The reaction to the news that the people from the Old Schoolhouse Magazine are winging their way over here from the States with quite a number of dates for a promotional tour has been greeted with considerable dismay on several UK Home Education lists. The thing that is causing particular bother is the TOS's connections with child batterers Debi and Michael Pearl, whose books promoting corporal punishment, even for babies, are sickening in the extreme.
Some UK HEors are in favour of a massive pre-emptive strike - such as contacting all radio stations in the areas the TOS promotors are planning to visit with a view to telling the public at large that we disagree entirely with the message put out by the Pearls. I personally think we just need to register our strongest possible disagreement in various places such as UK home ed sites and support charity magazines, but then wait for any come-back, since some kinds of pre-emptive action will surely only promote the tour.
11 comments:
Lovely people these:
http://stoptherod.net/NGJ.html
By the way, subscribe to the Old Schoolhouse Magazine and one of the free gifts you receive is No Greater Joy by the aforementioned Debi Pearl.
This is just the kind of homeschooling that should be advocated on the UK lists.
Am astonished that such people can find publishers. Mrs Pearl's book must rate as right up there with the most sickening reading I have ever encountered.
And yep, the link between Paul and Gena Suarez and the Pearls seems pretty incontrovertible.
From http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/about_us/UK-form.php, we read that:
The 17-19th of April will find TOS in Heidelberg, where they will team up with the Pearls of No Greater Joy at a conference for both German and American Christians.
And from the Home Page at TOS: “We are privileged to have noted authors featured in the magazine and on the website. Check out our “How to Homeschool” page on the website to read some past articles that have appeared in the magazine. See great articles and interviews written by…[inter alia:] Michael and Debi”
Carlotta, their daughter Rebekah also writes a column for the magazine. The last one I read, she write about an herbal sleep tincture she used - and then went on to say how much she gave her *baby*.
Oy. Had to write to them after that one.
Carlotta, are there any decent (secular, vaguely classically oriented) home education magazines in the UK? I'd be willing to pay extra money if such a thing existed across the pond, since there doesn't seem to be much on this side, sigh.
Good luck and all best wishes in your efforts to let UK home educators know about this. Cheers!
Andrea...that sounds as if it should be a bone fide, bookable criminal offence?
How strange what can be got away with if you present your actions in certain ways...sigh...
And Becky, this tip comes from a position of partial ignorance, as I haven't as yet read the following recommendation myself, it being very new, but I have read loads of other stuff by the same writers, and it has previously been of an exceptionally high standard, so my recommendation would be Mike and Jan Fortune-Wood's "The Journal" which can be bought through Mike's site at http://www.home-education.org.uk/journal.htm
(Jan was previously a vicar, and I understand is still of Christian persuasion, but she is clear that it doesn't matter to her that the rest of her family are secular, and it doesn't seem to influence her ethics or writing style in any obvious way.)
I will think again and ask around, but the above is the only thing that springs immediately to mind.
Bws
Perhaps doing a banner thingy people could stamp in their blogs?
Have you actually read any of the Pearls books? I have to say I have read them all. The people at stoptherod.net and others are taking passages out of context. The Pearls approach to training is quite effective. All of their children are grown, with children of their own. They are not victims of abuse, but happy, functioning, productive members of society. The Pearls even say that if you lacked training with your children, then begin to discipline, that this is nothing short of abuse. I suggest you read their work in its entirety.
If more parents would take the time to love and train their children, we would not have the surmounting problems we have with today's youth. Training involves love, and the Pearls have never been found wanting in that area.
Read all their material, in context, research their family and their grown children, then tell me if you feel these people are truly advocating abuse. Because if you are intelligent, the conclusion you will come to is 'No'.
The Pearl's did NOT find anyone to publish their book - they publish the book themselves. Now, because they are set up as a not for profit company, they were able to get donations and use them to publish books from their home. They gave the books away for free, mostly to churches that are very fundamentalist and believe that babies must be spanked. They also brought copies to so-called Christian homeschool conventions.
The Pearl's have no credentials, nor do they have such a wonderful relatioship with all of their children, as they claim.
They believe it is impossible for them to sin, so will never say they may be wrong.
In response to Camille's comment:
To claim that the Pearl's abuse tactics are proper and use their children as example is ridiculous, and here is why.
My husband and I, too, have five wonderfully well-adjusted, responsible members of society. And guess what, Camille? We never spanked, smacked, switched, or whatever you want to call it!
That's right kiddo. Our oldest is an attorney, second is a designer, third an archeaologist, another studying to be a physician, and another still doing undergraduate work, who works part-time.
We are Christian, but we don't feel it is necessary to "train" a child in order to rear children.
Now, what do you think of that? Shall I write a book about bringing up children? I think I shall. It takes more work not to beat the life out of a child, but hey, we did.
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