# Should Homeschooling be banned?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-homeschooling-be-banned/853721>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 13, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-homeschooling-be-banned/853721 "2020-05-13T15:49:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 13

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-homeschooling-be-banned/853721/241 "2020-05-23T17:11:44Z")

</div>

I work with underprivileged people and frankly for every argument you have to ban the schools, I can see the exact same behaviors in children that went to public schools.

I’ve seen so many socially awkward adults that went to public schools it isn’t even an issue in my opinion that that socialization depends on school. As a psychologist, I can tell you socialization is largely an individual thing.

> [@](#):
>
> Elizabeth Bartholet told Harvard Magazine that it gives parents “authoritarian” control over their kids — and can even expose them to white supremacy and misogyny.

This right off tells me this person has an agenda as it would no more be likely than black parents having children and exposing them to black militancy and racial blaming, but that is conveniently laid out.

Not all types of schools are right for everyone but this person is really out for a ‘My way or the highway’ type deal.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-homeschooling-be-banned/853721/242 "2020-05-23T21:14:12Z")

</div>

> [@Carryon](#):
>
> This right off tells me this person has an agenda as it would no more be likely than black parents having children and exposing them to black militancy and racial blaming, but that is conveniently laid out.

😕 Why do you think it would be “no more likely than” black parents seeking out homeschooling for the reasons that you suggest? Do you have a cite for that?

Because according to [Dr. Bartholet’s paper](https://arizonalawreview.org/homeschooling-parent-rights-absolutism-vs-child-rights-to-education-protection/) (which it seems that you, like most or all of the other posters criticizing Bartholet in this thread, haven’t read), your claim is wrong:

> [@](#):
>
> Homeschooling as we know it today began in the mid-twentieth century as the result of political movements that were very different in nature. One was a left progressive movement, personified by John Holt’s rejection of traditional education as stifling the child’s natural creativity and instinct to learn. The other was a conservative Christian movement, which rejected many of the views and values reflected in public education and the larger society as inconsistent with religious beliefs. As time went on, the conservative Christian wing became the clear majority of all homeschoolers. Estimates of the number of homeschoolers who are religious, or for whom religion is a primary reason for homeschooling, range from over half to 90%.

As you can read in great detail and with numerous references in the article, white conservative Christianity is in fact a far larger influence in the current homeschooling movement than black anti-white militancy (if there even is **any** significant black anti-white militancy component in current homeschooling practice at all; do you have any evidence for it?).  
You know, folks, it’s good to read critically and skeptically, but it’s not so good to just reflexively jump to the conclusion that anybody who expresses criticism of something must be arguing dishonestly because they “have an agenda” of ideological opposition to that something.

Sometimes, people who criticize something—call it “Phenomenon A”—know what they’re talking about and have evidence to back them up. If you take it for granted, without even bothering to examine the details of their critique, that they must “have an agenda” against Phenomenon A because it naively seems to you that Phenomenon A is “no more likely than” a hypothetical Phenomenon B that you pulled out of your ass, that’s not really an effective rebuttal of their critique. (“Ass”/“butt” pun not intended, sorry about that.)

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-homeschooling-be-banned/853721.md?page=12)