I have remarked before that an awful lot of the more well known home educators seem to conform to a fairly rigid stereotype. They tend to be left wing politically, often opposed to vaccination, prone to conspiracy theories, in favour of organic food; that sort of thing. I could draw up a profile of the typical high-profile home educator without too much difficulty. I have come across two recent examples of this tendency to conformity. The first is that mother who was, allegedly, forced to flee the country in order to protect her children from social services involvement. I am sure that most of us remember the appeal which was circulating on the forums and lists three months ago, beginning;
A well-known member of the HE community and trusted friend needs our help. The person's family is facing a possible court order and they felt the need to leave the country very quickly in order to protect the children from unfounded interference based on home education as a risk factor.
It was signed by many of the usual suspects, including Maire Stafford, Barbara Stark, Alison Preuss and Neil Taylor. Readers will be relieved to hear that this unfortunate and persecuted woman made it safely to Ireland. What precipitated her flight? Let her tell us in her own words:
A few months ago I shamefully attended a meeting about how to obtain Organic Food, leaving my young children in the care of their 17yr old brother, when I should have been at home washing the clothes... This led to scrutiny from 'authority' figures & caused me to commit a further sin of defying that 'authority' when it sought to persecute myself & my family for my wayward ways, particularly my disgraceful choice to educate my children outside of the state system or allow my parenting, educational provision, or moral scruples to be inspected & dictated by dubiously qualified 'experts'
It just had to be a meeting about organic food! Mind, one feels instinctively that there is more to the case than meets the eye. Leaving a seventeen year-old babysitting is a fairly common thing to do; how did the ‘authorities’ even hear of this? The whole of this explanantion appears to be written in code. I have heard of local authorities wishing to check on educational provision, but when was the last time you had a man from the council knocking on the door because he wanted to inspect your 'moral scruples'? It would be interesting to know if anything happened to any of the younger children being looked after by the seventeen year-old and how this family first came to the attention of social services in the first place.
The other well-known home educator whose views are exceedingly orthodox for this type of individual is Alison Sauer. While idly looking at her Facebook page, I noticed that her interests include attachment parenting and support of Dr Wakefield; the maniac who started off the whole autism and vaccination scare. Alison Sauer, needless to say, thinks he was right and is opposed to the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella…
As others have pointed out here before, we cannot judge all home educators by those whom we see on the Internet; for which I thank the Lord! However, these people are influential and thousands of people belong to lists and forums where their views are propagated. Their bizarre thoughts and weird belief-systems therefore have a way of filtering down to other home educating parents, via groups composed in the main of normal people. It only takes one of two evangelical mothers who spend a lot of time on Home Ed Biz or HE-UK to spread alarm about things from a particular slant in an ordinary home educating support group. It is certainly worth keeping an eye on the ideas to which many of them subscribe, for this reason alone.
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I don't find skeptism over the efficacy of the triple jab to be either weird or bizarre. Parents are the ones who have to make decisions about these things - the real question is why parents are not given the choice to have the jabs administered separately.
ReplyDeleteNeither is a preference for organic food strange either; I daresay everyone would prefer to eat only organic if they could all afford to do so - if only for the improvement in tends to offer in taste.
However, attempting to whip up support for someone who has social services involvement without really knowing the ins and outs of the case is, at the least, naive and foolhardy. It is very difficult to establish the real facts in such cases. It is possible to end up lending support to someone whose family is actually in need of social services intervention. I would never sign such things unless I knew the person involved personally.
it is often difficult to establish the facts of a case because social service tell lies about a family.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that we ever get to hear the full details...I'm sure that those families embroiled in arguments with Social Services are economical with or expand the truth.
DeleteHmmmmm, well once again you are trying to whip up a frenzy over small things. I agree with Anon. at 2.57pm - there is nothing odd about skeptism over the triple vaccine, about organic food, attachment parenting.
ReplyDeleteI do also agree that becoming involved in cases that have Social Service involvement is a very foolish as no one can really every establish the facts.
As for Alison Sauer. Really? Are you that fascinated with the woman that you have to study her life in such detail. Who cares what her interests are? Well, you do, clearly!
Well, this kind of thing doesn't just happen to home educators. A friend of mine, whose children have always been schooled, was reported to social services because, when his car broke down, he sent his 17 year old son to pick up his siblings from the school gate. The school had no prior cause for concern as you imply MUST be the case, and these are decidedly not organic, non-vax, hippy-type parents (not that this should have ANY bearing whatsoever). Simply, some people seriously believe that 17-year-olds can't be trusted to look after younger children. Ironic, considering that 16-year-olds can legally have their own babies.
ReplyDelete'No prior cause for concern' is what your friend was bound to tell you, of course. We really cannot possibly know what is going on inside the privacy of families. If we were capable of knowing, no child would ever suffer from abuse, no wife would ever be beaten etc.
DeletePrivate emotional support for a friend undergoing such trials as being investigated by social services is appropriate and helpful, but public support? Not so sensible.
This post is completely undermined by its snide remarks, tabloid-style stereotypes and gross overstatements. Andrew Wakefield is a maniac, is he? As opposed to a once-respected medical researcher who wasn't sufficiently careful in his framing of a key project?
ReplyDeleteAnd anyone who criticizes conspiracy theorists should perhaps avoid claiming there are conspiracies within home education communities. Sounds a bit pot-kettle-black, no?
'Andrew Wakefield is a maniac, is he? As opposed to a once-respected medical researcher who wasn't sufficiently careful in his framing of a key project? '
ReplyDeleteWe are talking about the same guy, I hope? The respected medical researcher who, when he wanted some blood samples, went round his son's birthday party with a syringe, paying the kids £5 a time? That's the respected medical researcher you mean? The one who applied for a patent for a single jab measles vaccine which was designed to make a massive profit on the back of the scare that he had engineered? I think 'maniac' was charitable; fraud and crook would be better words to describe this dreadful man.
Simon.
' should perhaps avoid claiming there are conspiracies within home education communities.'
ReplyDeleteI'm lost now! What are the conspiracies within home edcuation communities?
Simon.
'there is nothing odd about skeptism over the triple vaccine, about organic food, attachment parenting. '
ReplyDeleteThere is no evidence of the benefits of organic food, nor is there any evidence that the triple vaccine causes any harm. Believing in things for which there is no evidence is a little odd.
Simon.
I not convinced that organic food is the answer (and have only ever bought it accidentally) but there is evidence that the nutritional content of foods has reduced over time with reduced levels of various minerals in fruit and vegetables now compared to those grown in the 30's, for instance. At least organic farming is attempting to address the issue and may have brought more scientific attention to it.
DeleteYeah, but odd's okay.
ReplyDeleteJumping a barrier and letting your child put her hand through the bars of a cage at a zoo so she can stroke the tiger is odd. Fortunately, no one died, so that was okay.
We're all a bit odd in our own way, aren't we?
I think Old Mum's got you there Simon...
ReplyDelete'We're all a bit odd in our own way, aren't we?'
ReplyDeletePersonal oddness is quite a different matter; it usually only affects one or two other people. When people subscribe to an odd belief about something like vaccinating against measles and the result is many people failing to protect their children, this can have serious consequences for many people. Deaths from measles are one of those consequences. Spreading a false belief about the triple vaccine for MMR is as iresponsible as shouting 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre. It is not merely odd, it is positively harmful to others.
'I think Old Mum's got you there Simon...'
ReplyDeleteNot a bit of it! If I started a society whose aim was to abolish barriers in zoos and to allow all children to mingle freely with dangerous animals, then the comparison with the fuss over the triple vaccine would be a good one. I have no objection to individual parents deciding what they feel is right for their children. When they launch campaigns to presuade others of their strange belief, then the case is altered.
'there is evidence that the nutritional content of foods has reduced over time with reduced levels of various minerals in fruit and vegetables now compared to those grown in the 30's, for instance. '
ReplyDeleteWe would need a selection of freshly picked fruit from the 1930s to test this idea.
Or they could use the results of analysis conducted in the 1930s, which is actually how the research was conducted. The research has been replicated and similar differences observed in various studies over different timescales.
Delete'Or they could use the results of analysis conducted in the 1930s, which is actually how the research was conducted. The research has been replicated and similar differences observed in various studies over different timescales'
ReplyDeleteTwo problems with this being that in the first place, the tests from seventy years ago were not only far more rough and ready than today, they also did not test for some of the things that we now regard as important, such as magnesium. A greater problem is that they do not compare like with like. Consumers now want bright, shiny and colourful fruit and vegetables. These have been bred for these qualities, sometimes as the expense of nutritional value. As I say, you would really need a bushel of apples from 1930 and a bushel of the precisely the same variety picked this week to make a good comparison; using the same tests, to the same degree of accuracy for both.
"Two problems with this being that in the first place, the tests from seventy years ago were not only far more rough and ready than today, they also did not test for some of the things that we now regard as important, such as magnesium."
DeleteThe issue of anomalies caused by differences in measurement and sampling techniques was considered in the paper that compared UK fruit and vegetables in the 1930s to modern equivalents, but evidence suggests that although the older analysis techniques were far more time consuming, they were as accurate. One study found statistically significant reductions in the levels of Ca, Mg, Cu and Na in vegetables and Mg, Fe, Cu and K in fruit, so magnesium was one of the minerals measured in the 1930s.
" A greater problem is that they do not compare like with like."
I made no such claim. Part of the problem with modern farming techniques (and growing populations) is the need for high yield crops and varieties that respond well to current agricultural methods - so of course different plant varieties are eaten now. This is one of many possible causes of reduced mineral levels in crops along with farming techniques, storage, import/export differences, etc. The various research studies compared the mineral content of fruits and vegetables typically consumed during different periods (the same crops but probably different varieties, as you say). Other research has concentrated on the various varieties used over time (one study looked at wheat, for instance) and again, modern varieties are comparatively mineral deficient.
Recent research suggests that it is possible to breed varieties that are high in minerals whilst still producing high yields under intensive farming practices, but this is all relatively recent research. One possible driver for the increased interest in this area is the public's interest in organic foods and their apparent willingness to pay extra for foods that are thought to be healthier, hence my suggestion that the organic food industry may be partially responsible for increased scientific interest in this issue.
What you describe is an indication of an affluent over fed population. You describe an almost obssessional preoccupation with food and food production.
DeleteSo on the one hand you think it's wrong for people to feed their children inadequate, nutritionally poor diets and suggest it's a form of neglect, but it's also wrong for scientists to examine the nutritional content of foods to enable those same parents to select nutritionally suitable diets. Make up your mind!
Delete"they also did not test for some of the things that we now regard as important, such as magnesium."
DeleteYou sound so authoritative when you know so little!
What utter garbage! Spuriously conflating the consumption of organic food with child neglect is like attributing the sinking of the Titanic to the mating behaviour of haddock. This man is a dangerous fool, IMO.
ReplyDeleteExcept...it isn't.
DeleteThere were several widely reported cases of families with weird dietary habits who nearly killed their infants because of going 100% fruitarian.
There were other serious cases involving macrobiotics, veganism and non cooking of food.
Nutritional imbalance and skewed attitudes to food is one of the first indications of neglect
But the person you replied to was talking about organic food, not other weird dietary habits, a classic straw man logical fallacy on your part. I don't think anyone has ever claimed or provided evidence that organic food causes nutritional imbalances!
ReplyDeleteA balanced diet never caused nutritional imbalances either.
Delete"A balanced diet never caused nutritional imbalances either."
DeleteWrong again. A balanced diet for one person can definitely cause nutritional imbalances in another. Take coeliac disease, for instance. Wheat, barley, rye and oats form part of a balanced diet for the majority of people in the UK without causing any problems. But if a person with CD eats the same diet, the lining of their intestines is damaged to such an extent that they are unable to absorb nutrients resulting in anaemia and other problems.
There is often evidence of obsessional behaviour regarding food involved in psychiatric illness, neglect and abuse cases..
ReplyDeleteThat may involve an obsession with organic food or junk food it may involve starving or overeating.
The amateur internet psychiatrist with a touch of the psychic thrown in for good measure.
DeleteThe internet bullshitter who claims to have an annual turnover of millions...
DeleteAre you sat at home or in your boardroom commenting on the tedious minutae you find around here?
You think your own comments are 'tedious minutae'? If it's any consolation it only takes a few minutes of my time, usually when I'm waiting for work to load. Ever hear of multitasking?
DeleteThat's the biggest crock of bullshit ever....
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