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Reasons why we school our children at home

Over the years our decision to enroll our children in an electronic school has been repeatedly questioned by acquaintances, friends and family members.  Consequently I've decided to create a list of articles pertaining to the unbelievable behavior and situations that occur in today's public and private "brick & mortar" schools.  I will periodically add to this list as additional articles are found:

  • A kindergarten student's parents are called because she refuses to color in a University of Kansas mascot, and the teacher refuses to provide her with the rival Kansas State's mascot instead (I understand the need to maintain order in the classroom but as a parent with a kindergarten student I can assure you it would have been better to compromise on this issue than involve the parents):  http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/kindergarten-k-state...
  • A school board member takes the 10th grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and flunks it, getting 10 out of 60 math questions correct by guessing, and scoring 62% (D) on the reading portion. Initially I thought this was because he was not properly trained himself, but he holds numerous degrees and has been involved in various education related positions, indicating the test is faulty:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/revealed-school-bo...
  • The best article I have read to date on how vaccines are a contributing factor along with toxins in processed food, sugar alternatives and acetaminophin (Tylenol) in the rise of autism in our society today.  This is important because part of the reason we school our children at home is so that we (and our children as they grow older) will be better informed regarding which vaccines they receive, if any, and how old they will be before the vaccines are administered: http://www.asdresearchonline.com/
  • A cheerleader is required to cheer for the student who sexually assaulted her by her school Principal and is ejected from the cheerleading squad when she refuses:  http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/10

Look, what it all boils down to is we want our children to be schooled in a safe environment that will not negatively impact their own self worth.  It can take decades to undo the psychological trauma that some children experience in school.  Our children will not be forced to endure ridicule, bullying or peer pressure while trying to learn.  They will be given an opportunity to learn subjects that are not taught or are only glossed over by public education, such as the true history of Native Americans following the European colonization of America.  They will be given an opportunity to discover how sometimes public education can result in common misconceptions and therefore will have a greater understanding of how the world works, without prejudice or fear.  Most important of all, they will be taught how to learn.

They will not just memorize a bunch of facts in order to score well on a standardized exam so that the state continues to receive federal funding by meeting expected standards, resulting in bullshit like this: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/05/137631003/probe-finds-systematic-cheating-in-atlanta-public-schools

If you really think permitting children to pass to the next grade when they're consistently receiving failing grades will serve them well later on in life, think again.  Maybe "no child" will be "left behind", but they certainly won't have an easy time growing up either.