Ask A Homeschooler

[NickyJ]

So you wilfully chose to limit your horizons?

No. I just read what I'm interested in. If I'm more interested in David Copperfield over The Satanic Verses, I'm going to read David Copperfield.

How do you think your parents would respond if you announced your intention to read the works of Marquis de Sade?

They might be surprised, but I think they would let me read it. That said, I have no interest in reading his works.

Your family has good taste in books. Do they have books like crucible? handmaidens tail? the immortals? Sister alice?

Your views will probably be shaped a lot by what you read and are taught.

They don't have those books. They have books such as Mark Twain's works, a boatload of Charles Dickens books, along with some writings by Plato, Aristotle, and other philosophers.

How much is critical thinking encouraged?

It is highly encouraged. That said, I haven't found anything to be highly critical of.

How often do you hang around with hot chicks?

I don't call attractive ladies "hot chicks", but anyway: Not often. I'm more interested in other things, such as reading Don Quixote. In fact, I'm not much of one to be around many people at all. It has nothing to do with home schooling in itself, it's just that I don't care to be around other people unless I have to.

Do you only want to attend an this only quasi-accredited university, or would you be willing to look at more mainstream religious universities, or secular ones?

At the moment, I'm keeping all options open. That said though, monetary limitations have a great effect on my choices.

Where do you get the curriculum for your classes not offered by a high school? Does your family make your own, do you buy it from a homeschool network, or what?

Mine are bought from a homeschool network.

 

[Truronian]

It is highly encouraged. That said, I haven't found anything to be highly critical of.

A slightly different question; how is critical thinking encouraged?

 

[NickyJ]

A slightly different question; how is critical thinking encouraged?

They teach that I should freely question anything I have doubts about.

 

[Truronian]

They teach that I should freely question anything I have doubts about.

And how do they respond when you question something? How do they present belief systems within RE, politics and the like?

 

[downtown]

This isn't a question, but let me take a moment to plead with the American homeschool kids to avoid schools like Patrick Henry. This was a temptation for a lot of the religiousy kids we worked with.

These are not good schools. They are not always nationally accredited, and do NOT have strong reputations with graduate programs, or many industries. You are going to be tattooed forever as "the superconservative homeschool kid" on every resume you send out, and will be severely limiting yourself academically and professionally. Plus, it somewhat defeats the point of a college education.

I understand that the culture shock between religious homeschooling and say, Florida State, would be stark and dramatic...so much so that it could limit your ability to be successful. There are dozens and dozens of good institutions that are also religious, even culturally so. BYU is the flagship, but non-Jesuit Catholic universities, the Wesleyan universities, Baylor, Davidson, Malone, etc are other examples of places that can offer the lifestyle you want, without sacrificing academics.

I understand not wanting to be of the world and all, but you can't hide forever.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Is there some reason you picked an evangelical college with such strict rules that caters to Christians who were schooled at home? Did you consider any other colleges?

What do you think about this article about Patrick Henry University written four years ago?

'God's Harvard': Embedded in Patrick Henry College

During his time as professor of government at Patrick Henry College, an evangelical institution in northern Virginia, Robert Stacey frequently urged his students "to read widely and critically, and to question all received wisdom." Which, considering the inherent mission of any evangelical school, may come as a surprise. But for the students at Patrick Henry, Stacey's exhortation inspired reverence.

Patrick Henry College, or PHC, which opened its doors in the fall of 2000, was founded on the principle of enlisting "the purest of born-again Christians in a war to 'transform America' by training them to occupy the 'highest offices in the land.' " Not a modest goal. But ever since Patrick Henry's first students unpacked their Bibles and Palm Pilots, class after class has shown an almost single-minded determination to meet it. Over the past five years, at least one of the school's 300 students has won a place in each set of the coveted three-month internships offered by the White House. After graduating, some have gone on to attend elite law schools, including Harvard. One graduate is making connections in Los Angeles with the aim of writing major Christian-themed screenplays.

We might not have suspected the homeschooling movement to cultivate such outgoing personalities. But those are precisely the students Patrick Henry works to attract. Decades ago, evangelical leaders encouraged homeschooling to shield Christian children from the corrupting influences of American public schools and popular culture. The movement has grown swiftly, and Christian homeschoolers now number well over a million. PHC, named for a founding father who supported state-sponsored religion, serves as a bridge from the insularity of high school at the kitchen table with Mom to the temptation-filled world of a public servant.

For a year and a half beginning in 2005, journalist Hanna Rosin, who has covered religion and politics for the Washington Post, embedded herself at Patrick Henry College to understand the school's mission and the character of its administration, faculty and students. She attended classes, traveled to students' homes as far away as rural Idaho and joined students on campaign trips for right-wing Republican political candidates.

The resulting piece of reportage, "God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America," is a rare accomplishment for many reasons - perhaps most of all because Rosin is a journalist who not only reports but also observes deeply. Her insights come through in her balanced portrayal of each student, the nuance with which she inserts her own first-person narration, and - not least - her dry and sometimes acerbic sense of humor. An Israeli-born Jew who grew up in Queens, Rosin also presents an illuminating history of the evangelical movement in the United States and its leaders' largely successful attempt to guide conservative Christianity into the mainstream.

At the heart of this book, though, are portraits of PHC students, from the "ultraconservatives" who follow the rigid Student Handbook to the letter, to the overachievers shooting (without irony) for the White House, to members of the "den of sin ... [a] group of boys [who] had worked the roommate selection process to commandeer one wing of a dorm," into which they smuggled cigarettes and beer and where they hung a "Pulp Fiction" poster.

But, as noted, not all Patrick Henry students are so buttoned up or angelic. When Farahn Morgan, a dancer from West Virginia, is falsely accused of violating campus policy by wearing an outfit that reveals her bra strap, she responds with mockery: "People, everyone wears a bra!" The incident also shows, to some extent, the role of young women on campus. Like the young men, Patrick Henry women are focused, ambitious and fiercely intelligent. And in Rosin's perceptive interpretation, an inchoate feminism burns underneath their sense of propriety, a feminism they cannot always suppress. Sometime after student Samantha Walker's fiance insists that she should not work once the two are married, she breaks off the engagement, later "[digging] out her old schoolbooks, particularly Sophocles' 'Antigone,' which is about a bold and rebellious daughter."

At the close of Rosin's book, a central issue - the ultimate effect of Stacey's influence on students - remains unresolved. That's in part because, in spring of 2006, he was fired after a dispute with the PHC administration over intellectual freedom. Several other professors resigned alongside him in solidarity. The heady early years of Patrick Henry had clearly ended, but readers will sense that, even with the defeat of the Republicans in 2006, the evangelicals on Capitol Hill have not nearly made their last stand.

Do you think a well-respected professor like Robert Stacey, who is now the interim-provost dean of the Honors college at Houston Baptist University, who wishes to encourage intellectual freedom should be fired along with 4 other professors who resigned over this incident?

http://www.shadowcouncil.org/wilson/archives/005512.html

In March, five PHC professors informed the school that they would not renew their contracts for the 2006-2007 year. They are Dr. M. Todd Bates, assistant professor of rhetoric; Dr. J. Kevin Culberson, assistant professor of history and literature; Dr. David Noe, assistant professor of classics; Prof. Erik Root, instructor of government; and Dr. Robert Stacey, chairman of the department of government.

Four of these teachers are finishing out the academic year. Robert Stacey, however, was subsequently fired after he discussed the dispute in class and suggested that students who found his teaching insufficiently Christian should leave the course. According to president Michael Farris, he was dismissed for "forcing students to leave the classroom if they disagreed with him."

The professors' specific grievances are described in the Chronicle article. Last fall, it seems, Farris mandated changes to the text of a campuswide lecture that Todd Bates was preparing. After that controversy, several professors agreed privately to support each other in the event of further administrative interference.

This spring, the father of a PHC student contacted Farris to complain about Erik Root's teaching. When discussing the "state of nature" in the thought of Locke and Hobbes, Root had posed some hypothetical moral dilemmas and asked students to describe how these thinkers would respond. When one student quoted a Bible verse, Root says he asked her to elaborate: "That's great, but it's too simplistic. Can we flesh that out?" The woman's father objected, as did Farris, to the idea that a Bible verse could be "simplistic." Root says he wasn't criticizing the Bible verse itself; he just wanted the student to expand on it. Farris threatened not to renew Root's contract.

The other four professors, apparently, agreed to resign along with Root. Two of them also published an opinion piece in PHC's student publication, SOURCE Magazine, related to the larger question evoked in the controversy.

Entitled "The Role of General Revelation in Education," this article (8 March) criticized "a common misperception among American evangelicals" -- "that the Bible is the only source of truth." According to the article,

Christians may be inclined to accept this proposition when it comes to things like carpentry and the law. After all the Bible does not tell us how to fix a door jamb or file a brief in appellate court. They are less inclined or sometimes refuse to accept this when it comes to matters of ethics and the nature of the soul. But while it is true that the Bible contains all we need to know for reconciliation with God, it does not include all the information we need to lead happy and productive lives. That is not what the sufficiency of Scripture means. The majority of the knowledge we need comes to us from God's grace revealed in nature, and the bulk of that through the efforts of irreligious and ungodly men.

According to Leesburg Today, student and faculty grievances include the following:

"Farris and the administration did not anticipate the amount of disagreement that would occur in this community they set up." There is an "unreasonable expectation of conformity." -- senior Carol Browning

"They will characterize those that disagree as bad people. They will say 'You are destroying our unity.'" -- junior Tim Hoskins

"I've been told there are things I cannot teach. There are things I cannot ask." "We don't know from day to day, what is going to be accepted or what is not going to be accepted." -- Root

"Students are afraid to raise questions or criticize the school." -- Noe

"I didn't come here to go to Bible school. I came here for a liberal arts education from a Christian perspective. I feel like I've been cheated." -- sophomore Farahn Morgan

While such universities are certainly not my idea of a proper liberal arts college, Patrick Henry actually sounds far better than others which I am familiar such as Bob Jones University. But I would highly recommend you consider other colleges which have a far more diverse student body and teaching staff. Colleges shouldn't be places where a particular viewpoint is reinforced. They should be places where you can interact with a wide variety of different opinions.

 

[nonconformist]

What is the extent of "non-credit" education?

Drug education?

Sex education?

Compulsary physical education?

Compulsary social time?

 

[RRRaskolnikov]

@verarde: I was trying to say that it's hard to be critical with a concept, when it's the only one you know. I am under the impression that being homeschooled decreases the chance for one person to be curious about the world. It decreases the chance that you ask yourself: "hey, I have been told this since like forever, but is it real? isn't there other ways?"

Being with different people who received different educations every day certainly improves this.

Sorry for my wording (typos and grammar) btw.

 

[Verarde]

I'm not talking about basic factual or semantical mistakes; I mean really sayign to a teacher "that's wrong, the primary reason for the rise of Hitler was XYZ".

Yes, I have seen that happen. It’s quite rare, and I don’t recall the circumstances, but I remember something like that.

Are you considering doing a Masters or PhD? Because that's exactly what's required of you.

Still not sure. Before I decide that, I need to decide my college and major.

It's not just about interacting with them, it's about not interacting with them, and pretty much livign with them on day to day basis

The only girl I live with on a day to day basis is my mother. No sisters.

Why is it "dangerous" when it becomes more? Granted high-school isnt where rel relationships develop (though saying that, a number of people who developped relationships in highschool here are still together, 8 or 9 years later), but it means that when you go to college or whatever, you're not sexually and emotionally backwards.

Well, perhaps dangerous from a Christian standpoint. I understand your point here.

Is there some reason you picked an evangelical college with such strict rules that caters to Christians who were schooled at home? Did you consider any other colleges?

What do you think about this article about Patrick Henry University written four years ago?

'God's Harvard': Embedded in Patrick Henry College

a) I actually have not picked my college yet, I am a junior in high school. Yes, I have considered other colleges, and am even now still considering everything and weighing my options.

b) That article was interesting. One fact I noted about it was that it portrayed PHC from a negative standpoint, purposefully finding bad things about it, and I didn’t see much praise. I actually know Derek Archer, at least indirectly. His fiancé was my writing tutor for a semester, and I saw him just recently.

c) I think the article had some good points, and I had not known that about PHC myself. Certainly food for thought.

d) I will say that the dress code there is a little strict, but I would do my best to uphold it and their rules, if I went there.

What is the extent of "non-credit" education?

Drug education?

Sex education?

Compulsary physical education?

Compulsary social time?

a. Drug education was talked about back in elementary school, and even the high school doesn’t do much, just gives out a piece of paper explaining the problems and the rules against them.

b. My sex education consists of Dad and me, one on one. And he speaks blatantly. The rule is, if I come across something, and I don’t understand it, take it to him. Which I do. Which was how I learned about condom use over the summer. That was awkward.

c. I run often enough, have recently begun lifting weights, and also play soccer, as well as having 2.5 acres of land on which to exercise.

d. I’ll be going to a birthday party on Saturday, in which there will be guys and girls. There are lots of events going on actually, so many that I have to say no to some.
I’m a major extrovert, so I really enjoy the social aspect of my classes. I also use facebook for keeping up with friends I don’t get to see often.

@verarde: I was trying to say that it's hard to be critical with a concept, when it's the only one you know. I am under the impression that being homeschooled decreases the chance for one person to be curious about the world. It decreases the chance that you ask yourself: "hey, I have been told this since like forever, but is it real? isn't there other ways?"

Being with different people who received different educations every day certainly improves this.

Yes, I would say that the education I am receiving makes that impression of yours wrong; perhaps other educations that other homeschoolers receive make that impression right.

Sorry for my wording (typos and grammar) btw.

No problemo.
------------------
About PHC as a whole, and colleges as well:

I’m not closed-minded to a college just because it is not a “Christian” college. I have no wish to go to a “party” school, and I believe that the environment in which I will work best is one with other young Christian men and women. The college I want to go to is one that will cherish my beliefs, cause me to think hard, and teach me in an excellent way. The one that is leading the pack right now is Patrick Henry. God alone knows if another college will present itself.

 

[nonconformist]

a. Drug education was talked about back in elementary school, and even the high school doesn’t do much, just gives out a piece of paper explaining the problems and the rules against them.

That sounds somewhat....lacking.
Drugs education in the UK is based around "try not to do drugs, but you're gonna do them anyways, so this is what you need to know to keep safe"

b. My sex education consists of Dad and me, one on one. And he speaks blatantly. The rule is, if I come across something, and I don’t understand it, take it to him. Which I do. Which was how I learned about condom use over the summer. That was awkward.

That's fair enough, but I can see problems with other homeschoolers who aren't taught to use contraceptives, check for STDs, check for pregnancy etc.

c. I run often enough, have recently begun lifting weights, and also play soccer, as well as having 2.5 acres of land on which to exercise.

Cool, but I guess it's on a person by perosn basis; I can imagine some homeschoolers who do no exercise whatsover?

d. I’ll be going to a birthday party on Saturday, in which there will be guys and girls. There are lots of events going on actually, so many that I have to say no to some.
I’m a major extrovert, so I really enjoy the social aspect of my classes. I also use facebook for keeping up with friends I don’t get to see often.

But on a day to day basis?
It's fairly standard to have at elast an hour of semi-enforced socialisation time here, not counting actual lessons.

 

[Verarde]

That sounds somewhat....lacking.
Drugs education in the UK is based around "try not to do drugs, but you're gonna do them anyways, so this is what you need to know to keep safe"

That's what we have too. At least as far as I know. I for one don't want to ruin myself with drugs.

That's fair enough, but I can see problems with other homeschoolers who aren't taught to use contraceptives, check for STDs, check for pregnancy etc.

Yes, could be a problem. Note to self: ask Dad about that stuff.

Cool, but I guess it's on a person by perosn basis; I can imagine some homeschoolers who do no exercise whatsover?

Yeah, person by person. I don't know any, say, obese? homeschoolers, but I do know some who are not fit. We were introducing ourselves in class on Tuesday, and about 75% said they play soccer or some other activity.

But on a day to day basis?

I don't see people every day, but I have part-time high school every other day, and different classes about once a week, on different days. Usually, there is one, sometimes two days a week when I am home all day. It varies from week to week, but today is one of those days.
Other homeschoolers may or may not have it differently.

It's fairly standard to have at elast an hour of semi-enforced socialisation time here, not counting actual lessons.

Wow, I would like to have that.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I’m not closed-minded to a college just because it is not a “Christian” college. I have no wish to go to a “party” school, and I believe that the environment in which I will work best is one with other young Christian men and women. The college I want to go to is one that will cherish my beliefs, cause me to think hard, and teach me in an excellent way. The one that is leading the pack right now is Patrick Henry. God alone knows if another college will present itself.

Just about any college in the US is going to have plenty of young Christian men and women. But if you are confining yourself to one which will cherish your beliefs, you are pretty well limiting yourself to similar evangelical colleges.

And I think it is likely the two last requirements which will suffer from such a choice.

 

[GhostWriter16]

This isn't a question, but let me take a moment to plead with the American homeschool kids to avoid schools like Patrick Henry. This was a temptation for a lot of the religiousy kids we worked with.

Can you explain WHY this is the case please? I've heard good thing about it (Not really planning to go there) but if I'm given a good reason not to consider it I won't.

Also, the Bible does say "Be in the world, not of the world" so being in a secular college isn't a problem in itself, and yeah, I'd rather be in a Christian college, but, as you said, I want an education as well.

 

[downtown]

Can you explain WHY this is the case please? I've heard good thing about it (Not really planning to go there) but if I'm given a good reason not to consider it I won't.

Also, the Bible does say "Be in the world, not of the world" so being in a secular college isn't a problem in itself, and yeah, I'd rather be in a Christian college, but, as you said, I want an education as well.

Why people want to go there, or why its a bad idea?

Our religious kids thought about going there for similar reasons to you guys...they were afraid of secular education, and they wanted an environment close to they had grown up with. It's about as close to evangelical homeschooling as you can get in the university setting.

It is not a good university though. It had the stigma of being "the weirdo homeschool school", and thats going to stick with you wherever you apply. The mission of the school is basically to get people into law school or conservative GOP politics, so the impartiality of the liberal arts education is a joke (and a lot of GOP politicos think it is as well). For something like biology or computer science, it is even more poorly regarded.

Ohio and Indiana had several highly religious private schools that were not total wackjob places, so we would set kids up on tours of those campuses. We actively discouraged PHU.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Well, just another question then (And this should probably be put in an "Ask Downtown" thread but there isn't one) what about someone like me who wants to go into Law School anyways? Would you still consider the college a bad idea? (Note, not saying I want to go there, in fact, I know NOTHING about PHU.)

 

[Verarde]

Along the same lines of an "Ask Downtown" thread, but if I went, I would be looking at a major in Government with what they call a Strategic Intelligence track. I have talked to the admissions department, and they have people graduate and go on to work for the FBI, CIA, private contractors, and all manners of security companies.

Still think it's a bad idea?

PHC focuses on certain majors. Not computer science, and definitely not biology. But if you wanted to have a major that comprised of one of the five they offer (with the different tracks within each major providing much more opportunity), that would be a good place to look at.

 

[MjM]

Do you feel you've been deprived of a social life?

 

[Verarde]

Absolutely not. Read my conversation with nonconformist for more information.

 

[BvBPL]

Well, just another question then (And this should probably be put in an "Ask Downtown" thread but there isn't one) what about someone like me who wants to go into Law School anyways? Would you still consider the college a bad idea? (Note, not saying I want to go there, in fact, I know NOTHING about PHU.)

Law schools, generally speaking, don't overtly favor or disfavor any particular major or course of study when looking at perspective students. Your overall GPA, LSATs, and other application stuff (letters, essays, interviews etc.) are likely to play a greater role in your acceptance than your course of study.

Of course admissions officers might scratch their heads if your applying to law school with a BS in, I dunno, Biotechnology. But that doesn't mean they'll count you out by any means. In fact, diversity of the student body, including undergrad degrees, is valued by law schools.

This, of course, doesn't apply to a great many other post-grad subjects of study. If you want to obtain a post-grad degree in, say, the social sciences, then a BA from U of Chicago (or other school known for its social science dept) will look a lot better than one from a tech school.

That said, a career in law requires one to be open to other peoples' ideas. All other elements being equal, if the college in question is pushing out hidebound grads then those grads will have a more difficult time in both law school and in the legal workplace than a student who has more of an open (and questioning) mind.

 

[squadbroken]

Much of Europe has declared homeschooling illegal, with rare exceptions. I believe that there is absolutely nothing wrong with homeschooling, and I would like to hear the community's views upon this subject.

Well, prior to this thread I was undecided about it, but now I'm leaning towards it being bad. Raising kids in an echo box is a great way to produce zealots.