Educational anarchy is what the California teachers union says will happen if homeschooling parents in that state are not forced to aquire professional teaching credentials.
When I read this, I laughed and then I bit my tongue to keep from cursing.
The California case in which the legality of homeschooling was called into question is still winding its way through the system, with parties on both sides of the homeschooling debate filing amicus or "friend of the court" briefs to support their respective sides.
Naturally, the state's teachers union is rabidly opposed to anything that might shed light on the deficiencies in their public school system, so they've come up with the catchy phrase "educational anarchy."
What this really means:
It means that when families are left alone to construct and execute their own educational plans, their children may not come away from the homeschool experience knowing exactly the same things that their publicly schooled peers know. They may not know how to join gangs, experiment with obnoxious personal behaviors and substances, sass the teacher just because they can, or any number of anti-social activities so common in today's public school environment. They may actually learn to spell well enough to win honors in a spelling bee, use a map with such proficiency as to win a geography bee, or -- my personal favorite -- avoid the claptrap (busywork) that passes for much of public schooling so as to enter college at the age of 15 or 16. They may take up reading classic literature and poetry for fun or they may start their own business. They may be so well socialized that being in groups with smaller children or much older adults doesn't even register as weird.
Yeah, can't have all those independent individuals running loose using heaven knows what knowledge to make their families and communities stronger against the rising tide of mediocrity.
Said tide is threatening to drown us all.
Furthermore, and perhaps most threatening to the teachers union and social liberals everywhere, homeschooled kids may actually absorb and put into practice their respective families' values regarding morals, character and religion.
Kids who are solidly grounded in the basic Judeo-Christian traditions that established this country won't be as likely to accept the liberals' cherished philosophy of moral relativism -- the anything-goes mentality that's giving us all sorts of societal garbage.
Educational anarchy means that a handful of homeschooled California children will likely be taught to think for themselves.
More power to them!
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