another case in point against homeschooling?
 

A family in my ward homeschools, and last week I heard one of the children (age 10) loudly telling another child that Native Americans really aren't native because they had to come from somewhere else first, so if they are native, then so are white people. Now I take his point that it might not be the best possible name (and indeed, I'm not even sure it's the correct name any more). But what bothered me about it was his attitude, which seemed to be very dismissive of the cultural heritage that name seeks to protect.

The 8 yo child from that family is one of my Primary students and yesterday we were talking about the Holy Land on a map, and I was saying how there are many different faiths that consider the land to be holy for different reasons. So the 8 yo homeschool student suddenly starts to loudly correct me for calling Muslims by that name. He said something like Muslims are the same as Jews, and you shouldn't call them that. I think I said something like "okay, that's not right" and changed the subject. I have no idea what he was talking about.

But I came close to talking to his mother about it last night when I ran into her. Beacuse what is going on in that "HOME SCHOOL"? I chose not to, though. I didn't think it was likely to end well.

The Seattle version of homeschooling is co-ops. This is the leftist version and no less awful.

I am partially the product of disrupted orthodoxy.

Disrupted by my primary and sunday school teachers in a university-populated ward.

Kids will puzzle over statements that contradict dogma for many years, you have no idea.

Example: I had a substitute seminary teacher who said, "How do you know that the Lord won't give the priesthood to women?"

This reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask. I want my children to have teachers like your substitute seminary teacher. But in order for that teacher to be effective, he needs to be a foil. So who is going to be the foil? A substitute teacher, or me? But do I want to be the foil to the orthodoxy, or do I want to be the source of the orthodoxy?

I envision being both: I'll teach the principles as I have faith in them, but act as a foil in questioning and seeking understanding.

How do you teach the gospel to your children? Primary orthodoxy? Or substitute seminary teacher?

There's a more fundamental problem. They're not the same. The statement is innacurate. Saying Muslims and Jews are the same is pernicioius newspeak, probably more precisely just ignorance. Hence your brief against home schooling.

There are many factors, but one of the largest is the personality or personage or whatever you want to call it, of the kid himself/herself.

That moment stuck with me, probably didn't stick with most of the kids.

Zulu had many of the same teachers as me, I think he was raised in a little bit more strict manner than me, and he may tend to be slightly more orthodox than me, I don't know. Lots of factors.

Insightful.

well, the statement that Jews and Muslims are the same religion is obviously fundamentally wrong. But the point you quote there referred to "Native Americans." That's the point I was saying was dismissive.

Is asking that question an unorthodox view? Maybe answering it affirmatively is, but it seems you should at least be able to ask the question. Then again, I am apparently often out in left field.

what church do you attend? Mine is the LDS church HQed in SLC.