a) home school students do better academically, b) home school students are more community and politically aware and active, c) are more likely to involved in the arts, politics and entrepreneurs. This is nothing more than a desire for government to extend its reach into the family and home, an area it has proved incompetent to manage as various public relief programs have destroyed families over the last 50 years.
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  David E. Shellenberger • 2 days ago

  
  

  Government school-prisons are the worst means of education. They should be abolished and a free market achieved.

• Larissa • 2 days ago

  
  

  This is, by far, the most vapid and poorly researched article I've ever read. I am a public educator. Children in public schools are penned in for 8-9 hours a day with MAYBE a 20 minute recess built in with another 25 minutes for lunch. Time is constantly wasted trying to corral and transition from one arbitrary class to another. They MAYBE experience 1 or 2 field trips a year. Homeschool children, on the other hand, are often doing their school outside. They are active. They are given specialized instruction instead of a one size fits all curriculum. Field trips take place as often as they want, many once a week or more. When a child is sick, they don't miss instruction. They are given the time to recuperate and pick up where they left off. Co-ops offer group learning atmospheres where they can learn from specialized experts in certain fields. When a child masters a concept, they can move forward instead of sitting around waiting for their peers. When a child is struggling, they can slow down without feeling like they are holding everyone back or worse being forced to just trudge ahead without the skill. Children have more time to participate in activities like 4H, music lessons, team sports, and internships since their life is not dictated by a government institution. Furthermore, homeschool students outperform public school students on the ACT, SAT, and in areas of college readiness. They are better at discussions, better at asking questions and providing analysis.This idea that homeschool children are isolated and under authoritarian rule is antiquated and shows a lack of research by this author. Public schools dictate the way a child should dress, the way a child behaves, the way a child eats, the way they play, and the way a child should learn. They dictate who gets to be successful and who gets left behind. They funnel children into groups based upon arbitrary quantifiers of potential. They dictate the number of hours a child must sit. They dictate what a child should say. They dictate what days are school days and what days are for family. The public school system literally has control of a child and his family from age 5-18. And you say they provide freedom? Absolutely tone deaf and an embarrassment to this publication.

  
  

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• Daina Ball • 2 days ago
  
  

  In the image picturing one child locked up while others play freely outdoors, please realize that the child locked in the house is most definitely representing a child who attends school and not a homeschool child as you may first assume.
• aikimoe • 

  This is really tired stuff. And thoroughly illiberal. In the utter absence of any evidence whatsoever that kids who are homeschooled are more likely to be abused or less likely to enter adulthood ready for college or trade-school, there is no logical or even ethical reason to suggest that homeschooled kids face more "risks" than kids who attend public school.

  I'm a secular liberal and secular liberals are increasingly choosing to homeschool their kids. Lazy attempts (I can only hope they're not dishonest) to create an impression that the vast majority of homeschoolers are religious fundamentalists indicate the kind of desperation one sees from conservatives warning against the dangers of sex education and gay marriage.

  You should know and strive to be better than this.
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  Russ Westbrook • 2 days ago
  
  

  So..... The State can't have spies in the family structure, and can't force feed children what to think? Sign me up for homeschooling.5

Parental Victory--Family Foundation

Victoria Cobb, President
Saturday, April 11, 2020

Despite the current COVID-19 crisis and the disappointing news about the Governor signing legislation that eliminates decades of pro-life achievements, we do have some GREAT news for parents of public school students – Family Life Education (“Sex-Ed”) curriculum will be made available online for easy advanced viewing very soon!

One of the major concerns that parents have expressed to The Family Foundation over the years regarding the public school’s Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum is the lack of transparency.  That is, while public schools are required to make FLE materials available for parents to review, the law only requires they make these sensitive and values laden materials available at the school library upon appointment during school hours. But that is often a great inconvenience for working parents.

But thanks to Delegate Jay Leftwich (R-78, Chesapeake) who carried HB 1394 for The Family Foundation, a bill that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, parents will soon have the ability to easily access Sex-Ed materials through an online parent portal beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.  Now parents will have far greater access to the materials so they can be more fully informed on the things within sex education being taught to their children.  This is real progress for parental rights!

We hear all too often about incidents in which students read or see sexually explicit material because parents were not able to review written lessons or audio-visual content.  One example occurred in Albemarle County in 2018, when one of the high schools had 14-year old freshman girls watch explicit “how-to” videos in an FLE class on male and female sexual pleasure.  It’s a perfect example of why parents must have every opportunity to review what their children are being taught.

While we are thrilled about this achievement, it does not remove our ongoing concerns about the curriculum’s content. That’s why we encourage you use this new access to monitor exactly what and how these sensitive topics are being taught to your children so that you can voice your concerns about anything that conflicts with your values.

Finally, while this year Easter Sunday may look and feel a little different for many people, the message of a risen Jesus Christ will never change.  That is our everlasting hope!  I pray that you and your family have a blessed Easter celebrating our risen Savior!

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More evidence of why Christian kids should not be in public schools if it can be avoided. I realize that there are some families, especially single-parent situations, where there is no other option, but I feel we're doing every Christian a disservice to not point out the dangers of public education. I liken it to being pro-abortion because of cases of rape or incest. I think many more families than just 15-20% could have other schooling options than public; the problem is that parents do not realize the very foundation they want laid is being interrupted continually by the curriculum and worldview of the teachers. Church one or two days per week cannot overturn the 5 days a week kids are in a setting where God is completely left out of the curriculum and conversation. With a young adult at a secular college, I can assure you that educators have an agenda, much more so than they did when I was at a secular college 22 years ago or when I was in public school decades ago.