Why US black families are home-schooling - 6 views
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Jordan Bender on 15 Mar 12Education for Extinction - "But opposition to schools did not always spring from a comprehensive rejection of white ways. It might just as well represent opposition to some selective aspect of the school program: punishing children for speaking their native tongue, pressuring them to convert to Christianity, forcing them to perform manual labor. Especially obnoxious to some was the school's manner of disciplining Indian children, and even more, the practice of dressing them and drilling them like soldiers."
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anonymous on 22 Mar 12This article is quite relevant and intriguing because I was watching CNN last week and they were also discussing the increased of African-American families beginning to homeschool their children. In the article, "Monica Utsey, who runs a home schooling co-operative for African American children in Washington DC, says: "African-American mothers, especially those who have boys, have a lot of trouble in the school system. The way the classroom is designed is more conducive for girls. For her, though, the main motivation was cultural - she wanted her sons to learn about their African roots and not "to believe that their history begins with slavery. Another common complaint is that teachers are too ready to blame behavioural problems on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and encourage them to medicate their children with drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall." I agree with the parents in the article that sometimes benefitical to try something new.
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Tiffany Morgan on 22 Mar 12"It is also does nothing to address standards in public schools which, some experts say, will fall still further if highly-motivated and engaged parents start taking their children out of them, harming the African-American community as a whole." I understand why parents are concerned. But I think homeschooling is not the solution. Parents should get together and voice their opinions. The parents are the ones that need to make the changes in the schools. It may take years to make changes in the schools, if any changes at all, but at least future generations may benefit. Children need to be educated in a environment that includes kids their own age. Home schooled children have less opportunity to make friends with other children and are more sheltered by their parents.