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TechnoratiThe Homers got it right: a futuristic fantasy
Who would revive society if everything collapsed? Homeschoolers, says a prominent educationalist.
No one is quite sure when it started, the Great Awakening, that is. Most say it was in the first decade of the 21st Century when things hit bottom and really started to unravel. Some historians cite events like NBC News hiring Rosie O’Donnell to a multimillion dollar contract. Others claim more serious events like General Google Motors coming out with those humanoid slave clones that revolutionized housework. Others say the Pathogen Plague of 2023, the one that wiped out 20 per cent of the globe’s population in five months. That, of course, caused the Global Collapse, which crippled trade and prosperity. That is when we started digging our own wells and having our own vegetable gardens. But, on the other hand, the plague did stop WIAR [the War of Islam Against the Rest] cold in its tracks. They say the terrorists’ mad fever to "kill the White Satan" simply burned itself out. I was in junior high then and wasn’t really paying much attention. What I remember most is losing cable TV.
But these events still don’t explain the Great Awakening to me. For instance, instead of breaking down into warring communities and going back to a tooth-and-claw existence as so many pundits predicted, people took a very different path. Perhaps it was exhaustion, but we seemed to stay calm. Part of it was that we had pretty much lost complete faith in our political leaders’ and their "return to the land of milk and honey" promises and big solutions. This time people just didn’t go for their pledges of womb-to-tomb welfare, our own personal slaves, free Nirvana pills [courtesy of the pact between Big Pharma and AARP] and a return to my beloved 300 channel cable TV. Somehow, people just didn’t go for it.
In the years since, researchers have struggled to come up with theories about the origins of the Great Awakening, theories from the Social Fragmentation Paradigm to the Sheer Exhaustion Thesis. It wasn’t until recently that scholarly opinion began to crystallize around the Homer Theory, the theory that the true cause of the Great Awakening was a relative small number of early 21st century families that homeschooled their children and started a below-the-radar social revolution.
I was very young then, but I can remember hearing about kids who were homeschooled. Back then, they were considered vaguely odd and viewed with some suspicion. "Cultish" was a word that was used a lot. Characteristically, the media dubbed them as "Homers," taking off on a popular early century cartoon character, Homer Simpson.
Every once in a while there would be a TV special or feature article on the Homers, about their odd lifestyle and end with concern about how many children they were having. Then there would be what seemed to be the annual story about the Homer kid that won that year’s National Spelling Bee. However, after a while the editors seemed to lose interest in the Homers and went after other curiosities. Then a funny thing happened. Homers started showing up all over the place and getting a lot of respect. A guy at work, who I admired a great deal, turned out to have been homeschooled and he and his wife were homeschooling their six children. It turned out, too, that my son’s favorite teacher was a Homer. Then a few years ago, we discovered a network of homeschoolers in our own neighbourhood! But what was so shocking is that these Homers, in fact, weren’t very shocking at all. They were quite normal. But normal in their own way.
This is when that Homer Theory became popular. It got started after the publication of one of those huge social science surveys, dripping with statistics and authoritative findings. The study was just a description of North American social behavior and various trends, but what stuck out were the Homers. First, there was the surprise of how many of them there were! Second, how well educated, compared to the rest of us, the Homers were and how well they have done in higher education and the professions. It was really a stunning report and people talked about it for months.
Besides getting better academic educations, Homers are happy achievers. They have better marriages, fewer divorces and personal scandals; they like their jobs more and advance more rapidly, volunteer more in their communities, have better health and, tellingly, have less need for lawyers! While the rest of us were angry and depressed about the aftermath of all the turmoil and conflict caused by the plague and the war and the terrible decline in our post-20th century standard of living, the Homers seemed unaffected by it all.
One of the most striking finding was how religious they are. For some time it had been considered bad form to talk about religion. This is particularly true of the media since we’ve been told it is a violation of church and state… or state and conscience… or something… for the media to speak of such matters. But there it was: the Homers are intense churchgoers. And, not just "goers". They bring church back into their homes with family prayer and grace before meals and religious icons on the walls. We found it all quite extraordinary.
Some of the other findings were even more shocking. Almost all of the Homers have TV sets, but they don’t watch much TV. Certainly not like the average seven hour-a-day viewing by most Americans. Later research reveals that this abnormally low TV viewing is part of a larger Homer factor, a deep distrust of so much of the media content. Homer parents take it all very seriously. They want to be sure about what their children are watching. When this finding was made public, there was a huge outcry about thought-control, children’s rights and stunting the cultural literacy of Homer kids. I asked my Homer friend at work why they limited their kids’ education so. What he said was really shocking. "Our primary job is to protect the hearts and minds of our children." They watch movies, use the internet and read all sorts of books, but until the kids are older, the parents are busy monitoring what they watch and read.
But then there was the big scandal. Editors from the New York Times and the L.A. Times sent a clandestine team of reporters to infiltrate heavily Homer-impacted communities. The reporters remained embedded for six months. Later, they went to colleges poising as Homers in order to get close to Homer college kids. Their series, "Homers Revealed: A Cult After All!" was a blockbuster.
The reporters, their editors and papers were the consensus winners of that year’s Pulitzer Prize. At the televised award dinner, the New York Times lead reporter forgot his meds and instead had three martinis. When he got up to make his acceptance speech, he started out and then stopped. He started again, but suddenly broke down, and before a bewildered audience and the world watching on television, he blurted out that the whole thing was a bag job. The public outcry was loud and immediate. In disgrace, the L.A. Times stopped its presses and closed it doors. The New York Times tried to tough it out, but within eighteen months it was a give-away newspaper. Oh well, they didn't have much to offer anyway after Google merged with Amazon.
There does, however, seem to be another important and lasting impact of all this recent attention to Homers. It seems to be changing the way we all talk about things. The terms "good" and especially "evil" are back. So have "soul" and "truth" and "beauty". "Character," which had sunk to be one of the trendy, psychobabble words when I was in school, is now back, too. Now, though, character is about virtues and vices, good and bad habits. I even heard someone on a quiz show the other night who knew the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and the other one I always forgot. I’m told this is all part of "natural law" thinking, which apparently is making a big comeback. The last time I heard about natural law was my father telling me about the trial or hearing for the first Black Supreme Court Justice back in the 20th Century. Apparently he was accused, or something, of practicing "natural law." Anyway, he’s said to have turned out to be a pretty good judge.
I’m not sure just how much credit the Homers should get for the Great Awakening and our return to social sanity. A guy I know says it’s just the natural resilience of the human spirit. But things sure are looking better these days. Crime is down. Business is coming back. Churches are being built or reconverted back from restaurants. Homers may not be the entire solution, but they sure seemed to be a good part of it. Oh, and I heard last week that my only grandchild has become a Homer and he and the wife go to church now. Who would have known?
Kevin Ryan founded the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University, where he is professor emeritus. He has written and edited 20 books. He has appeared recently on CBS's "This Morning", ABC's "Good Morning America", "The O’Reilly Factor", CNN and the Public Broadcasting System speaking on character education. He can be reached at .
Very good! Here is my bookmark of this post!
http://www.searchallinone.com/Other/Open_AIM_AOL_opens_its_Instant_Messaging_protocol_-_ProcessOne-2/
Mrs. Teodosio’s comments are vital to understanding what motivates so many home-educating families: We are answerable to the Lord God Almighty. Our children really belong to Him; and since they are His, He makes home-educating possible when we do it to honor Him and give Him the glory. I don’t think outsiders realize how difficult it is to train your own child in this cultural environment; especially in a Biblical manner. No matter where a person turns, the culture is antagonistic toward Biblical Christianity, and this alone so distracts our attention, and that of our children, that the challenges from being “different” can cause lots of frustration; not to mention the extra costs and time. But we do it for the Lord and He provides.
There are two factors that have made our home-educating so worthwhile for us. The first is that we have watched our children grow close to the Lord in their own right. We often hear them mentor us during difficult times as they draw strength from the Lord. Secondly, we have lots of family time together. We generally eat all our meals together, we have most of our evenings free to watch a clean movie, play some games, take a walk or a ride, go on picnics; all when other families hardly see each other.
I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments as much as I did reading the short story. The story is a futuristic fantasy and since we are living in the here and now I just wanted to put my two cents in regarding homeschooling. I was educated in public schools (graduated in 1979), and they are not like what I experienced back in the 60’s and 70’s.
I however homeschool my son. Why? Because I am responsible for him. Not the state, not the local government, not my neighbors, not even my immediate family. I and my husband will answer to God one day for the decisions we made regarding his upbringing. The town we live in does not offer what I believe is best for his personality and learning style. As a matter of fact I discovered he is dyslexic very early on, I wonder if that would have been spotted as early in a classroom with 30 other children. Maybe he would have been diagnosed withh ADHD and suggested he be put on medication. The public, private and parochial schools offer many positive aspects, but they all too have their downfalls. A parent may not discover the pitfalls until it is too late.
What I am trying to say is there is too much at stake and in todays very politically correct environment I am not interested in indoctrination but education. I want to give my son a solid foundation upon which to make sound and well formed decisions when he is older. He is taught how to think critically and not to just repeat what he is told. It is interesting, when I mention to people that I homeschool I get many positive responses along with a comment such as, I wish I could do that or it’s a great thing you are doing, I wish I had the temperament for it/or time. People may think that they are not cut out for homeschooling, but we usually cut ourselves short.
Maybe it is not for everyone, but no matter the method any of us choose to educate our children it still comes down to-WE AS PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR FORMATION-PERIOD
Jim said: “I would expect that most homeschooling parents hope that all their children will go their own way.”
I would suspect that the last thing home schooling parents would want is for their children to go their own way. Especially if it wasn’t ‘the way of the cross’.
I have a feeling that “doing what is best” for our children is the core reason why most folks choose to educate their child in any place other than a public school; which doesn’t mean that those who send their children to public schools are automatically ruled out as caring for their child. I have seen some great and noble kids come out of public schools.
However, the question about what is best what will divide us, even in home educating families. For me, a Christian who strives to maintain my relationship with Christ as my Lord, through the authority of Scripture, what is best for my child can be summed up in two phrases: I am responsible to, “Train up my children in the way they should go”, which means as committed Christians; and I am responsible to, “Raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” which is synonymous to the first phrase. This idea is radially opposed to: “I would expect that most homeschooling parents hope that all their children will go their own way.” I don’t want my children to go their own way, but to “abide in Christ.” Going your own way implies that you allow your heart to dictate the direction; and we are warned by Scripture that the heart is terribly deceitful.
There is so much more to be said on this topic, but we are limited to 2,000 characters. However, to make my point, I invite you to look at the lifestyles of those who belong to the Emerging Church, who claim to be Christian but who refuse to accept the Lordship of Christ: We are living just like the rest of the world because we are teaching our children to do their own thing, whether we home-educate or not.
Happy New Year to you too! And God’s blessings on you.
Jim - your last comment hit the nail on the head. It is not the method that matters, it is whether the education and formation) chosen by the parents provides that education and formation that best caters for their needs of their children, within the context of the values and beliefs of that family.
Parents have the primary responsibility and accountability for how they educate their children - and outside of total neglect to fulfill this obligation should not be judged or inhibited by individuals or the system.
Thank you Kevin Ryan for such an entertaining article on homeschooling. I agree with TLDTS that you have a marvelous imagination. I mean, who would have thought of the LA Times stopping the presses and closing its doors? Even better you hail from that bastion of liberalism ... Boston!
The comments from David Page, Roland and Gerald moved me to comment myself.
First, David Page wrote:
“If I believed that the world had nothing to teach my children that I didn’t already know then perhaps I would home school them.”
If a homeschooling parent made this comment I would think it arrogant, but coming from an East Coast liberal it’s to be expected.
“The only purpose of home schooling is to prevent learning that you don’t approve of.”
Generalizations like this are so tragic as to be humorous.
“It also implies that the parents are pillars of character and virtue and will pass those fine qualities on to their children. It’s silly.”
Seriously? We both know that parents come in all variety, some good some bad. However good or bad it is still commendable that they would spend the time and effort to look after the formation of their children.
“The Professor should know better.”
Though I don’t know him I suspect that he probably does know better.
“Anyway, the best of these kids will go their own way.”
I’m not sure what to make of this comment. I would expect that most homeschooling parents hope that all their children will go their own way.
Roland and Gerald, I appreciate your perspectives and have no doubt that many hold these positive values in homeschooling. What I have not seen expressed is the perspective that I would expect to be the highest on any parents list; that is, that parents would place first their responsibility for the education and formation of their children which means doing their best for the needs of each child whether that be in public, private or in the home for school.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!
I appreciate the proverb, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I was taught in a relatively traditional school, although it was a Christian School run by my home Roman Catholic church. One benefit was that my graduating class consisted of 65 students, whereas the public school three blocks away had more than a thousand in its graduating class. From what I experienced of my own school, and what I knew about the other, I don’t think either had “fantastic benefits.” On the other hand, I would not begrudge anyone from choosing a public school education for their children. This is one of the neat things about our culture, we still have the the freedom to choose, although in some states that freedom in this regard often comes under fire. There always seems to be some bureaucrat or politician who wants to save the children in home-educated situations by making laws against it.
Be that as it may, I appreciated the comment above that suggested that parents need to run our schools. I profoundly agree. I don’t know how the schools in my large-city home town were managed, but if my parents didn’t like the way the private school I attended was working, they could voice their concerns within the Parent Teacher Association, or go directly to the parish priest or diocese; later we had a parish council. If they still weren’t happy they could have taken me out. In addition, my parents kept close tabs on what I was doing in school. I have lived in small towns for a number of years, where we vote for members of the school board, who make decisions on behalf of the families. The best school districts have the most parents involved in those board meetings.
Lets not glorify one method of education of the other - at the end of the day it is the right and obligations of the parents to educate their children as they see fit.
I attended school, and don’t feel that I have had a lesser or greater privelaged life by it, in comparison to my home-schooled friends.
At the end of the day - it comes down to the family - not the school, although unfortunately peers and curriculum at many mainstream schools undermine parents ability to educate and impart values to their children.
That all said - having come from a schooled background - I am biased towards this style of education. I think that what we need is schools run by parents, not bureaucrats with curriculum and content poisoned by the left wing intelligencia. This outcome gives the best of both worlds -like minded parents can ensure that staff of the schools have the same values and ideals that they themselves, and this is reprented in curriculum, without sacrificing the fantastic benefits of school life.
“The only purpose of home schooling is to prevent learning that you don’t approve of. It also implies that the parents are pillars of character and virtue and will pass those fine qualities on to their children.” This is not true, at least to the extent that my family home educates, and the families we in our vicinity who do the same. While there are things that we don’t want our children to learn from the public schools, and from some alleged Christian schools, a more important purpose is to teach things that are not being taught elsewhere, namely Biblical principles. Scripture admonishes Christian parents to “train up a child in the way he should go.” It is also phrased that we should raise our children in “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Many of those who home educate take these principles to heart; nor do we feel able to do both; that is, to send our children away to school, and then to make up for what we may believe are discrepancies. It has been my experience that the average home educating parent is quite fearful of succeeding, and we rely a lot on prayer; however, we believe that the alternative is dangerous to the souls of our young ones.
While, it seems to me, that most families who home educate do so for religious reasons, there are some who have taken their children out of school and into the home because they fear for their physical welfare. I think it was in 1998 or 1999 that we met a mother and son who were tending a craft store in Wichita, KS. Mom was teacher her son in between customers. They were agnostic, but were afraid to leave their son in school for fear he would be hurt. He was quite happy and smart. She was teaching him to teach himself—a novel idea—and at eleven years old he was doing high school work. Nor did mom feel as if she were smarter than the teachers; she was learning right along with her son. Teaching at home with no religious agenda is on the increase.
If I believed that the world had nothing to teach my children that I didn’t already know then perhaps I would home school them. The only purpose of home schooling is to prevent learning that you don’t approve of. It also implies that the parents are pillars of character and virtue and will pass those fine qualities on to their children. It’s silly. The Professor should know better. Anyway, the best of these kids will go their own way.
Dear Professor Ryan,
Thank you very much for this imaginative and lively piece. You bring lots of seemingly unrelated issues together. But what I really enjoyed about it was that, seeing all this mess around us, you are not lost in despair, but instead see that goodness and truth will win out in the end.
What the...?
Wow, this is just mind-blowing.
Not mind-expanding. Mind-exploding.
I literally could -not- keep up with everything that was being thrown at me. It’s like… the author has taken the world we live in and showed it to us. We go “ah, I know that place.” and then he smashes it on the floor, and says “make sense of that! now how are we gonna live?”
Oof. Maybe not a great metaphor, but my mind’s been scrambled after reading this @__@
It’s not even the fact that most of the stuff mentioned will probably never happen; when did the world start becoming prejudiced against homeschooled kids? If there was some sort of animosity between “homers” and the rest of us, I must have missed it. Is this something that happened after this Great Awakening thing? (In which case, your point is quite as imaginary as everything else you’ve shoved into my mind.)
Kevin, you’ve got a downright marvelous imagination; it reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut in its absolute lunacy. But… making up a social situation to prove a point that I’m not sure anyone objects to (that home-schooled kids are as good as the rest of us?)… I’m not sure of the ‘why’.
Have a nice day, regardless^^;;
We have been home-educating our children since 1983. We began in Minnesota, worked our way through Iowa and Kansas and will be wrapping things up in Pennsylvania; our youngest being sixteen. We have found much joy in the process and had cause for much prayer, since it is difficult at times, and since public opinion aggravates the problem. However, we wouldn’t have done it any other way. I appreciated the story and can well imagine that those who are home-educated in Christian homes, with strong principles, will some day keep our nation from utter destruction. Many of our second generation are behind the scenes helping our leaders make big decisions, while they home-educate their children.
First: Clarence Thomas wasn’t the first black Supreme Court Justice.
Second: Hopefully it doesn’t take an apocalyptic event to legitimize home schoolers, though I can think of a few homers who may think this story is awesome and write an epic poem about it instead of playing sports and socializing like normal kids. zing!
In all seriousness, this was a clever story that rings true.
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