*giving false information as fact

*using terms such as “all” “none” “each one” “every” “never”

*dishing out prejudice and stereotypical opinion as reality

*intentionally wording questions so to inflame others (shame on you trolls, you know who you are)

*double standards

*telling people there is only one way to learn that is acceptable and only one way to live your life.

*boldy proclaiming that exercising a freedom to choose is wrong (but yet that doesn’t apply to things like abortion, just education. weird.)

*believing that living next door to someone that knew somebody that was related to someone that had an aunt that knew a homeschooler is sufficient experience with homeschooling.

*continuing to use tired old arguments about socialization in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary

Some one made an excellent point recently.

If you were to take some of the slanderous remarks people make about homeschoolers and inserted another group of people like “african americans” or “jews” or “native americans” or “asians” it would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

When I give a thumbs down, it is usualy because the person says something like, “homeschooling is not a good idea, it will ruin your kids, they won’t get to college, they’ll have no social skills, they’ll be lazy, etc” then they go on to describe one or two homeschoolers they have met whom they are basing their opinion on, or worse, don’t even provide any reasons for their statements.

This is such a generalization.

How would parents who send their kids to school feel if I showed up at their open house and said that Public School was a bad idea, that their kids would turn into drones with no will of their own, that at best it would make their kids average, that their kids would end up on drugs, get shot, or end up working at McDonalds most of their life?

What if I said all of this just because I knew one or two Public School families who had experiences like this, so I assumed that all Public School families were making a misake?

I think I’d get told off pretty quickly.

Giving someone a thumbs down is a way to say that you disagree with their comment, or that you feel they didn’t support it or think it through. It isn’t an attempt to censor.

If someone says something like “Homeschooling can be a mistake for SOME families…” then I am a lot less likely to give the thumbs down. After all, it does prove to not work for some families. Some parents don’t have the patience, or have financial trouble that makes it difficult, or happen to live near an excellent school with dedicated, caring teachers who their kids like and are attached to. Those kids might get resentful if pulled out, and that could damage the parent/child relationship. So yes for those families, maybe homeschooling would be a mistake, but its not a mistake for everyone, or even for most people who try it.

I have had many negative experiences with public school, and only positive with homeschooling. But I still don’t condemn Public School. I don’t shout that the school system should be shut down. I am thankful to know that the public schools will be their if I ever find myself in a situation where homeschoolig is impossible.

I just don’t like stereotypes, prejudice, and generalizations, and when people make them I give them a thumbs down.

Another reason is when someone doesn’t answer the question. A person asks something like, “Does anyone know the homeschool law in Nebraska?” And three people answer with why they don’t think people should be allowed to homeschool their kids, or why they think homeschoolers should be subject to closer monitoring by the government, or how they believe that only religous radicals homeschool. The question was about homeschool law, not people’s opinion of homeschooling or opinion of homeschool law. That gets an automatic thumbs down. And this is why “elliebear” got a thumbs down from me on this question, she didn’t answer it.

I give a thumbs down, not because I disagree with the content of the answer, but for the manner in which it will be given.

I am referring to put downs, unacceptable language, keeping the everlasting myth of ” no socialization”, or “you cannot teach everything” going, because this simply tells me that the person giving the answer has little , or no intention of thinking for themselves, or doing any factual research, but rather parrots the predominant anti-homeschooling crowd.

Keeping in mind that the answer is some ones “opinion”, even though it may be based on misinformation; which by the way is correctable; and if it is written in a respectful manner, even tough I do not agree with the answer given, I will (at times) give a thumbs up.

I cannot yet give thumbs down. this is actually why I am answering the question: more points! 🙂

IF I could give thumbs down these would be why:

–Stating something as true when it is just an opinion.

–Answers with words blipped out, but you show the first letter. I don’t think that is necessary, nor edifying.

–Making a statement that has nothing to do with the question, and is a statement that I have seen you post 10 times or more on other homeschooling posts.

I give thumbs down for subjective answers that are not evidence based. I have gone to public school and sent children through public school and we all know for a fact that the negatives pointed out by the bashers exist in larger numbers in the public school system. Really-Children need to associate with other cultures and have a variety of friends? The culture of public school punishes anyone who is not of the norm. Have they forgotten peer pressure? If a child even dresses differently they get beat up. How does that help them get along with kids who are different? They hate kids who are different. PS teaches kids to shut up and conform. HS lets them celebrate their individuality. It is the ignorance and hostility that gets the thumbs down.

Personally, I give a “thumbs down” when it is obvious that people are basing their opinion on perception rather than fact. Especially when they try to say that there is not socializing involved in homeschooling because I don’t know any homeschoolers that sit at home all day, and don’t involve themselves with other people.

Added: Why does one of the other posters think that homeschoolers are not around people of other races/cultures or having other life experiences? That’s an odd mis-conception that I haven’t seen before.

I give a thumbs down when people give obviously ignorant or judgemental comments. Saying things like, “Homeschooled kids turn into freaks” or “they never get to make friends or have good social interaction” are false assumptions made. If you substituted a race for homeschoolers, you’d see how prejudicial the comments really are!

That the naysayers who are so unable to see the other side of things and think we are insecure just go to show that they really do look down on people and are being judgemental.

I give a thumbs down when someone is uneducated and trying to say that “all homeschooled children” ……….. because not all children are homeschooled the same. I also hate it when uneducated people say that there is no social interaction…..homeschooled children are not kept in a hole in the floor of our houses!

Thumbs down are given for a wide variety of reasons. A lot of it comes from Union Workers (Teacher are in Unions you know) who worry about their jobs being outsourced and vanishing.

Some of it comes from anti-religious who view homeschooling as perpetration the myth of creation, 6,000 year old world and cloistering children into a cultistic environment.

Some don’t understand the process and buy into that socialization thing.

Some buy into the concept ME HEAP BIG TEACHER you SILLY FOOL. Silly fools can’t teach, hence we NEED heap big teacher!

The power trip mentality like going to see a doctor when you have a simple ache or pain and insiting on $10,000 in tests to make sure you are normal.

Then there are the lazy people who think everyone is lazy.

It’s an easy way to let someone know that I disagree with them. Simple as that. Also, some people are rude, childish or aggressive with their answers.