Are You My Enemy?

Imagine that you are growing up in a culture that believes it is fighting a war. From infancy you are taught the dangers of the enemy.

Ready for Real Life: Part Three, Are Your Children Ready?

“David Botkin emphasized to listeners that parents must teach children the word of God with great sincerity, and that the word of God must dominate children’s lives. David spoke approvingly of his father’s influence in his life, such as his father’s emphasis on scripture as a tool for interpreting the world and his love of R.J. Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law.”

Falling from Family Dysfunction into Nightmares Realized — Another Story of Homeschool Abuse: Lana Martin’s Story, Part Two

“HSLDA’s promoted image of homeschooling provided an ideal fantasy for my mother to latch onto. She saw herself most importantly as a warrior for Christ, less so a dedicated teacher. HSLDA propaganda, in fact, less heavily emphasizes the importance of proving quality education and social opportunities for children. One can walk away from an HSLDA forum thinking, ‘the most important thing is that I remove my child from the evil public school environment.'”

Falling from Family Dysfunction into Nightmares Realized — Another Story of Homeschool Abuse: Lana Martin’s Story, Part One

“The HSLDA promotes a certain image of the average homeschool family, a cozy picture which convinces thousands of parents each year to withdraw their children from public school… My experience as a neglected homeschool student growing up in an abusive, dysfunctional family is testimony that this scenario does not always unfold so neatly. My mother was encouraged by HSLDA propaganda to homeschool me, and my parents were enabled by lack of regulatory oversight to proceed with little consideration for my needs.”

When you try to raise an army

“Be careful / if you plan to raise an army / from birth / whip them into shape and drill them / Issue uniforms / Issue thoughts…”

Sailboats And The Spirit: Finn’s Thoughts, Part Two

“The messages that get to the top are those that create an us vs. them mentality: Christians in a culture war, liberals trying to destroy the Constitution, America becoming increasingly immoral, etc. …The combination of these narratives with the homogenous nature of the speech and debate community creates a very real possibility for students to develop a fear of outside ideas.”

The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute: NCFCA and Growing Up in a Conservative Bubble — Libby Anne’s Thoughts

“Homeschool debate was founded by Christy Shipe, the daughter of Michael Farris, founder of HSLDA. The goal of homeschool debate was to train up a generation of young people for public speaking and political involvement in an effort to restore America to its Christian foundation. We were those young people.”

A Tool In Someone Else’s Culture War: Philosophical Perspectives’s Story, Part Two

“We’ve been parroting a Republican platform and the great things about homeschooling since we were toddlers. Any negative or critical commentary was marked as ‘rebellious,’ and unacceptable, especially when it was directed at homeschooling itself. The options were, repent, or get out.”

Why I Blame Homeschooling, Not Just My Parents: Reflections by Nicholas Ducote

“I know abuse doesn’t just happen because of bad parenting. The bad parenting that people indict was being advocated on stage before thousands of people. There is a reason why so many homeschooling alumni share stories and experiences.”

12 Reasons Why My Homeschool Story Doesn’t Matter

“Homeschooling parents sometimes react badly to stories like mine. It’s generally the ones who see themselves as fighting an uphill battle with society, surrounded by enemies, feeling personally threatened when any problem within a homeschooling environment is openly discussed.”