WHO IS JOEL TURTEL?
His bio says that he’s “an education policy analyst, and author of Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children.” But what’s his background? I ask because he’s posted a real in-your-face anti-g-school /pro-home education rant.
Home-schooled kids don’t have to read dumb-downed text-books, study subjects they hate, or endure meaningless classes six to eight hours a day. Home-schooled kids won’t be subject to drugs, bullies, violence, or peer pressure, as they are in public schools. Home-schooled children who are “different” in any way won’t have to endure cruel jokes and taunts from other children in their classes.
I can’t find any evidence that he’s a home educator, and I’m not really sure that he gets it anyway. Yeah– the meaningless classess and the dumbed-down g-school texts are avoided. But is that all he thinks there is to home education? It seems like his opinion is that home education is useful to the extent that it’s not a g-school education. What about the family being closer and working together? Being the one who teaches your five-year-old to sound out her first word? Watching your son finally get that concept that has eluded him for so long? What about the intangibles?
Based on this rant, I’m not sure I want to read the book.
UPDATE: OTOH, this “schools = prisons” rant is really good.