Video: A Black Homeschooling Mom's Response to Harvard's Elizabeth Bartholet

Video: A Black Homeschooling Mom's Response to Harvard's Elizabeth Bartholet | Heritage Mom

source: https://heritagemom.com/index.php/2020/05/17/video-a-black-homeschooling-moms-response-to-harvards-elizabeth-bartholet/

I've been watching from the sidelines trying to get my thoughts together on Elizabeth Bartholet's call for a presumptive ban on homeschooling, but her latest interview has spurred me into action. She's free to speak her mind, but I feel a responsibility to provide another perspective for those seeking the truth.

Aside from her erroneous assumptions and broad stereotyping, her maniacal desire to erode fundamental rights and control families and their educational choices, is quite frankly, terrifying.

I want to believe that Bartholet's position is grounded in something she feels is right and that she's trying to help, but her misguided goals and continual mischaracterization of homeschoolers makes it difficult to join her on anything beyond our shared belief that abusive parents (and teachers) should be held responsible for their actions because children are precious and deserve to be loved, cared for, and well-educated.

While there are many things in the

that I take issue with, I am particularly disturbed by this part:

Other dangers are that children are simply not learning basic academic skills or learning about the most basic democratic values of our society or getting the kind of exposure to alternative views that enables them to exercise meaningful choice about their future lives. Many homeschooling parents are extreme ideologues, committed to raising their children within their belief systems isolated from any societal influence.

Some believe that black people are inferior to white people

and others that women should be subject to men and not educated for careers but instead raised to serve their fathers first and then their husbands. The danger is both to these children and to society. The children may not have the chance to choose for themselves whether to exit these ideological communities; society may not have the chance to teach them values important to the larger community, such as tolerance of other people's views and values.

Her claim that some homeschoolers believe that "black people are inferior to white people" is certainly true, but homeschoolers don't have a corner on the racism market.

RACIST PEOPLE SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL TOO.

And guess what?

THERE ARE RACIST TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, STUDENTS, AND PARENTS in and around schools every day, all day.

And yet, Bartholet lauds public school as a bastion of excellence in both virtue and academic achievement. Really? Who can even say that with a straight face?

I am in no way bashing school. Instead, I'm bashing the assertion that it's the best option for all children. I think public school is necessary, and my husband and I have always been glad that our taxes go towards supporting the schools in our community. We care about our neighbors and their children, and we admire most of the teachers and other people who work together to serve the children in their care.

But to hold public school up as a beacon of light to which home educators should prove themselves worthy of matching is outlandish - especially for families raising Black children.

In essence, Bartholet seems to suggest that Black children (all children) would be best served in public school shoulder-to-shoulder with the children of "people who believe black people are inferior to white people." To me, this sounds like we should sacrifice the well-being, education, and emotional health of thousands of Black children in order to make sure that some unknown number of racists' kids get a break from their misguided parents.

Yeah. No, thank you.

We don't get to control the crazy things parents say to their kids - even if the crazy things are racist. I think it's detestable that some adults who homeschool - and those who put their kids in public school - are indoctrinating their children with hateful messages and ignorant thinking, but Elizabeth Bartholet cannot stop that behavior. I cannot stop that behavior. We are not allowed to take control of people's children because we disagree with them, and for good reason. Forcing homeschoolers to enroll their children in public school in a foolhardy attempt to control the outliers is short-sided and incredibly harmful to my children and those who look like them.

To be clear, home education is one of the best tools that Black families have for pursuing a safe quality education while raising healthy, happy, whole children. Black families are increasingly choosing to homeschool, and any attempt to take the option away feels like a slap in the face.

Please do not let this go. Stand up. Speak up. We need your help. I'm not asking you to believe that home education is the right path for your family. I support your decision, whatever it may be. I'm only asking you to value and uphold parents' fundamental right to choose what they know is best for their own children.

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I've made a point not to disparage curricula, books, services, or products that fellow homeschool moms have created for this community. In fact, I've gone out of my way to state that I respect the work that has been done to provide booklists, lesson plans, and other resources.

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