Not long ago, this website extensively detailed the efforts of “Republican” lawmakers Doug Brannon and Jenny Horne to subject homeschool families to the state education bureaucracy’s idea of “accountability.”
Thankfully, that anti-freedom legislation went down in flames shortly after this website blew the story up.
As glad as we are to see Brannon reeling from the homeschool community’s indignation, his craven backpedalling is hardly the end of this issue. If you’re wondering where Doug Brannon got the bee in his bonnet to crack down on homeschoolers, wonder no more.
Earlier this year Molly Spearman, executive director of S.C. Association School Administrators (SCASA), testified before a legislative panel regarding the “dangers” of letting parents home school their children. During her testimony, Spearman laid out the very agenda that her establishment errand boy Brannon was foolish enough to attempt.
“When you compare our regulations to other states we have the ‘loosest’ system in the country,” Spearman said, “and whenever we have tried to get a handle, and to have a little oversight, the home school community really goes against us.”
Take a look …
(Click to play)
Spearman goes on to say home school parents are pulling their children out of the government system because they object to the “discipline that we administer to their children.”
Huh?
None of this is surprising. Like their counterparts at the uber-liberal S.C. Education Association (SCEA), SCASA has spent years sponging huge amounts of money off the state’s government-run education system in the name of providing “educational support.”
This support comes in the form of hefty contracts with districts, membership fees, and costly “training” conferences at luxury resorts. Thanks to relationships with the highest-paid tier of the education bureaucracy, SCASA is able to keep raking in those big, sweet taxpayer dollars. And just to make sure no one threatens the gravy train, SCASA lobbyists and lawyers patrol the State House – always ready to rally taxpayer-funded resources against any institutional reform.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Spearman’s comments have anything to do with student achievement: Money and power are the name of the game, and SCASA isn’t looking for competitors.
It’s just a matter of time before they find another legislative bagman who is willing to target the home school community – perhaps even another “Republican.” We can’t imagine Brannon will try again, but you can be sure we will be watching carefully to see who is advancing SCASA’s agenda of total state control (which it’s worth noting is also the position of U.S. President Barack Obama).
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30 comments
Spearman is perfect for this job. A protege of Inez Tenenbaum and other “uber-liberal” Democrats in SC, she is all about political power and spending other people’s money. There are scores if not hundreds of “Lillian McBrides” at the upper tier of the pay scale in the SC Education department. Their sole purpose is to bring in the votes where needed in the “right” districts. Consultants to the consultants by and for the consultants. ps. Molly: Richard Breibart called. He’s going to spill the beans on just why your family put all that money with him if you don’t get Inez to get Jean Toal and Bill Nettles to lighten up. Time is nearly up.
Spearman is perfect for this job. A protege of Inez Tenenbaum and other “uber-liberal” Democrats in SC, she is all about political power and spending other people’s money. There are scores if not hundreds of “Lillian McBrides” at the upper tier of the pay scale in the SC Education department. Their sole purpose is to bring in the votes where needed in the “right” districts. Consultants to the consultants by and for the consultants. ps. Molly: Richard Breibart called. He’s going to spill the beans on just why your family put all that money with him if you don’t get Inez to get Jean Toal and Bill Nettles to lighten up. Time is nearly up.
It was nice of the SCASA to put together a list of “companies” to boycott for those interested:
http://m360.scasa.org/frontend/search.aspx?cs=1118
I use the term “company” loosely because many of them wouldn’t exist without gov’t largesse coming their way in looking at the list. In fact, it’s a good run down of the education industrial complex and the moneyed players involved.
It was nice of the SCASA to put together a list of “companies” to boycott for those interested:
http://m360.scasa.org/frontend/search.aspx?cs=1118
I use the term “company” loosely because many of them wouldn’t exist without gov’t largesse coming their way in looking at the list. In fact, it’s a good run down of the education industrial complex and the moneyed players involved.
South Carolina, where little Timmy can sit home with momma till he’s 18 and get a hs diploma. Without ever taking a single exam.
Funny then how the vast majority of home school students out test public school students across the board by a wide margin. Home students test so well that elite colleges and universities are falling all over themselves to get these students in their schools. While a few home school students are as you state, the facts prove otherwise. Go back to the SCEA office and try again.
South Carolina, where little Timmy can sit home with momma till he’s 18 and get a hs diploma. Without ever taking a single exam.
“Discipline?!?!” Surely she was kidding, misspoke, or was having a stroke.
I don’t think the home-school route is the thing for me and my kids, but if you do, more power to ya. I think the rule should be that home-schooled kids should have to at least match some type of benchmarked test score from the government school to which they would have been assigned. That should be an “easy day” as we used to say back in my Army days…
Have you seen what they are “teaching” kids in terms of curriculum lately in government schools? I promise you that many a brain surgeon is going to fail a test on how to diagnose ignition problems in a car.
Maybe the government schools should first focus on succeeding in their own mission with the kids under their regime before turning their attention to those not participating the fail fest.
“Discipline?!?!” Surely she was kidding, misspoke, or was having a stroke.
I don’t think the home-school route is the thing for me and my kids, but if you do, more power to ya. I think the rule should be that home-schooled kids should have to at least match some type of benchmarked test score from the government school to which they would have been assigned. That should be an “easy day” as we used to say back in my Army days…
Have you seen what they are “teaching” kids in terms of curriculum lately in government schools? I promise you that many a brain surgeon is going to fail a test on how to diagnose ignition problems in a car.
Maybe the government schools should first focus on succeeding in their own mission with the kids under their regime before turning their attention to those not participating the fail fest.
Nice photo of Ms. Spearman speaking at the State House
Here’s one of her on the way to the State House
Nice photo of Ms. Spearman speaking at the State House
Here’s one of her on the way to the State House
Have you ever run into one of the homeschool science fieldtrips where the mothers and kids get together for some “collective” activities? Based on the several groups I’ve encountered the “teachers” (mothers) are nice loving people who want well for their kids, but to listen to them they barely (if at all) graduated from high school themselves. The kids are clearly being shortchanged academically. Maybe not so much in the first few grades, but thereafter. No elective French or pre-calculus, that is for sure.
So ho many home school parents have you sat and talked with? You are generalizing and making assumptions that all parents have remedial education at best. I could make the same generalization about school teachers in SC based upon a few bad apples. As far as french goes I would tell you a deep dive into western civ and US history would do more to turn students into productive citizens then any foreign language.
Were you homeschooled? The conclusion leaping makes one suspect some lack in the critical-thinking area . . . and even in reading comprehension.
You can’t even write a coherent sentence. Must be educated in public schools.
Have you ever run into one of the homeschool science fieldtrips where the mothers and kids get together for some “collective” activities? Based on the several groups I’ve encountered the “teachers” (mothers) are nice loving people who want well for their kids, but to listen to them they barely (if at all) graduated from high school themselves. The kids are clearly being shortchanged academically. Maybe not so much in the first few grades, but thereafter. No elective French or pre-calculus, that is for sure.
So ho many home school parents have you sat and talked with? You are generalizing and making assumptions that all parents have remedial education at best. I could make the same generalization about school teachers in SC based upon a few bad apples. As far as french goes I would tell you a deep dive into western civ and US history would do more to turn students into productive citizens then any foreign language.
Were you homeschooled? The conclusion leaping makes one suspect some lack in the critical-thinking area . . . and even in reading comprehension.
Will and others:
There’s some pretty obvious stuff here to consider.
College-educated folks may do a great job as home-schoolers. They may be able to provide resources and attention that are wonderful for their children. Certainly in the early grades, I can figure that some parents do a wonderful job. Into high school, as classes significantly more specified and difficult, some parents might not be able to handle everything on their own (I’m a college grad, but I couldn’t teach Calculus….), but there may be resources out there to make it work.
I think what Molly Spearman is getting at is that there isn’t much oversight about what works and what doesn’t. Now, some (Will Folks and other anti-public education extremists) might say it’s none of the government’s business, but as long as compulsory education is the state’s law, then the government, by definition, has an interest here.
Should high school dropouts home-“school” their children? Are there parents who just get mad that their kid got into trouble in school and declare themselves home-“schoolers”?
I’ve heard of at least one certain migrant group that pretty takes children out of school in about ninth grade, basically as dropouts…..but they say it’s “home-schooling,” so the situation is left up to parents who may or may not have any intention of providing their children with an education.
Again, as long as our state is going to require school for kids up to age 17 or whatever, then there is a public policy question here….and there may be some angles that should be scrutinized. I think that’s all Molly Spearman is trying to say. And I agree with her.
“some (Will Folks and other anti-public education extremists) might say it’s none of the government’s business, but as long as compulsory education is the state’s law, then the government, by definition, has an interest here.”
The “extremists” are the ones that feel the govt’s interests are supreme over the interests of kids parents when it comes to their children. The “extremists” are the ones that take unusual circumstances in any environment and use them as a reason to seize control over others or squash their independence. If we applied the same criteria to government schools they would be eliminated.
Will and others:
There’s some pretty obvious stuff here to consider.
College-educated folks may do a great job as home-schoolers. They may be able to provide resources and attention that are wonderful for their children. Certainly in the early grades, I can figure that some parents do a wonderful job. Into high school, as classes significantly more specified and difficult, some parents might not be able to handle everything on their own (I’m a college grad, but I couldn’t teach Calculus….), but there may be resources out there to make it work.
I think what Molly Spearman is getting at is that there isn’t much oversight about what works and what doesn’t. Now, some (Will Folks and other anti-public education extremists) might say it’s none of the government’s business, but as long as compulsory education is the state’s law, then the government, by definition, has an interest here.
Should high school dropouts home-“school” their children? Are there parents who just get mad that their kid got into trouble in school and declare themselves home-“schoolers”?
I’ve heard of at least one certain migrant group that pretty takes children out of school in about ninth grade, basically as dropouts…..but they say it’s “home-schooling,” so the situation is left up to parents who may or may not have any intention of providing their children with an education.
Again, as long as our state is going to require school for kids up to age 17 or whatever, then there is a public policy question here….and there may be some angles that should be scrutinized. I think that’s all Molly Spearman is trying to say. And I agree with her.
“some (Will Folks and other anti-public education extremists) might say it’s none of the government’s business, but as long as compulsory education is the state’s law, then the government, by definition, has an interest here.”
The “extremists” are the ones that feel the govt’s interests are supreme over the interests of kids parents when it comes to their children. The “extremists” are the ones that take unusual circumstances in any environment and use them as a reason to seize control over others or squash their independence. If we applied the same criteria to government schools they would be eliminated.
Brannon is only doing this so he can have SCASA in his corner when he runs for Superintendent in 2014.
Brannon is only doing this so he can have SCASA in his corner when he runs for Superintendent in 2014.
If blocking this legislation was SCASA’s “game” to get paid, it would be a waste of time since they can also include home school associations as members.
The truth is there’s a lot of sound arguments against this. No, not all parents are bad teachers, but there is a portion of them that are, and we can’t let kids go without proper education (more regulations on homeschools before they receive funding) while there is a compulsory schooling law in the States.
If schools are failing, help them, don’t abandon them, especially when they are the only schools many can attend.
If blocking this legislation was SCASA’s “game” to get paid, it would be a waste of time since they can also include home school associations as members.
The truth is there’s a lot of sound arguments against this. No, not all parents are bad teachers, but there is a portion of them that are, and we can’t let kids go without proper education (more regulations on homeschools before they receive funding) while there is a compulsory schooling law in the States.
If schools are failing, help them, don’t abandon them, especially when they are the only schools many can attend.
The majority of homeschooled children are getting a great education, regardless of their parents previous education. Typically, a parent who chooses to homeschool is doing so because they are actually concerned about quality education. They may have a child with special educational needs,or want to incorporate their faith into education and cannot afford to do so outside of the home. Actually, there are a myriad of reasons to homeschool, but whatever the reason, studies are showing that it works. Here is a detailed and interesting infographic on the topic.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/174303448051722016/
We are a home schooled family that is now finished. Both boys went on to USC, completed engineering degrees with honors, and are very gainfully employed. They took exams during their home schooling years that I graded very strictly. They also took standardized tests and pretty much blew those out of the water. Their SAT scores were within a few points of perfect. Both boys have said I was the toughest teacher they ever encountered (guess those college profs weren’t as hard) and their daddy was a strict “principal” compared to what their friends talked about. They both participated in plenty of extra-curricular activities like varsity soccer, proms, church youth groups, and visiting with neighbors, both young and elderly. They are both a delight to us, their parents. We know our grandchildren will also be home schooled….because it worked out wonderfully for us, and our daughter-in-law’s family. We avoided drugs, gangs, pre-marital sex, and bullying, and replaced it with strong moral values and solid family time. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the finest school in the world because no school could ever love and know our children as well as we do.