writing.ebdean.com

in loco parentis

2008-11-28T15:42:00.002-05:00

My 12 year old daughter wants a handgun for Christmas. She had the opportunity to shoot rifles at summer camp and found out she's a good shot. I own a gun and look forward to making this an activity we do together. When the time comes for her to leave home, I'll feel a lot better about her safety and wellbeing knowing she knows how to take care of herself.

However some people, when they ask her what she wants for Christmas, feel they need to intervene on my behalf to explain to Madeline that she is not allowed to have a gun. It's a bit infuriating actually. Last week one woman went so far as to tell my daughter it was illegal for minors to own a gun. Maddy pointed out that the Second Amendment says differently and she was told that the Constitution does not apply to children.

Of course I don't expect a government school educated Obama supporter to know much about the Constitution, but if you want to shut down your brain and simply buy the anti-gun media hype, that's your prerogative, but please don't pass on your lazy opinions to my daughter.

The Supreme Court has clearly ruled that the Constitution offers its protections to every citizen regardless of age, race, or gender. Children exercise their legal standing via their parents, but they still have the right to free speech, the right to peaceably assemble, the right to be free from illegal search and seizure, the right to practice their religion, and there is no exception for their right to keep and bear arms. It certainly is NOT illegal for minors to own guns; just ask any 12 year old Tennessee boy with a hunting dog.

Statistically, assuming she doesn't join a gang, it is more likely my daughter will die in a car accident or a swimming pool than by being accidentally shot. This is why I have taught her to wear a seat belt and how to swim. Guns are no different; she will learn how to properly care for it, store it, and use it so that – like millions of children since the inception of our nation – she will be a safe and responsible gun owner.

Feel free to raise your children to be afraid, dependent on government, and willing to trade liberty for a false sense of security. I'm going to raise mine to enjoy her life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Mandatory Attendance Laws

2007-06-15T12:47:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting story I read on Fox News today. A school district in Connecticut is requiring over 2000 of their students to repeat a grade based solely upon excessive unexcused absences. (Even if they passed all their subjects.) Apparently an absence can only be excused if it is based upon a doctor's note for a "critical or chronic illness". This policy was put in place last year when the school district decided that too many absences were being excused by principals.

The government apparently thinks they know better than parents what is best for their kids. The parents can't be trusted to do the right thing. (Of course this brings up a legitimate question: Is it best for a student to repeat a grade he has mastered as a punishment for excessive absences? Is that what's best for his education? Is that the best way to spend tax dollars?)

But I suspect that tax dollars are the real issue anyway... A school district gets money from the State and Federal government based upon attendance. In California we were told it was $69.00 a day per student. For the sake of example, let's say in Connecticut they get only $50.00 a day per student. If 2000 of their students miss 18 days a school year, the school district loses 1.8 million dollars - and this is just the 'unexcused' absences. This is big money.

It makes no sense, education wise, to keep a passing student back a grade for any reason. Thus, I think the real reason must be financial and/or political. If a student is failing in school due to excessive and unreasonable absences, then perhaps a government entity should investigate on a case-by-case basis. However, the government agency that stands to make millions on the outcome should not be the entity responsible for the enforcement of mandatory attendance laws.

Thomas Paine said, "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." When the government is this blatantly violating one of our most basic freedoms - the freedom of parents to decide what is best for their own children - why aren't people more upset?

Homeschooling - How Can We Afford It?

2007-06-14T10:41:00.000-04:00

One of the concerns we had when deciding whether or not to home school our kids this year was whether or not we could afford it. The U.S. Government spends on average about $5300 per student in public schools. We will continue to pay taxes, but teacher's unions and liberal politicians have seen to it that we won't get a tax break to offset the cost of homeschooling. (Not that a conservative controlled government did much to press the issue either...) We are saving the government over $10,000 next year, and we can't even get a few bucks to help us buy books for home school. How can we possibly match such an expensive education on our tax-burdened budget? So much for 'no child being left behind'.

Politics aside, our own financial ability to home school our kids is very limited. There are many excellent, and expensive, home school curricula out there but we can't afford them. So, does our lack of dollars equate to a sub-standard education of our children?

The U.S. Government misappropriates billions of dollars of tax money into the government schooling system every year. The results are abysmal. Public schooled students, on average, score in the 50th percentile on national standardized testing. So every year each politician (conservative and liberal alike) demonstrates his commitment to 'education' by increasing the amount of money ~~given to schools~~ thrown on the fire. Despite a huge tax-payer funded bankroll, the teacher's unions and the government are unable to adequately educate students. Perhaps there is not a direct correlation between money and education?

A 1998 study of 20,760 home schooled students reveals something interesting. Parents who spend $199 or less on home study produce students who score, on average, in the 80th percentile on national standardized testing. Parents who spend up to $599 produce students who also score in the 80th percentile. Parents who spend more than $600 get a slightly better result with students scoring in the 83rd percentile.

A topic for another day is whether or not it is ethical to put your children in government schools if you have any other option available to you. I certainly would pull my child out of any private school I was paying $5300 a year in tuition and seeing only a 50th percentile result! And yet I daily have to justify to the cynics my decision to home school??? But back to the topic at hand...

From what I've seen so far, the more home schooling is studied, the more it is confirmed that students thrive in a home study environment compared to the public school environment. Additionally, despite the rape of my wallet by the government to continue mis-educating the majority of our nation's students (and many of Mexico's as well), my children should be able to get a very high quality education on a limited budget.

Source: Rudner, Home Schooling Works: The Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998