Brenda Voydatch has battled her ex-husband, Martin Kurowski, over the education of their daughter Amanda since she began home-schooling her in first grade. Last month, a Laconia (N.H.) family court judge adopted a marital master’s recommendation that it would be in the girl’s best interests to go to public school in the 2009-10 academic year.
“[T]he Court is guided … by the premise that a child requires academic, social, cultural, and physical interaction with a variety of experiences, people, concepts, and surroundings in order to grow into an adult who can make intelligent decisions about how to achieve a productive and satisfying life,” the master, Michael Garner, said in his order.
Kurowski had testified that “exposure to other points of view will decrease Amanda’s rigid adherence to her mother’s religious beliefs.”
? So… good for the judge.
WoW, talk about a slippery slope. Who needs religious freedom anyway. I understand that some homeschool parents are not really qualified to do so, that would be the only “regulation” that I would even begin to see the Gov’t looking at.
This idea that homeschool kids don’t get “socialized” is a myth.
So the judge dosn’t like religous people homeschooling. This is news? Liberal nut jobs have been very scuessful. Only thing that worries me is when the rubber band snaps back on the lefty tyrant morons I’m gonna get hit too.
Agreed. Child abuse is illegal in this country, both physical and mental.
This is not surprising. The enemy of your soul will be able to get to your child in his territory better than your God protected home. Atheists come on!
Permanently banished to the Government Indoctrination Centers posing as the public school system.
Don’t you hate it when another child gets left behind.
#6 Why do you hate America so much?
As a divorced parent with joint physical and legal custody, I can say with some authority that this is what happens when parents can’t agree on child raising: the court decides. I can sympathize with the father, not wanting the child raised in isolation from other children by a fundie mother. The child will be much better prepared to live in society if she is exposed to other viewpoints, IMHO.
The home schooled kids I have seen are socially messed up anyways. So this is a good thing.
#7-Phydeau
The child would be better served by not having to deal with divorced parents. The rest is just a product of that.
#9 Absolutely true. But that’s not the case, so they have to deal with the reality of the situation.
#9 — Dr. Dodd
Actually, I’m the product of divorced parents and I’m much more intelligent, and almost certainly more successful, than yourself. And I have a happy and healthy family of my own.
You might want to think twice next time before you try to insult your betters.
#8 – Personality
I whole heartedly agree. Most home-schooled children (and adults) I’ve met are royally screwed up.
On the flip side, the rest have been extremely intelligent and acutely aware of the world around them and the different points of view out there.
This means to me that the right person can home-school a child, but that it’s not for everyone. In the article above, I would assume that the father was concerned that his child was not getting proper exposure to multiple points of view due to the mother’s religious “bent”. It’s a sorry sight to see the courts deciding a parental decision though.
I’m not saying that religion is bad. Strict religion without appreciation or understanding of other points of view is, in my opinion, bad.
Open mindedness is always the best policy.
Don’t lose sight of the MAJOR fact that this is a custody battle. If it were not, the kid would remain home schooled. DUH.
#11-Wretched Gnu-I’m much more intelligent, and almost certainly more successful, than yourself.
Yes, I know you are a legend. One question, are you trying to convince me or yourself?
14 Sagrilarius,
“What I find surprising is that more faith-based organizations are not stepping into this gap and providing a formal educational setting with qualified personnel”
Uh… don’t they have Catholic Schools in AMERICA FUCK YEAH?
The Court made very broad based statements in this case that didn’t need to be made to settle a quarrel between two parents.
What interest is really being served by allowing homeschooling? The best interest of the Child, or the nutbag neurosis of the Parents?
Who or what is being sacrificed on what alter?
Named…problem is a shortage of fundie Christian schools, at least in my nonBible belt area. Also, some of those folks hate Catholics and many Catholic schools have become nothing but quasi-religious privates. May as well be public, in the eyes of a fundie. There’s one fundie school near here, and some parents drive the kids 20+ miles one way.
And the number of religious nut balls in the world drooped by one..
GOOD!
Over indoctrination/brainwashing has not done the world anything good, ever.
Now the kid will probably be able to think and question on her own.
#19 fw said,
“Now the kid will probably be able to think and question on her own.”
Yea, because the government schools have done such a great job of that so far.
Requiring children who are home schooled to take a test say every year – provides a measure of the performance of the schooling.
It doesn’t have to be onerous or even hard. But if a child can’t read after a certain point, then based on circumstances, the child may benefit from education elsewhere, perhaps additionally to home schooling. At least at that point both the parent and the child will know how the child rates against its peers in basic education.
Seems like a good proportion of homeschooling is really about religion. Generally that’s a sorry affair with people who are narrow minded, and incapable of teaching broad education. Its not necessarily that way – but if you do the research, I think you’ll find its the majority of it.
Great example of the media’s bias for sensationalism. This isn’t a judge saying that a religious mom can’t homeschool her kid. It is a judge saying that the kid’s father has the right to have input on how his kid is educated.
#21
So far, on the whole, home school kids are doing better in standardized tests than those subjected to governement schools.
I like you idea though, if applied equally. When it turns out the kids forced into government schools are falling short on their test scores, let them seek education elsewhere.
#19 fw
very well said!
Some of us choose home schooling because it is the best educational option. hslda.org/docs/news/washingtontimes/200908100.asp
#19 fw said,
“Over indoctrination/brainwashing has not done the world anything good, ever.”
Very true, which is why getting your kids out of government schools is so important.
#22 jccalhoun, I agree with you. Homeschooling may or may not be better, but the father has the right to have a say in how his kid is educated.
The article said the judge had some doubts about the honesty of the mother:
In considering the testimony of both parties, the Court has also considered Ms. Voydatch’s testimony about statements made by the Guardian ad Litem during her investigation and during negotiations, statements specifically rebutted by the Guardian ad Litem’s testimony after Ms. Voydatch testified. The Court finds the Guardian ad Litem’s recollection and testimony reliable, and has considered this finding in analyzing the reliability of Ms. Voydatch’s other testimony.
You don’t mess with the Guardian ad Litem. They have the final say in what happens to the kid.
But hey, sensationalism rules, and you gotta keep a steady stream of disinformation coming to keep the wingnuts in a constant state of fear — they’re more easily manipulated that way.
I’m sure it can all be traced back to Obama’s fault some way — right, wingnuts?
sounds to me like this one could win if it went to the supreme court. since when can one judge decide how a parent teaches their child? the child is not in any physical danger. now as for the dad having a say, well, sounds to me he gave that up long ago. if he wanted a say, then why didnt he work harder at his marriage? sounds like the court gave the mom rights to what the children say and do already. then it decides to take it away? sounds like a good legal fight….
Actually, the GaL doesn’t have the *final* say, the judge does… but the judge relies very heavily on the GaL’s findings.
#28 madtruckman, there’s physical custody and there’s legal custody. Just because the child is physically living with the mother most of the time doesn’t mean the father has no say in how the kid is raised.
The parents had a dispute about how the kid is educated. They both have an equal say in the matter, because they have joint legal custody. In situations like this, when the two can’t agree, the Guardian ad Litem comes in as an advocate for the child and makes the decision. It’s pretty standard in divorce situations.
two of my cousins were homeschooled through their entire youth and they are two of the most socially well adapted people I know because they interacted heavily with other kids at church. Homeschooled kids are usually in families that have heavily active church involvement. It’s the ones that don’t have that that I would worry about. And I don’t believe for a second that the government should be involved.
The only thing about this case that makes it questionable is the fact that there was a divorce involved, and both parents should have equal weight in this decision. But this sounds far from equal.