Sunday 8 February 2009

I have been to the bottom of this bucket of emotion

This question isn't controversial, is it?

6. Some people have expressed concern that home education could be used as a cover for child abuse, forced marriage, domestic servitude or other forms of child neglect. What do you think Government should do to ensure this does not happen?

WTF?

To hell with it. I have run right through the emotions with this question.

I am not dangerous to my children because I choose a different form of education for my children. I think particular people within the government would like school-choosing parents to suspect that I am a danger. I think they would very much like school-choosing parents to think that home educators are aberrant. That we are not normal, strange, different, potential fanatics; that normal people should wonder about my motives. And I worry that a general campaign starts with a specific goal and targeted group.

I think this question seeks the answer 'monitor them'. 'Have rights of access to the home'. 'Be able to inspect the children'. 'A database'. I think the government will carry on until they achieve these goals.

And I don't believe such intrusive surveillance will be put in place just for home educators.

6 comments:

sharon said...

Definitely. Big Brother is coming to your home next!

moley said...

My first sentence in answer to this question was:

"Some people have expressed concern that they have been kidnapped by space aliens, but that does not make it true anymore than these slurs against home educating parents are true."

Firebird said...

I ended with:

"Some people have expressed concern that the DCSF couldn't find it's collective arse with a map and a bloodhound!"

Allie said...

I have been wondering if I could get govt to conduct reviews based on my concerns about what 'could' be going on. It would be fun. I could express concern that car ownership could be used as way of hiding children from the watchful eye of the bus driver, or dog ownership could be hazardous to children's safety - or any other of my personal dislikes. I reckon I could give them some anecdotes to whet their appetites. But I imagine that I'm not anybody, so my concerns don't matter.

kelly said...

My daughter gave a classy response to this.

"I don't know of any home ed kids being abused, but I do know of some in my old school. The school is called ****** if you want to go there and stop it"

I love her soooo much.

Anonymous said...

Bugger. I just responded to this one by calling them potentially racist!