Homeschooled Kids Called “Demented” on The View
Yesterday on “The View” homeschooling came up in the Hot Topics discussion. The panel was discussing the schooling options for the president elect’s daughters, and home education came up as one option. Unfortunately, Joy Behar called homeschooled children “demented” during the segment, and a few homeschoolers on Twitter and some bloggers such as Barb at Back Door Homeschool Tools were offended. The discussion about homeschooling comes up at the 5:45he 5:45
English: World English Bible - WEB
mark.
It saddens me that Joy Behar, an educator herself, would look down on the home education movement. She has been in the classroom and knows that not all children learn the same way. Children need different educational choices because each child is unique. Homeschooling provides children lots of flexibility that allows parents to meet their children’s needs. Sadly, Joy Behar does not see it that way.
Katie, at Moms in the Right, gave me a link to this article by John Taylor Gatto. It is a satirical piece, so please take it from that perspective. Overall, John Taylor Gotto sounds like an interesting author and educator. I plan to read some of his work.
Hopefully, home educators can continue to work towards changing stereotypical views about homeschooling. It is unfortunate when someone who has a powerful opinion makes comments that are both hurtful and untrue.
5 Responses to “Homeschooled Kids Called “Demented” on The View”
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Hi
I could not watch the video. It looks like it has been removed. It probably caused so much offence amongst the home education community.
It is such a shame that there is so much prejudice and bigotry towards home educated children and their families.
From my own experiences, home schooled children seem to be far better adjusted in all areas of life than many children who go to school.
Despite being (generally) under far less pressure at home, they consistently out-perform their peers in academic testing at virtually every age group.
Children seem to be polite, well-mannered, respectful of themselves and others and very capable of thinking for themselves.
“Demented” is an interesting choice of word, as according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means “suffering from dementia” or informally “wild and irrational”.
Dementia being defined “chronic or persistent mental disorder marked by memory failures, personality changes or impaired reasoning”.
Hmm, sounds to me (IMHO) as though that comment applied more to children in school than home-educated children!
As a home educating parent, I have never seen any of those symptoms amongst home educated children we have mixed with.
Unfortunately when people in positions of influence make ill-thought-out, un-constructive comments such as those, all it does is add further mis-information in the minds of the general public.
Sometimes I just wish they would all go away and leave to me to job of educating my children in the way I deem best suited to them and their abilities.
Amanda
http://www.goldstonacademyfortheinsane.com
When will America stand up against the liberal hatred in this country. Joy has attacked every corner stone that is decent and unharmful to our country. Home Schooled childred are wonderful…my dear friend home schools her children and they are great friends to my children who go to regular school. They are no different…they actually have more friends then mine do because of all the networking my friend does with other home schooled families. Joy seems to praise those who would abort a child and demonize a family that wants to educate one’s own child. Seems to me JOY IS TWISTED AND needs to find a happier place to be then the hate she spews. And yet conservatives sit back and have to take her nasty mean spirited comments ….and now children who are home school are somehow twisted…hmmm seems to me a mother who aborts a child is MORE TWISTED THEN A FAMILY WHO HOME SCHOOLS….DOES ANYONE NOT SEE THE STUPIDITY IN HER JUDGEMENT OF PEOPLE?
I am in the odd situation that I teach in the public schools and my wife home schools my own children. “Scared of other children”?! I’m more scared of the students I interact with at school because their (outside of school) influence comes largely from other kids rather than an adult role-model or parent. Apparently this lady has never actually been in contact with homeschooled children or seen them interact…pity.
Am i missing something here? Did she not just argue that Obama’s kids should be schooled in the white house? And when the issue of isolation came up, she said to bring kids to the house?
uhhhh, hello?
I am appauled at the number of misconceptions about homeschooled children. I haven’t seen that much improvement in the “public eduation system”. We pour money into a system that isn’t doing it’s job. The children that do come out can’t even tell what the “Bill of Rights” is or even name one of them. I have seen the history books that are out their and they have more information about Madonna then they do about the founding fathers and why they came to this land in the first place. I fear that soon these children won’t even know how to spell, read, write, or do any high math. We are now one of the lowest educational countries in the world. Oh, I forgot, that’s what the NEA wants so they can brainwasher the children with their liberal idealism. Homeschoolers don’t have to listen to that jibberish and can pursue the child’s dreams and asperations not some elses.