"One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music.
The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents.
Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to their annoyance that the teacher's questions were part of an effort by the Myrtle Point school district to persuade home-schooling families to give the public system a shot.
Enrollment has been dropping steadily as timber jobs have dried up, and Oregon's budget cuts have left Myrtle Point facing a $675,000 gap for next year. Since Oregon bases its state school funding on enrollment, every home-schooled child Myrtle Point can woo means an extra $5,000 or so. An estimated 100 youngsters living in the district are home-schooled....
"I like instruction where the instructor, not just the body of knowledge, is important," Teckla Wilson said. "Home-schooling allows you to work out the pace that is best for them. And, we are Christians, and for me, it is important that I teach them to think with a biblical world view."....
The fate of the school has provoked plenty of discussion in the town of 2,700, and prompted a tart opinion column by school board member Dal King in the weekly Myrtle Herald.
"Families who home school or choose to send their kids to other districts, we need your full support, not just what's convenient for you," King wrote. "While you may have good reasons, please do your part by enrolling your kids full-time in the district and don't just `cherry-pick' music or sports."
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This is a pretty classic example of the public school system missing the whole point. It is not just about what the homeschoolers feel they are protecting their children from--but it is also about the relationship that is built between the parent and children. That cannot possibly be replaced by a school. Unfortunately, it seems it boils down to money. (Interestingly, homeschoolers have to pay their school taxes like everyone else, but don't put a student in the school, so they are paying and making more room in the school....but that is not enough. The school doesn't get the additional FEDERAL money for each student who isn't enrolled.)
They pay the taxes, they should be allowed to participate in classes.
Espessially sports...
Does the school get a partial head allotment for the home-school kids that cherry pick extra-curricular programs? Home school parents should see that the district gets money when their kids use the programs. They pay taxes so that is only fair.
I think the home school kids should be allowed to cherry-pick, but for other reasons. Public or collective school parents feel strongly about education. I get offended because home school parents often demand that we respect their views and choice but then assume that public or collective school parents are hethens that don't give a damn. Well, we have resons for believing in collective education and home school parents should respect us if they want respect. One issue is that the kids need to feel as a cohesive unit. I don't want to home school kids coming to one class with my kid's but not another. They are interlopers. If they want to be home schooled, then stay at home. They do not need to be in the jazz band.
Feetman- What makes you think that anyone is assuming homeschoolers think your are heathens for going to public school? You choose your favorite type of education, let them choose theirs. As for taxes--homeschoolers are PAYING school taxes and are choosing to receive nothing for that. If some districts allow for them to be a part of programs, then that is great. It is also for that district to try to work out how to get more government funding for that. The money is there. It is usually spent on sports programs, but regardless, it is there.
Please don't assume that homeschoolers think dirrerently of you or your children just because they choose to educate their children at home. They may have their own reasons for that and you are pre-judging them.
First, I wrote that post a little harsh just get a rise. Of course there are great home-school people. They think I am a heathen because of how I behave. However, I do think there is perspective there to explore.
There is always this issue, that concerns me as well as home-school people as a parent who sends his kids to Catholic school: we pay public school tuition and our kids don’t get direct benefit. I feel strongly, that they do get a benefit, just as we all get a benefit from an educated populous. Public education is very important to our society. It should not matter that we have chose, for whatever personal reasons, to remove out children from the public school house and pay extra for a different education.
When I say that they are interlopers it is because I don’t think they should cherry pick extra-curricular programs. They should either be public school kids or something different. Those extra-programs are not fluff. They must dovetail into the whole of the public education systems. The home school kids may interfere with that. Those public kids go to math, science and English and band together and the social dynamic in all of that is just as important as the actual subjects. When you put in this kid from the outside selectively into one program it is an unnecessary disruption. These kids compete in academic class and need to learn how to express artistic and sports talents through a team effort – a team made up of their own, those other kids in the other classes. They don’t need outsider on their teams. Those home school kids are outsiders interfering with that education.
Now wait. Yes, there is a place for team building with kids coming from different walks. For that you have YMCA sports and you have youth orchestras.
When I was in band at public school, I would have never accepted some outside home-school punk coming into MY house trying to play lead trumpet. “F Him. F Him. F him” I would think. Would he come to my house after all the chores had been done and say, “Hey, I am home-school Joe. I did not help with chores, but I am here just for desert.” I played all-state bass and I was there to work for my lead players. MY lead players.
NOW, I was also in Dallas Youth Orchestra. That was THE place for home-school kids to come in and play. And there were some home-school kids there and I enjoyed getting to know them and playing with them. But they were not members of my public family.
Should some of that tax money go to community based extra-curricular programs for home-school kids to enjoy? I think that would be a good idea.
You miss my point. The public educational experience must be taken as a whole. You cannot piecemeal it. Those teachers are trying to teach the kids to interact with each otehr and your interference is unwarranted. Either go to public school or do not go to public school. Don't cherry pick because they are trying to do something over there.
My view of them does not need to change. They can come to public school and be a part of the group or not. If they want me to band with them in team effort then they need to be there for math and english, because that is a big part of it. Those kids need to learn how to deal with each other in those band and sports classes - not with the home school kids who are there to cherry pick.
I have no problems with using tax money for an all home-school band program or football team. I think that is a good idea. What is a bad idea is letting them poach someone else's team. If a home-school kid got lead chair over my kid in public school, I would be some kind of p'd off. Home school kids elected not to be on the team so get them off the team.
Wow, feetman, you really seem to have a beef with these people. It seems to really bother you that they chose a different path for their families. What is with that?
As for the special bonding that you seem to have had with other public schoolers...it very interesting to me. As a former cheerleader, class officer and all around "popular" kind of person, I never felt bonded in my schoool experience in the way you seem to. In fact, I don't know many people who share that sentiment. If the bonding idea is one that "it is us and we are against another social group (ie homeschoolers)" then that is a bonding really can't relate to. It seems you resent them.
--SB
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I have no problems with using tax money for an all home-school band program or football team. I think that is a good idea. What is a bad idea is letting them poach someone else's team. If a home-school kid got lead chair over my kid in public school, I would be some kind of p'd off. Home school kids elected not to be on the team so get them off the team."-
They would go through the same standard tests to place on the sports team as any other player, and if they play better, then they get a better spot. Rather simple...
You jusyt miss the point. I don't have anything against home-school.
My point: The extra-curicular programs in public school are about more than the program itself (football, band, etc.). The sutendts are learnging to relate and compete. It is a big learning experiment. When you introduce outsiders (kids who are not public school students) it changes that dynamic. There is another place for that dynamic. That is all I am saying.
As for bonding, anon (why not give your name), I am sorry that you did not bond better. You were popular? So? Geeks bond better? I am glad that I bonded. My lead trumpet on a state brass ensemble called me last year when he was in legal trouble. He is now an engineer across the country, but he called me after 15 years because he knew he could trust me from those couple of years in public school competing for grades in math and working together in ensemble.
Extra-curicular activities should be a separate event then the classes. If a legal, tax paying citizen want a kid to be able to play football on the public team, then it should be allowed. If it created tensions, wonderful. If you've ever seen that movie, Remember the Titans, then you should realize that tension can be used to create a stronger bond within the team itself, thus improving the program.
And bonding in public school is an interesting concept, considering that learning is supposed to take place, not social time all week.
No. No. No. The "extra-curicular" programs are not separate. They are part of education! What I learned in music programs probably helped me in law school more than anything else. They are not separate.
You want people to respect home school education, but you shit on public school. No. If you want respect then you have to give it. You are NOT better than us because you have a direct link to God and you do NOT have the authority to poop on our education for what you want!
This is the public education system. It has programs that all mesh together. Be a part of it or not, that is up to you. But do NOT direspect it for you own service. Public school parents do NOT drop kids off at your house to get special parental nuturing. Don't abuse the public system. And thatis what it is: Abuse and disrepect.
-"No. No. No. The "extra-curicular" programs are not separate. They are part of education! What I learned in music programs probably helped me in law school more than anything else. They are not separate."-
Ok, so if they are so great, and the purpose of the US public education system is to enrich the US society with knowledge, then allowing a larger pool of aplicants into the extra-cirricular activities is exactly the thing the schools should be doing.
-"But do NOT direspect it for you own service. Public school parents do NOT drop kids off at your house to get special parental nuturing. Don't abuse the public system. And thatis what it is: Abuse and disrepect."-
Ah, but a public school should be public, not discriminatory based on the students choice of core education. The Students also have their own parents, and they could be dropped off with them, if the parents so chose.
I don't mean "you" personally. Sorry. I meant "you" the home schooler who wants to butt-in on band programs.
I am tired of the debate. I think the home school kid who can really compete in the public school programs will be rare.
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