German home schooling family seeks asylum in U.S.

[glockmail]

The Romeike family was faced with thousands of dollars in fines and the potential loss of their five children if they did not comply with the demands of German social workers who wanted to put their children in government-run schools.
Michael Donnelly
"And so they were able to get here to the United States," he explains. "They relocated to East Tennessee where they have been warmly welcomed by home schoolers in that area, and they are just so happy to not have to be looking over their shoulders wondering when the social workers were going to come and try to take their children or when they were going to get another letter in the mail saying they were going to have to pay another couple thousand Euros or dollars to the German government for home schooling."

German home schooling family seeks asylum in U.S. (OneNewsNow.com)

 

[PoliticalChic]

I'm so glad that things turned out alright for this family. They were in the news a while back because the government threatened imprisonment. Glad I live in America!

 

[Againsheila]

I'm so glad that things turned out alright for this family. They were in the news a while back because the government threatened imprisonment. Glad I live in America!

Back in the 70's, people weren't allowed to homeschool their children in this country either. I'm so glad it's changed.

 

[glockmail]

There is a movement in this country to make it illegal again.

 

[PoliticalChic]

There is a movement in this country to make it illegal again.

I'd rather do it illegally then send my kids to the b&m schools. I shudder at the thought!

 

[Ravi]

LOL!

I've got to spread the word amongst my undocumented worker friends. This should work like a charm. Thanks for the idea.

 

[strollingbones]

so east tennessee welcomes them....lol...oddly enough a great deal of ignorance exists in east tennessee and is passed on by home schoolers.

 

[xsited1]

OMG! That is completely insane, but not unexpected. I sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education years ago asking them about Homeschooling. They said it was not recommended and that I should send my kids to Public Schools. Let's hope the United States never turns into a Socialist prison.

 

[glockmail]

so east tennessee welcomes them....lol...oddly enough a great deal of ignorance exists in east tennessee and is passed on by home schoolers.

The ignorance in E. Tenn is in the public school system.

 

[Cecilie1200]

so east tennessee welcomes them....lol...oddly enough a great deal of ignorance exists in east tennessee and is passed on by home schoolers.

Yeah? And how do you know that? Do you live in East Tennessee? Any part of Tennessee? Know any homeschoolers, Tennessee or otherwise? Even driven THROUGH Tennessee?

Seems to me that anyone who doesn't understand the simple concept of punctuation should shut the hell up regarding "ignorance", but perhaps that's just me.

 

[Cecilie1200]

OMG! That is completely insane, but not unexpected. I sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education years ago asking them about Homeschooling. They said it was not recommended and that I should send my kids to Public Schools. Let's hope the United States never turns into a Socialist prison.

Well, expecting the Department of Education to recommend homeschooling is like asking the US Postal Service to recommend United Parcel Service.

 

[glockmail]

Yeah? And how do you know that? Do you live in East Tennessee? Any part of Tennessee? Know any homeschoolers, Tennessee or otherwise? Even driven THROUGH Tennessee?

Seems to me that anyone who doesn't understand the simple concept of punctuation should shut the hell up regarding "ignorance", but perhaps that's just me.

Actually, she can toss a rock from her house and hit east Tenn.

 

[Skull Pilot]

so east tennessee welcomes them....lol...oddly enough a great deal of ignorance exists in east tennessee and is passed on by home schoolers.

then tell me why do children who are home schooled outperform those that are products of public schools?

HSLDA | Academic Statistics on Homeschooling

In 1997, a study of 5,402 homeschool students from 1,657 families was released. It was entitled, "Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America." The study demonstrated that homeschoolers, on the average, out-performed their counterparts in the public schools by 30 to 37 percentile points in all subjects. A significant finding when analyzing the data for 8th graders was the evidence that homeschoolers who are homeschooled two or more years score substantially higher than students who have been homeschooled one year or less. The new homeschoolers were scoring on the average in the 59th percentile compared to students homeschooled the last two or more years who scored between 86th and 92nd percentile. i

Another important finding of Strengths of Their Own was that the race of the student does not make any difference. There was no significant difference between minority and white homeschooled students. For example, in grades K-12, both white and minority students scored, on the average, in the 87th percentile. In math, whites scored in the 82nd percentile while minorities scored in the 77th percentile. In the public schools, however, there is a sharp contrast. White public school eighth grade students, nationally scored the 58th percentile in math and the 57th percentile in reading. Black eighth gr[ade students, on the other hand, scored on the average at the 24th percentile in math and the 28th percentile in reading. Hispanics scored at the 29th percentile in math and the 28th percentile in reading.

First-Year College Performance: A Study of Home School Graduates and Traditional School Graduates | Journal of College Admission | Find Articles at BNET



Much of the existing research on academic performance centers on K-12, home school students and many of these studies show that home school children outperform their public school peers on several national standardized exams), including the Stanford Achievement Test and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and at nearly all grade levels (Rakestraw 1987, Frost 1987, Wanes 1990, Ray 1990, Rudner 1999).

Three empirical studies, specifically focused on the first-year academic performance of the home school college student (Galloway 1995, Gray 1998, Jcnkins 1998), attempted to remedy higher education and policy makers' lack of knowledge. Galloway (1995) found home school graduates outperformed their conventional private school peers on the ACT English subtest. Jenkins (1998) found that full- and part-time community college home school students' average first-year grade point averages were higher than non-home school graduates. Jenkins also found that the home school student's out-performed their peers in reading and mathematics on the Texas Academic Skills Program.

but those home schoolers are ignorant.

 

[mightypeon]

In that particular case, matters were a bit more about the heavy religious aspect the homeschooling of this children would have had. Germany is a 30% atheist country, we have a strong secular tradition, and if you say that "Your nasty German public schools teach things contrary to the bible" you are completely free to move somewhere else.
Besides, Prussia was the first state worldwide which introduced a public schooling obligation which was a fairly huge success back then.

Basically it was a toss up between the right of the parents to exercize their religion and the right of 5 childs to receive an education that would allow them to get a job later.

 

[editec]

FYI

States laws regarding homeschooling

I personally believe that states should allow homeschooling without regulations of any kind.

In fact I think states should offer parents help to provide homeschooling parents to do a good job, too.

What kind of help?

The option to purchase books and equipment from the schools are cost, the option to pick and choose which subjects the kids might or might not take at the schools, a degree from the local school systems if the kids can take and pass proficiency tests, allowing the kids to play in team sports and to attend school functions.

In other words, the schools and the parents should be allowed to and encouraged to work together.

That's pretty much what we have here in Maine and it works okay. Not great, but okay.

AS long as I'm on the subject of improving education in the USA, I also think the Federal government ought to develop full curriculum k-12, in every subject such that people can take school courses ONLINE.

My guess is for about a half billion or so we could devise the entire k-12 online school system

That system should include lectures, materials, lesson plans and testing.

That system should also grant FEDERAL diplomas to people who graduate through that system.

We spend a shitload of money on bricks and mortar, bussing and all the other costs of having schools scattered all over creation that we really no longer have to spend, ya know?

Terribly wasteful in my opinion.

 

[Skull Pilot]

In that particular case, matters were a bit more about the heavy religious aspect the homeschooling of this children would have had. Germany is a 30% atheist country, we have a strong secular tradition, and if you say that "Your nasty German public schools teach things contrary to the bible" you are completely free to move somewhere else.
Besides, Prussia was the first state worldwide which introduced a public schooling obligation which was a fairly huge success back then.

Basically it was a toss up between the right of the parents to exercize their religion and the right of 5 childs to receive an education that would allow them to get a job later.

And the parents teaching religion to their kids is the business of the German government?

And why would a home schooled student, whom studies have shown will probably academically outperform public school students, have more trouble finding a job?

 

[mightypeon]

They can teach their religious stuff if they want to, provided that the kids also get a regular education. What would be you response of some diehard marxists who dont send their children to public schools since they teach capitalism there?

Statictics comparing US homeschoolers with US public schoolers have little to no impact on a case in Germany either. Besides, show me the statistic and I will show you the confounders, I doubt for example, that things like migrational background, economic situation and parental education are the same between home schoolers and public schoolers.

 

[xsited1]

Well, expecting the Department of Education to recommend homeschooling is like asking the US Postal Service to recommend United Parcel Service.

It wasn't so much that. They were totally against it. I wish I had kept the original letter. Of course, statistics show that homeschooled kids do better both academically and socially that public schooled kids. Funny how that happens.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Actually, she can toss a rock from her house and hit east Tenn.

Which then brings us to the point that she is not such a stellar example of brilliance and education that she needs to be denigrating anyone else.

 

[Cecilie1200]

They can teach their religious stuff if they want to, provided that the kids also get a regular education. What would be you response of some diehard marxists who dont send their children to public schools since they teach capitalism there?

I just love that whole "morals are relative" argument. The people who use it never seem to realize how insulting they're being.

What makes you think anyone would care if a Marxist decided to homeschool his children, provided he gave them the basic academic requirements? And what makes you think any public school teaches capitalism, anyway?