I definitely think it's going to get a lot more popular after this. I think because criminals are proving all the time that schools are one of the least safest places for kids to be, that eventually any and all parents who have anything resembling the means, time and money are going to opt for teaching their kids at home so they can at least get an education without getting shot, stabbed, poisoned, or blown up. It's very funny how some people will shoot down the argument that homeschooling is at least safe from shootings because sabes que 'school shootings rarely ever happen', yeah but when they do being the minority doesn't make you feel better, does it?

Possibly but I think as many parents will pull their kids out of public schools as people who stopped going out to the movies and to the mall because of shootings. And if any of them have "anything resembling the means, time and money" they will put them in private schools. And what about home invasions? I can't find reliable stats but I'm still willing to bet they happen much more frequently than school shootings.

Homeschooling has been on the rise and this will probably fuel it a bit. But I don't think one incident will do it. It's the cumulative damage that is being done to the illusion of school.

Alan Smithee wrote:

Possibly but I think as many parents will pull their kids out of public schools as people who stopped going out to the movies and to the mall because of shootings. And if any of them have "anything resembling the means, time and money" they will put them in private schools. And what about home invasions? I can't find reliable stats but I'm still willing to bet they happen much more frequently than school shootings.

And a lot of home invasions are thwarted by homeowners with guns, or frying pans, or baseball bats, etc., all those things you are not going to find laying around in a classroom ready to use on the first nut to slip past the metal detectors. Also, home invasions I'm guessing do NOT happen for the same reason school shootings happen, hell, every school shooter blows his own brains out so we don't even know why they do it. Home invasions are not hard to figure out, they're either looking for money, something to fence, or just somebody to attack because they seem helpless.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

Homeschooling has been on the rise and this will probably fuel it a bit. But I don't think one incident will do it. It's the cumulative damage that is being done to the illusion of school.

Except it's not one incident anymore. They're becoming like earthquakes, the big one may be over but others follow right after it. And a couple days after that, in California a man was arrested for threatening to shoot up a school, and several schools were shut down due to the threat. One seems to set off a chain reaction anymore, and today, 30 schools in Michigan are closed, they say because this is the end of the world on the Mayan calendar, but my mom says it's a smart move because for one extra day they don't have to worry about trying to protect the kids from another psycho.

It sure is possible.

But children are not automatically out of harm's way simply because they are at home instead of school. And I think you will find that more children have been killed at home from guns than at school from guns. And enough home invasions are not just about money. They're about rape and murder.

Tony Marino wrote:

It sure is possible.

I'll say this, if I wasn't already dead set for homeschooling, these events would definitely sell me on it, no way in hell my kids would EVER go to a public school, as if they're not a dangerous enough environment for kids already.

Supernova wrote:

I'll say this, if I wasn't already dead set for homeschooling, these events would definitely sell me on it, no way in hell my kids would EVER go to a public school, as if they're not a dangerous enough environment for kids already.

I think ANY school could be a potential danger to any child.

Alan Smithee wrote:

But children are not automatically out of harm's way simply because they are at home instead of school. And I think you will find that more children have been killed at home from guns than at school from guns. And enough home invasions are not just about money. They're about rape.

And more people die from the flu, smoking, car accidents, and doctor's mistakes than from guns, but because those aren't malicious attacks that's considered okay and a more 'acceptable' loss. Personally it does NOT set well with me that I'm not as likely to die from being shot, as I am from my doctor screwing up while trying to treat me. The point is no place is 100% safe, if the Amish aren't safe from gunmen, then nobody is, but a private home is never going to have the body count that some of those schools did simply because there's only one family there instead of the kids from 100 families.

Given a choice I'd rather take my chances in a small home with a handful of people to worry about, where I know where all weapons and household items used as weapons are, instead of in a building that houses hundreds of people and is a maze that is made a perfect target because the law lets criminals know 'don't worry about getting shot, NOBODY here has a gun'. If people advertised their homes as 'gun free zones' do you think they'd be as safe as the ones that you have to wonder about?

Alan Smithee wrote:

But children are not automatically out of harm's way simply because they are at home instead of school. And I think you will find that more children have been killed at home from guns than at school from guns. And enough home invasions are not just about money. They're about rape and murder.

Don't get me wrong. Ceratinly some parents are going to pull their kids out of school over this but I don't see it being wide spread.

Alan Smithee wrote:

Don't get me wrong. Ceratinly some parents are going to pull their kids out of school over this but I don't see it being wide spread.

Me neither.

Alan Smithee wrote:

Don't get me wrong. Ceratinly some parents are going to pull their kids out of school over this but I don't see it being wide spread.

Agree. Columbine didn't do it. Aurora didn't stop people from going to the theater. People went out to eat after Luby's. The malls are full all the time. It may have a slight impact on a small percentage but kids will be back in school after the holiday break. They'll be enrolled next fall. Life goes on while we try to figure out how to better protect everyone.

I think one outcome will be a larger boost for charter schools. They are already gaining in popularity in many areas and I see this motivating people to band together to build a better wheel.

As far as the tragedy increasing homeschooling, I hope not. I have seen what happens when ill-prepared parents take over their child's education.

CeCe wrote:

Agree. Columbine didn't do it. Aurora didn't stop people from going to the theater. People went out to eat after Luby's. The malls are full all the time. It may have a slight impact on a small percentage but kids will be back in school after the holiday break. They'll be enrolled next fall. Life goes on while we try to figure out how to better protect everyone.

This may be true but I think we all know there is a large difference in all of those places, and a school. You can walk out of a movie at any time, you can leave the mall anytime you want, you don't have to spend 6 hours in a diner. Kids HAVE to be in school for so many hours a day, they can't come and go as they please, if they leave before they fill in the daily quota of hours spent in class, then they get in trouble for truancy or cutting class, they don't have a walk-out-at-any-time option and anybody who targets schools for mass murders knows this. It's anybody's guess how many people come and go out of a department store or a restaurant at any given time but if you're looking for a gaggle of sitting ducks, a place where they're shut away on an 8-3 schedule is a good place to start.

Supernova wrote:

Except it's not one incident anymore. They're becoming like earthquakes, the big one may be over but others follow right after it. And a couple days after that, in California a man was arrested for threatening to shoot up a school, and several schools were shut down due to the threat. One seems to set off a chain reaction anymore, and today, 30 schools in Michigan are closed, they say because this is the end of the world on the Mayan calendar, but my mom says it's a smart move because for one extra day they don't have to worry about trying to protect the kids from another psycho.

It does seem to be happening more often, doesn't it?

Honestly, I don't really think these isolated incidents themselves will really prompt homeschooling. It's the failures of the schools in general. The fraction of kids outright murdered at school is low enough to not really be too weighing of a factor. I think what will make homeschooling more popular is the overall failure of the schools to educate children. If it isn't involved with praising liberal policies or sex, it seems most schools really suck at it. Children are falling behind due to school failure.

And violence may be a problem. Not the newsmaking kind, but the little things. I had my finger deliberately cut open in first grade by another student and the school didn't even give the kid a demerit or call his mother. I was bullied and we went to the principal about it and the teachers still pretty much tried to avoid doing anything about it. For four years, we gave school a chance but they failed us on every front. So my folks decided to homeschool me and give me a REAL education. That is what will make homeschooling rise. The public school is just one big failed experiment. (And many private ones too) The reasons why homeschooling is going up aren't the stuff of news headlines. It's the subtle things that build up over time.

Oh totally, the schools NEVER want to do anything about the bullying issue, instead they tell the victims to just ignore it. Yeah, as a friend of mine pointed out, if you tell a battered woman to ignore when her husband is hitting her or a rape victim to ignore being penetrated, is that going to work? No, so why do they think it's going to work when kids are getting the crap beat out of them and harassed beyond belief by little bastards who need their asses whooped but nobody dare touch them or THAT is assault but what they do to others is fine?

It definitely adds more fuel to the argument for it, but I don't think this will rapidly increase the rate of it.

RedBedroom wrote:

I think one outcome will be a larger boost for charter schools. They are already gaining in popularity in many areas and I see this motivating people to band together to build a better wheel.

As far as the tragedy increasing homeschooling, I hope not. I have seen what happens when ill-prepared parents take over their child's education.

So have I Red. It's not as simple as some people think. Not if you actually comply with the rules. And it helps if the "teacher" can fully understand what they're teaching. It's not only difficult, it's easy for some parents to become lazy & start taking "field trips" to the mall. I've seen it.

Agree about the boost for the charters too.

I don't think so. Like Red said, I can see it having more of an impact on Charter schooling than home.

It'll go up a little bit, but it won't be anything significant. The fact of the matter is is that most people can't afford (time and/or money) to home school so the majority of kids will be going to school. It's free.

CeCe wrote:

So have I Red. It's not as simple as some people think. Not if you actually comply with the rules. And it helps if the "teacher" can fully understand what they're teaching. It's not only difficult, it's easy for some parents to become lazy & start taking "field trips" to the mall. I've seen it.

Agree about the boost for the charters too.

Oh,yeah, CeCe. Within motocross, for kids my son's age to progress to the next level it is imperative they are "home schooled" so they can train. AND travel to nationals. For this reason, my son, who was essentially unbeatable for several seasons in our state, is only getting top three or five anymore. The other fast kids are home schooled so they can train all day and travel to national races without school getting in the way. That's a really messed up aspect of people abusing the concept.

I've also seen teachers in school become lazy too. I hear all of these claims of how parents aren't fit to teach to their kids, or they don't understand it, or all they'll do is take "field trips" to the mall. Yet time and time again, more often than not, homeschooled kids can go toe to toe with their classroom counterparts, at minimum. (Many times they're way ahead of them.) Maybe if public schools knew what they were doing, homeschooling wouldn't look so good by comparison. That is what I think will be what ultimately makes homeschooling more popular. It won't be school shootings, even if they help the case more than they hurt it. Homeschooling is just the natural response to a school system that is continually failing our kids. Until the school system gets it's act together, the arguments opposed to homeschooling will never hold much water.