Wednesday, April 11, 2007
allergies
Has anyone noticed that certain things seem to be increasing in number -- the number of people diagnosed with allergies and asthma, the number of incidence of school aged children attacking teachers and classmates... is it just a reflection of the news or has there really been a change? I don't know. I shall have to go back and look through newspaper archives -- though I suppose all that will really tell me is what was considered news at the time that the paper was written. Still... I am becoming more and more convinced that home schooling my sons is the right choice. I suppose one shouldn't allow fear to be a factor in such choices -- and it is not the major reason but... everytime I hear another news story on the subject, I am confirmed in my decision. Of course, it also makes other choices simpler -- if we decide to move, for example, we won't worry so much about the school district...
allergies
Has anyone noticed that certain things seem to be increasing in number -- the number of people diagnosed with allergies and asthma, the number of incidence of school aged children attacking teachers and classmates... is it just a reflection of the news or has there really been a change? I don't know. I shall have to go back and look through newspaper archives -- though I suppose all that will really tell me is what was considered news at the time that the paper was written. Still... I am becoming more and more convinced that home schooling my sons is the right choice. I suppose one shouldn't allow fear to be a factor in such choices -- and it is not the major reason but... everytime I hear another news story on the subject, I am confirmed in my decision. Of course, it also makes other choices simpler -- if we decide to move, for example, we won't worry so much about the school district...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Taxes
Okay... doing taxes is just nonsense. I bought the 'Pay Zero Taxes' book last year and the author, a tax attorney, says that Tax law in this country is so complicated that even Tax Attorneys are baffled. Moreover, has anyone noticed the income caps? They were set, or so I am told, in the 1960's and have not been updated since. The reason? Because keeping the caps where they are allows the US government to micky with budget numbers. The numbers they offer for public concern are all fantasy but since no one seems interested in holding them to account, they are allowed to continue their myth making. The problem is, what qualified as 'wealthy' in 1960 is not so in 2007. Indeed, my husband and I were stunned when we realized that what we thought was a really decent income was, in fact, considered on the lower side of the middle class income rate! Still because of the way the tax system is structured, we are taxed as if we were wealthy while the value of our money means that we are not. There has to be something we can do about this situation, surely?
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Situation in Germany
I begin this blog by discussing an issue that has some members of the American home school world concerned. It appears that in Germany there is a law on the books which bans home schooling. This law has been being applied to Christian home school families and, most recently, has been used to remove a 15 year old girl from her home. As a trained historian I was curious and so I followed up the stories -- all of which, I might add, were reported in Christian publications.
The first piece of the puzzle is the law itself. The law referenced is a 1938 Reichstadt law. For the translated text, see the following link:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.verfassungen.de/de/de33-45/schulpflicht38.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2BReichsschulpflichtgesetz)%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2003-44,GGLD:en The gist of the law is that education is compulsory. There are exceptions made but those are for children who are physically and mentally incapable.
The next bit of the puzzle that must be understood is that this law was enacted in 1938 -- the year of Krystalnacht. That same year, the Nazis ordered the expulsion of all Jews from non-Jewish parochial schools. Combine that with the compulsory education law and you have the set up. The law, which is still on the books, was a two pronged attack. On the one hand it was meant to create a homogenized society -- the way it is being currently applied in Germany today. On the other, the law made it 'legal' for the police to move in and take Jewish children out of their parents' control.
In modern day Germany, the law has been challenged. It was upheld by the EU courts. The Germans argued that public education was necessary for the good of society -- it creates a homogenized society. Home schooling, especially religiously based home schooling, creates 'micro cultures' which are inimical to the smooth functioning of the whole. The EU courts upheld the German case at least in part, I suspect, because one of the arguments made was that the child in question was not being allowed to socialize with its peers... a necessary step, it is believed, for the child to become a functioning member of society. The parents rather shot themselves in the foot here -- they agreed. They DO NOT WANT their child associating with its peers.
The more immediate concern for American home schoolers is the fact that one of the principals on the EU court who upheld the German position -- and thereby the Hitlerian law -- has since moved to the US and is, or so I understand, functioning in an advisory capacity on public education standards. I will locate and include the pertinent URLs for those who are interested.
It seems to me that this story is a good summation of the fundamental conflict in the public versus home school situation. Public schools are, though many might disagree with me, primarily aimed at creating a homogenous society.... a 'politically correct' society where everyone thinks, acts, dresses alike. Shades of 1984 and Brave New World. There is the assumption that if 'politically correct attitudes' and 'social tolerance' are not mandated, implemented and overseen by the state, people will run amuck and socially inappropriate behavior will result. Sigh.
The first piece of the puzzle is the law itself. The law referenced is a 1938 Reichstadt law. For the translated text, see the following link:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.verfassungen.de/de/de33-45/schulpflicht38.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2BReichsschulpflichtgesetz)%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2003-44,GGLD:en The gist of the law is that education is compulsory. There are exceptions made but those are for children who are physically and mentally incapable.
The next bit of the puzzle that must be understood is that this law was enacted in 1938 -- the year of Krystalnacht. That same year, the Nazis ordered the expulsion of all Jews from non-Jewish parochial schools. Combine that with the compulsory education law and you have the set up. The law, which is still on the books, was a two pronged attack. On the one hand it was meant to create a homogenized society -- the way it is being currently applied in Germany today. On the other, the law made it 'legal' for the police to move in and take Jewish children out of their parents' control.
In modern day Germany, the law has been challenged. It was upheld by the EU courts. The Germans argued that public education was necessary for the good of society -- it creates a homogenized society. Home schooling, especially religiously based home schooling, creates 'micro cultures' which are inimical to the smooth functioning of the whole. The EU courts upheld the German case at least in part, I suspect, because one of the arguments made was that the child in question was not being allowed to socialize with its peers... a necessary step, it is believed, for the child to become a functioning member of society. The parents rather shot themselves in the foot here -- they agreed. They DO NOT WANT their child associating with its peers.
The more immediate concern for American home schoolers is the fact that one of the principals on the EU court who upheld the German position -- and thereby the Hitlerian law -- has since moved to the US and is, or so I understand, functioning in an advisory capacity on public education standards. I will locate and include the pertinent URLs for those who are interested.
It seems to me that this story is a good summation of the fundamental conflict in the public versus home school situation. Public schools are, though many might disagree with me, primarily aimed at creating a homogenous society.... a 'politically correct' society where everyone thinks, acts, dresses alike. Shades of 1984 and Brave New World. There is the assumption that if 'politically correct attitudes' and 'social tolerance' are not mandated, implemented and overseen by the state, people will run amuck and socially inappropriate behavior will result. Sigh.
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