According to a story from The Richmond Illinois Herald, dated December 14, 2006, a student was ordered to be homeschooled in lieu of suspension. This is unjust for so many reasons.
1. There is no indication that the child was actually guilty of any crime. In fact, he reported a crime by acting on a rumor, looking into it, and handing the offending item (a pellet gun) over to the authorities. There is no public dispute over this fact. Perhaps he could have just told the authorities about the rumor and left it at that? Perhaps he is being punished for taking matters into his own hands.
2. This child is being “expelled” from school. In demanding that this child be homeschooled, the authorities are in fact expelling him from school. I do not believe his actions warranted expulsion.
3. Homeschooling is being used as a punishment. Firstly, homeschooling is anything but a punishment, and I resent the implications that the schools actions place on homeschooling.
4. The parents are devastated that they have to homeschool. If they only knew the possibilities made available to them by homeschooling, they would not be so upset.
Years ago, one of my five brothers was expelled from the 10th grade for reasons I am not at liberty to mention. Even with a mother as a teacher, he still managed to get into so much trouble that the schools had no choice but to send him home. For us, this was a relief. A follower by nature, my brother needed some time to make his own mistakes and decisions and to think. He did a lot of thinking that year.
In New York State, an expelled child was assigned a tutor, in the early 1990’s, anyway. In that one year as a “homeschooled”/ expelled student, my brother finished the 10th grade and the 11th grade too. (He had been expelled in the fall). He returned to school the following fall as a High School Senior, joined the Varsity Football team, and got a full college scholarship.
Therefore, while the student in the story may have been dealt an unfair hand, he has also been given the map to hidden treasures.
Related articles:
Making In-School Suspension Work
What Happened to the Good Old Days in School?