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LafayetteLady -> RE: Seeking Asylum now in the US so they can homeschool their kids (3/2/2010 5:05:25 PM)
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It would seem they were fighting under the premise of "political belief." I don't agree with the decision though at all. I have no issue with home schooling, and when done correctly, can even be a better education for the children. However, that is rarely the case, and the reasons behind the desire to home school are rarely because the parents feel they can better educate their children. It is always about how much they want to shield their children from certain curriculum. Most public schools will allow parents to "opt" their children out of certain classes where the discussion goes against their beliefs, such as sex education or the theory of evolution. Without a doubt those children are probably better off being home schooled here in the states because a good number of states regulate homeschooling. The article also mentions how they are involved with a group that provides actitivities and field trips for the areas children who are home schooled. This is important because so many kids miss out on the socialization aspect of being in a classroom with their peers.
What the article DOESN'T talk about is what the family is doing for employment now that they are here in the states. I'm sure that the organization that fought for them to come here is acting as their sponsor, but who is financially supporting them? The case is being appealled, so there hasn't been a final decision and the family may have to return to Germany should they lose the appeal. The father sold his piano for them to travel here. The parents are music teachers, that certainly is not an "in demand" career in rural Tennessee, nor will their teaching credentials transfer to the US. Should they have to return, have they sold their home? They will not have jobs anymore either. So it ends up being a situation of which country will have to support these people so they can educate their children in the way they see fit. I can't imagine that their church didn't offer a parochial education that would both meet the requirements of the government on education as well as "shield" the children from the unwanted curriculum.
As LadyEllen said, there are quite a few countries nearby that they could have freely moved to that would allow homeschooling. Had the Home School Legal Defense Association not picked up on their situation, how likely is it that they would have chosen the USA to move to as opposed to the UK (as LE suggested)? It does seem as though this family was helped simply to promote the HSLDA's own agenda. What I find really amusing though is that if they are allowed to stay, won't they be shocked when it comes time for their kids to go to college and they find out how expensive it is here compared to in Germany?
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