Homeschooled girl in Germany taken from family

[Padfoot]

All children deserve the right to a basic education but the government should not be able to decide who gives it to them.  I don't mean to sounds paranoid but when government education is the only option there is too much opportunity to (for lack of a better term) brainwash children.

One thing that I'm not clear on here is the way in which the word tutoring is being used.  From my understanding after reading about the incident in several different sources, the girl was struggling in certain subjects so her parents began to "tutor" her in those areas.  When the school discovered that she was being "tutored" by her parents the girl was expelled.  Upon being expelled, her parents began homeschooling her.


To me, this seems to be a severe overreaction on the part of the government and an intolerable attempt to prevent parents from having any involvement in the education of their children.  Much of this hinges on what exactly the school district sees as unacceptable tutoring on the part of the parents.  By my definition, parental tutoring could range anywhere from helping your child with a difficult homework assignment to buying your child workbooks or computer programs so that they can do extra activities in the subject they are struggling in.  These are all things any parent should be able to do in order to help their child excel.  Why should a school object when a parent becomes more involved in a child's education when it is clear that her grades are slipping?  Why is this school so insistent on preventing parents from helping their children succeed?

Even if there were grounds for expulsion, shouldn't the school be happy that the girl's parents are trying to keep her from falling behind by homeschooling her during a period of absence?  Would they rather she be even more confused and behind in her subjects when she returns?

Also, who in the hell diagnosed this girl with a "phobia of school?"  Whoever they are they should never be allowed to practice psychiatry again.  That's one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.  If this child were actually afraid of going to school then why in the world would she?  I'd imagine that she would be chronically absent and attempt to skip her classes.  If that were actually the case, her grades would be suffering in more subjects than two.  She would likely be failing all of her classes.  And not only did they diagnose her with this bogus phobia, they also placed her in a psychiatric ward!  How awful.

Most importantly, this girl and her siblings should NEVER BE TAKEN FROM THEIR PARENTS!  This is by far the most horrible thing resulting from the entire incident.  I cannot believe that in a supposedly developed nation that a teenage girl would be KIDNAPPED from her home by FIFTEEN policemen because her parents were TRYING TO HELP HER IN SCHOOL!  And then they would have the audacity to suggest that her siblings who are all enrolled in public schools be taken away as well!  That is what really makes me sick.  This entire family is being traumatized all because the parents were trying to help their child succeed.  Its absolutely horrible and completely unacceptable.

[Padfoot]

They violate the law by being here. end of story.

So, do you support imprisonment of marijuana users?

he illegal immigration law is a good idea banning marijuana isn't.

Could we keep the discussion on the topic at hand which would be the legality of homeschooling in Germany in case you guys forgot.  I don't mean to be rude but marijuana and illegal immigration have little if anything to do with what is actually being debated here.