Dear Senator Dinniman,
It was a pleasure to talk of educational matters with you on Thursday, April 26. Thank you for the invitation. Where this might lead one can only imagine. The sky is the limit as well as, unfortunately, human biases and myopic ways. Let's hope for the best.
Our discussion was energizing and engaging. We talked of how homeschooling, by example, could serve a broader purpose in helping to scale back the waste often experienced during the later part of one's high school career, specifically, in the public schools. Personally, I am excited and honored to be about this endeavor.
You suggest a discussion between homeschool educators and bipartisan legislators with the hope that there might be an exchange of ideas to better the public school sector. When it comes to issues dealing with education, I believe connecting, networking, and engaging in discussions furthering our common goals serve a more worthy pursuit than trying to maintain our personal territories.
In light of your suggestion, I will begin pursuing homeschool educators to share their high school home school experience with bipartisan legislators whom you will gather. I will be seeking home educators who have the broad view and desire to benefit the larger educational community. You will coordinate the scheduling of the meeting sometime in November 2012. This is purposefully after the elections to avoid political utterances motivated more for a vote than true reform (to paraphrase your sentiments).
You have asked me to call your office in July or August to schedule a time to meet with you and the group of home school educators. At this meeting we will discuss and prepare for our meeting with the bipartisan group of legislators. This will be a brainstorm session to discuss the a la carte options we currently use in educating our home school high schoolers.
The irony is that while most educational entities are requesting face time with legislators to request funds, and more funds, you are offering us face time with legislators to share our shoestring a la carte methods. Thank you for this opportunity.
Our children's education is dependent upon parental involvement rather than on funding. This fact stands strong regardless of whether your child is home-schooled or attends a public school, private school, or charter school.
I thought you might find this to be of interest. Currently the Home School Legal Defense Association is most concerned with a bill named: House Bill 2317. You can find more information on this bill from http://www.hslda.org/cms/index.php?q=bill/house-bill-2317-revises-pennsylvanias-home-education-statute.
Elliot Ko, Legal Assistant to Dewitt T. Black, III, Esq, is a man with whom I’ve been in contact from the Home School Legal Defense Association. He writes, "Pennsylvania has what is probably the 2nd toughest homeschool law in the country (after New York). Studies, however, show that homeschoolers perform equally well in states with low regulation as they do in states with high regulation. (See, e.g., http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200908100.asp.) In many ways, therefore, Pennsylvania’s homeschool law is really “behind the times,” if you will, and we would really like to see it improved. (You can compare Pennsylvania’s homeschool requirements to other states’ homeschool requirements at http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp.) House Bill 2317 would be at least one step in the right direction.”
Thank you also for looking into the difficulties your home school families in the West Chester School District are experiencing with enrolling their homes school students in technical schools such as CAT. In the Chester and Berks’ school districts many homeschoolers are allowed to enroll in technical schools as homeschoolers. It seems in West Chester there are some educators who only want this to be available to public school students. This proves that not only money but sound thinking is scarce these days. I appreciate your willingness to look into this situation. I pray for the families involved that the tide will change.
Blessings on your week and sometime in mid June , as you suggest, I will call to schedule another conversation. I am hoping to surround your round table with good folk.
Sincerely,
Lynne T. Burkholder
Wife of one great man,
Mother of six wonderful children,
Lover of learning,
Seeker of truth and always a great dialogue...
