Mike Huckabee and homeschoolers

By valerie

The Google alerts report more support for Mike Huckabee among homeschoolers, as well as Google returning many blogs with links to either videos or letters.

There are more, but Blogger and Blog Spot are down at the moment, so I can’t be sure of the content — or even the names — of the following sites. Still, they’re in my alerts.

Not all homeschoolers are in the Huckabee corner. I was pleasantly surprised to see Spunky’s name pop up in a comment (and if you go to the top of the blog and scroll down, you’ll see many comments by Spunky discussing what she sees as Mr. Huckabee’s effects on homeschooling in Arkansas, and his views on the international diploma).

Spunky’s comment at The Duncan Hunter Grass Revolt:
“Huckebee seeks our support based on the fact that he is a Christian and because he is, most don’t even question his policies. Said one Iowa Christian leader, ‘We don’t question what he believes because he is one of us.’”

For me, it’s this “one of us” position that clangs instead of rings. Who is “us?” To use a family joke, has the “leader” who spoke got a frog in her pocket?

The Mike Huckabee for President web site has a post titled, “Faith & Family Values Coalition“ with a sentence that speaks about “the faith community.” Not ‘a’ faith community, but “the” faith community. For the purposes of the site’s post, “the” faith community leaders are:

Former Southern Baptist Convention President James Draper
Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Springdale
Dr. Jack Graham, Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church
Dr. Jerry Vines, Former President of Southern Baptist Convention
Dr. Daniel L. Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dr. Jay Strack, President/ Founder of Student Leadership University, World- renowned Southern Baptist communicator
Dr. Billy McCormack, Pastor of University Baptist Church

“Baptist” is the only Christian denomination mentioned in the article, and I find it hardly representative of “us” regarding a “faith community,” much less the faith community. Christians — of a certain flavor — are not the only ones who are faithful. I’m willing to be ecumenical, but we have to start with a little more variety in the line-up that represents “us.”

posted by Valerie

Tags: home education, homeschooling, Mike Huckabee

This entry was posted on December 4, 2007 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Activist Homeschoolers, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

8 Responses to Mike Huckabee and homeschoolers

Mary N. on December 4, 2007 at 5:54 pm

Thank you, Valerie. I had been wanting to delve deeper into the Huckabee camp and it was so helpful to stop by here and learn more.

Kandy Crosby-Hastings on December 6, 2007 at 2:24 am

I’m wanting to do more research about Huckabee, too. We’re more in the unschooling camp, and I’m not sure how Huckabee feels about that. I definitely want to make the right decision when I vote. :^)

Susan on December 7, 2007 at 7:38 am

Even for the candidates who say they support homeschooling…..I don’t think they have a clue what a homeschooling life is like, despite their best intentions.

I’m wondering how dangerous that is. George Bush exempted “home schools” from the NCLB Act, but anytime you have to be exempted from something, you can always be added later. Besides disliking just about everything having to do with NCLB…

Dr. Paul introduced tax credit legislation. I guess if you’re in a position to legislate, you can’t resist, but I’m wishing they just left us alone. I used to be kinda excited when I saw some leader ‘supported homeschooling’. Now….I guess I’m too cynical.

Valerie on December 10, 2007 at 1:09 pm

Huckabee draws 400 in Charlotte, 7 December 2007, Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina

Republican Mike Huckabee, riding a wave of success in recent presidential polls, drew around 400 supporters — including hundreds of home-schoolers and their children — to uptown Charlotte this morning.

…

“It looks like we have every home-schooler in North Carolina here today,” Huckabee said, just before picking up a baby in a Santa suit. “With your help, this time next year we’ll be in the transition period between the election and the (White House).”

…

“What has impressed me about him is his sincerity,” said home-schooler Kathy Failor. “While quite honestly I may not agree with him on every issue, I feel like he’s sincere. He has strong convictions. If I vote for him, I know what I’m getting.”

Principled Discovery » If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do? –Psalm 11:3 on December 17, 2007 at 3:59 am

[...] logical choice for Christians.” Valerie of Home Education Magazine has put together quite a few links of note regarding Huckabee. I found Spunky’s quote she linked to particularly insightful: Huckabee [...]
Valerie on December 19, 2007 at 10:29 am

Romney on Huckabee again, 13 December 2007, MSNBC

During the question-and-answer period with voters, the first question came from an 11-year-old home-schooled student named Sarah Myers, who asked what he thought of the practice. In the last few weeks, itâ€™s become increasingly clear that Huckabee has been able to drum up support with the home-schooling community, and he anecdotally was able to do so even before his surge caught on. The questionerâ€™s mother, Christy, said later that she liked Romneyâ€™s answer — which was that he supports it and thinks that those who home-school should get a tax credit — but she said sheâ€™s supporting Fred Thompson and is a volunteer of his in Muscatine.

The other day I saw a quotation that has meaning (for me) in a book by Compact Classicsconcerning the approval many homeschooling parents (and perhaps older teens) have for a tax credit to make up for the money the family pays into state funds that support public schools.

In India, people have caught monkeys by setting out a small box with a tasty nut in it. There is an opening in the box large enough for the monkey to thrust in his hand, but too small for him to withdraw it once he’s clutched the nut. When the monkey has grabbed the prize, he must either let go and regain his freedom or keep hold and stay trapped.

Most monkeys hold onto the nut, making it easy for hunters to pick them up.

People have been known to get caught in the same kind of trap. The person who puts the goodie in the box controls the person who grabs it, but if we are willing to let go of the goodies, we are free of control.

– Elizabeth Brenner, Winning by Letting Go (1985)

The public school system is framed as a public good. Public goods do not always give private compensation — singles, empty-nesters and retirees all pay taxes that support schools — but may often have indirect benefits. The context for the publicly paid for benefit of the public school system is an educated citizenry. If the existing school system does not work as the public thinks it ought to, then the funding system should be changed because the contract has been violated — the public’s money is not resulting in a public good. The tax credit for people who feel they should get a private benefit only results in the controlling entity gaining greater control of private behavior.

Or at least that’s the view from here.

Valerie on December 19, 2007 at 10:44 am

Huckabee Rising, 13 December 2007, Time Magazine

Evangelicals, who make up about 40% of GOP caucusgoers, are drawn to Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist pastor. But Romney has a formidable head start signing them up. Huckabee is scrambling to gain ground, recently taping an interview with a Christian media company–for a small fraction of the cost of television advertising–that churches and congregants can download and watch. And he’s counting on the organizational prowess of his homeschooling supporters.

Valerie on December 19, 2007 at 12:15 pm

Everyone has a stake in public schools, 17 December 2007, Spartanburg Herald Journal, Spartanburg, South Carolina

The educators fussing about a home-schooling mother being elected to head the State Board of Education should be careful ” they’re playing right into the hand of the voucher supporters.

Some of these folks say the members of the board shouldn’t have chosen Kristin Maguire of Clemson to chair the body because she home-schools her four daughters. Sheila Gallagher, president of the S.C. Education Association, said the candidate who lost the vote should have been chosen because he sends his kids to public school.

…

The truth is that we are all stake holders in public education. The family that home-schools its kids, the family that sends its children to private school and the couple that has no children all pay taxes to support public schools. We do so for the good of the community.

We don’t pay for public schools so that we can educate our own children. We pay taxes for public schools so that we can live in an educated society.