Friday, May 18, 2007

The HSLDA is coming...

...To my provincial homeschooling organization's conference and curricullum fair.

The NSHEA is supposed to be, "non-denominational and inclusive." Yet this year's fair is being held in partnership with HEMS.

From the HEMS site;

HEMS is an acronym for Home Educating Mothers' Support. We believe that the greatest support available to homeschooling Mothers is that found in faith in the Lord Jesus followed by the support offered by the fathers of homeschooled children. The goal of HEMS is to provide homeschooling families with resources, encouragement and edification to help make homeschooling a positive experience and one that follows the Scriptural pattern for raising children for God.


And then the guest speaker is a man from the HSLDA.

I knew the HSLDA was coming and I knew a representative would be the guest speaker. I brought it up on our provincial email list several months ago but no one seemed bothered.

But now I see that HEMS is a partner and one of the workshop topics will be The Battle for the Child. Don't gag yet, read the description first;

Canadian parents are in a battle for the souls of their children. We at HSLDA invite you to join us on the front lines of this battle as we seek to protect the right of Canadian parents to direct the upbringing of their children. Sometimes the only thing standing between us and the future indoctrinations of our children as foreseen in Brave New World are a few good men and women who simply refuse to surrender the minds of their children. In this seminar Paul offers insight into where the battle lines are being drawn and what we can expect in the next several years.


Okay. Now you can gag.

I am so fucking disapointed in the people running the NSHEA. What kind of message do they think all this might send out to homeschoolers who aren't christian? If I looked at their conference info without knowing what they were supposed to stand for I'd assume they were christan, that there was nothing for me at the fair and that they probably didn't want me there anyway. Heck, even as a christian I'm already debating my attendence. I would have no problem with the HSLDA and HEMS being invited to pitch a booth and talk to people but they've been put in a position where they seem to represent the views of the NSHEA.

I suspect my objections (emailed to the NSHEA and posted to the provincial email group again) will be shrugged off. I sure hope not though.

3 comments:

JJ Ross said...

It could be even worse, sorry to say -- right next to you is Maine, where a major state homeschooling conference last month featured a reverend celebrating the opening of his Creationist Museum as a new front for homeschooling.

(From a comment to "Favorite Daughter Peels Off Virgin Seal") . . .the Maine homeschool “ministry” [is] set to feature at its big conference April 20-21 The Reverend Paul Veit, working on his doctorate degree in Creation Apologetics and about to open a (swear to God) “Creation Evidence Museum and Training Center” in Bridgton ME.

From the conference blurb, we see he is unarguably a real homeschooler, but not one with whom I have any reality in common:
"Rev. Veit is a young earth creationist who believes in a literal six day supernatural creation and a worldwide flood as an actual historical event. He and his wife Judy have homeschooled their four children for the last twelve years."

Dawn said...

It could get that bad if nobody says anything now.

I'm getting the responses I expected though. One response was even, "It is nice to know that if they are Christian, we can expect things like caring, trust and love for our children sake!"

Pissed OFF Housewife said...

Honey please don't use The F Word.

it's just not ladylike.

*snort*

Just popping in to say hello and remind you that most of the free world spends time making fun of them.