This is shocking. Homeschooling German families are fleeing their fatherland because a Nazi-era law still on the books gives the state ownership of children whose parents wish to educate them at home. Excerpt:
Home-schooling has been illegal in Germany since it was outlawed in 1938. Hitler wanted the Nazi state to have complete control of young minds. Today there are rare exemptions, such as for children suffering serious illnesses or psychological problems. Legal attempts through the courts - including the European Court of Human Rights - have so far failed to overturn the ban.Klaus Landahl, 41, who moved in January from the Black Forest in Germany to the Isle of Wight with his wife, Kathrin, 39, said they had no option but to leave their home, friends and belongings in order to educate their five children, aged between three and 12, legally and without fear. 'It feels like persecution,' he said. 'We had to get to safety to protect our family. We can never go back. If we do, our children will be removed, as the German government says they are the property of the state now.'
The family now live in Shanklin, surviving off savings while Landahl seeks work to support them. His wife said they chose home-schooling to spare their children from bullying and to allow them to focus on their individual interests. 'In school in Germany they expect you to be like everybody else; you cannot be different,' she said. 'If you don't have the correct clothes, like Nike and Adidas, or if you wear the wrong colour, other children will not accept you.'
Jonathan Skeet, who is British-born, said that he, his wife and five children, aged between two and 11, were driven from Lüdenscheid after the authorities froze their bank account, removed money from it and confiscated their car. The former aid worker fled in October and chose the Isle of Wight because of its large home-education network. In Germany, he said, the family were blackmailed and threatened with the loss of their children in an attempt to force them back into mainstream school education.
'It was crippling,' he said. 'When we lived in Germany we wanted to live a very inconspicuous and quiet life. But instead we ended up in direct confrontation with a very powerful state.'
First they came for the homeschoolers...
(H/T: Brussels Journal)
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Thamks Rob. I decide a little bit differently I think but for me at least knowing the history well first is very important. Constant thorn in my side issue I had hoped to decide before hitting 60 but it doesnt look good.
Steve
Perhaps the Good Germans simply failed to see the humor in homeschooling:
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE February 24, 2008
Did You Hear the One About the Christian Comedian?
By MIMI SWARTZ
"Anita Renfroe is married to a Baptist minister, home-schooled her kids and believes in the healing power of Jesus Christ. The punch line: Millions of YouTube viewers think she’s hilarious."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/magazine/24renfroe-t.html
Future German *kinder*-carriers under harassment by Naz-, I mean German officials: "Vee haff vays auf making you laugh...[clicks heels, straightens pointed helmet with a twist]"
Indulgence in narcissism is not civilization.
Posted by: Jillian | February 24, 2008 9:30 PM
Hm, what an interesting statement. I can see where you are coming from - indulging every individualist urge will lead to civilization falling apart. It would be anarchy. That's part of the problem we face in communicating with the Islamic world. Freedom, in its one word translation, almost means anarchy. We have emphasize justice, especially in a part of the world where the basic building blocks FOR democracy are lacking - rule of law, a public conscience, a somewhat open press (no one believes the state run media in the Middle East, even when it does report the truth.)
I'm not sure that homeschooling will end in anarchy, even if it IS the favored educational method of certain separatists in Idaho. That is a very tiny minority, which I am sure shrank more when the year 2000 didn't end in Armageddon. ;)
As far as the German education system goes, I do disagree heartily with the tracking system - at least at so young an age. In many neighborhoods, you end up on the track of your parents' class, regardless of you own abilities. And many children from disadvantaged beginnings TAKE more time and work before they reach their full potential. If you don't speak the majority language at home, you may be speaking it by fourth grade, but it might have taken you nearly that long to catch up in reading and writing it. By which time your school has sealed your fate and shipped you off to trade school. Not that there is anything wrong with the trades, but automatically excluding your immigrant populations from becoming doctors and lawyers and academics guarantees their continued isolation. So does not allowing them to have work permits if they are asylum seekers, or only limited work permits if they are guest workers. They will only end up soaking up your tax dollars, with too much time on their hands and too little hope for the future.
This seems obvious to me. It's frustrating to see. Entirely off topic, sorry...
To All German Homeschoolers - Come to The United States of America!
This seems obvious to me. It's frustrating to see. Entirely off topic, sorry...
Very good points, all.
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