This is a guest post by Antonio Buehler. He works with homeschoolers to identify individual learning styles so parents can better tailor their homeschooling approach to their children’s capabilities and needs. He also helps students who want to gain admission to a highly competitive college or university. Buehler’s blog is http://buehlereducation.com/
Homeschooling is by far the best alternative for most black children. There are problems in public school for all children, but the institutional racism of traditional schools means that black children have the most to gain from homeschooling.
Today 15% of homeschoolers are minorities, but that percentage should escalate rapidly as parents begin to realize the benefits of homeschooling compared to the tremendous harm of public schooling. Here’s why:
1. Politicians sacrifice the black community over and over again.
The black community is worse off than most other racial groups in America in a variety of sobering ways – from HIV rates to incarceration rates to poverty rates. This situation is driven directly and indirectly by flawed or deliberately destructive government policies that disproportionately harm Black America. For example, the drug war, our foreign policy, minimum wage, public housing and gun control all have a deleterious effect on the liberty, prosperity and security of those in the black community. It’s hard to put a finger on which government policy is the most destructive to the black community, but if I had to choose just one it would be the public education system.
2. Public schools are still segregated.
Non-white students are disproportionately located in the worst schools in the country. There are 1,700 high schools (out of 27,000) that produce over 50% of the total dropouts in the nation. More than one third all black students attend these schools, which helps explain why the graduation rate for black students is only 51%. Kids who attend these 1,7000 schools are more likely to find themselves in economic poverty and/or prison than graduating from college.
3. Public schools expect less from black students.
A culture of low expectations surrounds black students on a daily basis. Whether or not they are made aware of the tremendous achievement gaps between blacks and whites, they tend to recognize that the idealized American vision of being able to achieve whatever they put their minds to does not apply to them. Instead they learn that the academic struggles they may face are merely a symptom of their stupidity and that ANY transgressions are punished harshly in a criminalized classroom. While they are reminded that society has been extremely unkind to the black community, at the same time they are reminded that they must know their place in society, and that demanding equal treatment is disruptive, uncouth and unacceptable.
4. Private schools are not a solution.
Private schooling is a much better option for black students, however, stereotypes and biases exist in private schools as well. Moreover, if a family is socioeconomically depressed they will go to private school through a scholarship or voucher program, and throwing a poor kid into a rich school often has its own problems.
5. Homeschooling solves a huge number of educational problems for black kids.
Homeschooling allows black children to develop in a manner which emphasizes their worth as individuals and not their lack of worth as members of an unfavored racial group. When they learn to read they can do so in a way that is relevant to them, and not in a way that is prescribed by bureaucrats and special interest lobbyists. When they learn math they don’t have to deal with a teacher who assumes the least of them. When they study history, black children can learn about all the inspirational men and women who aren’t prioritized in the Euro-centric curriculum of public schools. Instead of being told how stupid they are or how little is expected of them, they can be free to develop their unique talents to the best of their abilities.
And it is through developing those unique talents, in conjunction with the real education that homeschooling provides that black children will be able to overcome many of the hurdles that government has placed in their way.
Greetings,
I came across your blog and thought the information on the 2nd Annual Black Homeschool and Education Expo would interest you. It is taking place in Atlanta, GA and over 1000 people are expected. Please feel free to check out the website at http://www.liberatedmindsexpo.com.
The main reason, in my opinion, black children should be homeschooled is that public schools are hostile towards black children especially black boys. For instance, white moms worry about their boys’ natural exuberance being pathologized and as a black mom, I worry that it will be criminalized.
http://blackmothering.com/2013/12/08/four-reasons-black-parents-should-home-school/
Who is being left in the public schools? The children with parents that are absent, unwilling, or unable to provide the better opportunities that you are promoting. These children are then left with fewer positive role models among their peers. I do not blame people for not wanting their children exposed to a lot of the things I have witnessed in the school system- but please don’t write off all of the teachers who show up every day with the goal of making a difference in a child’s life!
I think homeschooling is a better result for black children. Even though there are some teachers who attend school everyday with a goal to help their students achieve and be successful in life but in today’s society children are feeding off of their peers and what they are feeding their minds on television and in the music. These black public schools are becoming a hangout spot for our children and some of the parents look forward to getting rid of their children (sad to say). Homeschooling is one of the ways to stop the brainwashing of white supremacy and also it gives the child a chance to learn their true history good and bad. My children has never stepped a foot in any public school and they don’t intend to. Our children nowadays know too much and the help came from public schools.
my son’s first grade teacher took a strong dislike to my son from day one, and 2 weeks to end of scho yer give him a discipline referral for protecting himself and fighting back when a group of kids ganged up on him on the play ground. I have lost faith in the school system and will be homeschooling my son thank you very much. I don’t want his lovely personality destroyed and I don’t want him criminalized
I been wanting to homeschool my kids because I don’t believe in the public schooling for blacks because I believe they can be thought more than what is being thought for the black generation but my husband and I work full time and talking bout moving to but I want to do home school how do I do it with both of us working?
Hi Erica.
Your question is really one about money, I think. How to live on k e income so someone can stay home with the kids. If that’s the case the click Money in the list of topics on the sidebar. If your questionis about how to deal witht a career and homeschooling the click Parents in the list of topics.
Also, there are a lot of posts on this blog about how to homeschool as a single parent (use the search box and type in “single parent”) You might try reading those, because living on one income is something single parents do, and working while homeschooling also something single parents do, and it sounds like you’ll have to do one of those things.
Good luck!
Penelope
WWhat good will it do them, if the parents(s) are marginally literate and unwilling or unable to provide the one on one learning environment required?
I’m addition to homeschooling, I believe there should be more online resources (video courses, educational courses) for black parents to use as tools. These resources should be created and produced by black educators who are sensitive to our community. It’s extremely frustrating to search Google or YouTube for “Education for Black Children” and see nothing but other races that don’t identify.
I am definitely an advocate for homeschooling children of color. Children of color will have a better chance at success in an environment where they are love and nurtured. They will have an opportunity to work at their own pace and to learn about their culture before slavery. I remember attending public schools that we’re over crowded, books were outdated and we were always taught that we were slaves. Public schools have become a pipeline for prison. I am so elated that black parents are taking charge of their children’s education so that they can have a chance to achieve without racism.