The Underground Homeschool Society

Source: Insidenova.com
by: Michael Shannon
March 8, 2012

There is an under­ground society in today’s America.

These invisible people pay taxes just like the rest of us, but are ostracized because of their background. The promise of America is denied them. Instead they exist in a clannish, insular society, suspicious of the authorities and on the fringes of mainstream life.

Often driving by some remote area, you may catch a glimpse of them playing soccer on dusty, overused public fields, far away from well-groomed high school athletic facilities.

But in spite of being marginalized by a judg­mental, intolerant society, they never lost hope. They believed in working through the system for justice. And finally, there came a chance for them to emerge from the shadows — a golden op­portunity to finally join the rest of America and enjoy the rights of a full-fledged citizen.

But an 8-7 bloc vote by Democrats in a Virginia Senate committee defeated the “Tebow” bill and again denied homeschooled children the chance to try out for high school athletic teams.

Sen. Harry B. Blevins (R-Virginia Education Associa­tion), a former cog in the education-industrial bloc, was personally responsible for the tie-breaking vote that meant homeschooled chil­dren would be forced to play ballerina ball for yet another season.

Teachers’ association and Virginia sports league of­ficials voiced two primary reasons for opposing the bill and, in keeping with typical Democrat discourse, both reasons were false.

But these people will do or say anything to retain the government monopoly on indoctrinating children.

The first was public school students are subject to more stringent academic require­ments than the home­schoolers. I know “football,” “stringent” and “academic” are not three words you nor­mally encounter in the same sentence, but be that as it may, the facts are otherwise. Homeschooled children are tested by the state every year and must meet set achievement levels. In fact, “Progress Report 2009,” a study that surveyed 11,739 homeschooled students tested by 15 independent testing services, found that homeschooled students on the average scored 37 percentile points above public school students on standardized achievement tests.

Once they get to college, homeschooled students have a better freshman GPA (3.41) than other fresh­men (3.12) and graduate at higher rates.

The second objection was homeschooled students might represent potential discipline problems. This, too, is rich. Granted it was a long time ago, but every team I ever played on had a coach and if the coach didn’t like your attitude you were not a member of the team for long.

Democrats who voted against the bill no doubt wondered why Virginia homeschooled children can’t act like those quaint Amish folks: stay out of the limelight, avoid fossil fuels and make sustainable furniture.

The only bright spot in the entire debate was, for pos­sibly the first time in history, a leader of the Democratic party went on record stating the choices people make have consequences with which they must be pre­pared to live. Senate Minor­ity Leader Richard Saslaw declared, “Every single par­ent who chooses to home­school their kid knows what the ground rules are. Parents know that choice, and they know what the ramifications are.”

This will be a real news bulletin to liberal protected groups like unwed moth­ers, illegal aliens, foreclosed homeowners, drug addicts and the homeless.

But Saslaw has not entirely joined the Personal Respon­sibility Caucus. He also said if the bill passed it would not be the end of demands.

“It’s the camel’s nose under the tent,” he claimed. This indicates confusion on Saslaw’s part. Homeschool­ing advocates weren’t asking for player quotas to be established — the standard liberal Democrat remedy — they only wanted the op­portunity to compete.

If the youngster isn’t good enough, he doesn’t make the team. Unless, of course, the coach wants to stash a couple of homeschoolers on the bench to raise the team’s overall GPA.

The education establish­ment views the home­schooling movement as a mortal threat. If Ma and Pa Kettle spend only $500 per year and produce students who, on the average, out­score public school students supported by nearly $10,000 each year — including money from homeschooling parents — sooner or later taxpayers may start asking pointed questions.

Besides, just because a family buys a few books for their own home the authori­ties can’t ban them from public libraries. The same principle should apply to high school athletics.

In the last week we’ve seen Democrats all over the country support Queen of the Prophylactic San­dra Fluke’s desire to play footsie on the taxpayer dime. It seems only fair that homeschooled children be allowed to play football on the taxpayer’s teams.