Kennedy still burns with resentment over the single "B" on her
collegiate record. After being home-schooled
from third through ninth grades, she enrolled at
Highland View
Academy as a 14-year-old sophomore, graduating with
honors at age 16. She would have completed her college
associates degree at age 18, had she not spent a year in
Argentina in a full-immersion Spanish language program.
Did I mention she is working her way through school, earning
money to pay that part of her tuition not covered by
scholarships? When I tell people I have six children, they are
prone to ask how I expect to pay to send all those kids to
college on the meager earnings of a journalist.
Short answer: I won't. The kids can work their way
through, like Kennedy does. Also, I've suggested to my sons
that they should consider matriculating through the most
elite undegraduate program in the nation, the University of Parris
Island -- qualifying them for a chance
at free travel to exotic destinations like Iraq and
Afghanistan -- and then continuing their studies on the
GI Bill. My 16-year-old twin boys are somewhat skeptical of that
plan, which they fear won't allow adequate opportunity in
their preferred fields of study, girls and cars.
Bragging on one's children is an especial joy when the kids are
home-schooled, since Kennedy's achievements reflect credit
on her mother, who spent seven years teaching our daughter
at the kitchen table.
The success of home-schoolers is a refutation to the arrogance of
a government education bureaucracy that is prone
to assert, with the self-righteeous authority of
official expertise, that my kids and the estimated 1.5 million
other home-schooled students in America are being deprived of
something useful. My only regret is that more children
are not similarly deprived.
Since I only skimmed the
Department of Homeland Security's "Rightwing Extremist"
report, I'm not sure if they listed home-schoolers among the
looming domestic terror threats, but at least one prominent
anti-government radical is a proud home-schooling dad.
Wayne Allyn Root was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential
candidate and when I saw him last month at the Georgia LP
convention, Root spent most his time bragging on his
home-schooled 17-year-old daughter Dakota, a black belt in
martial arts who also
competes in international fencing:
Dakota has been in the sport only four years, but she is
considering attending college at Ivy League fencing powerhouses
such as Harvard and Columbia as well as Duke, Northwestern and
Notre Dame. There appears to be reciprocal interest. . . .
She has achieved scores of 2,240 on the Scholastic Achievement
Test (Dakota still hopes to break 2,300) and 31 on the American
College Test. . . .
Last November she traveled to Germany and Austria for
16-and-under World Cup tournaments. Dakota fenced especially well
in Germany, making the fourth round of pool play.
Showing that performance was no fluke, Dakota in April won
under-19 epee at the Pacific Coast Championships in Long Beach,
Calif. She was second in the senior epee, which was open to all
ages.
That's a head-turning rise through the ranks for a relative
newcomer. It's also a rise that could continue, perhaps even to
the Olympic Games, with 2016 as the likely target.
Congratulations!!
To your daughter, your wife, and you. I think the home schoolers
will be our next wave of national leaders in business and
politics. They will not be constrained by the Political
Correctness of our public education.
I think a special consideration should be made to Samuel
Blumenfeld who first proposed "Home Schooling" many years ago. He
was quite prescient.
I could not help but notice but with the name of Kennedy McCain,
did she get a lot of funny looks during the Illegal Immigration
debate?
Sometimes, it goes without saying ...... but you are a good man
(other) McCain.
Sean| 5.24.09 @ 12:31PM
If your sons rely solely on the GI Bill for college warn them
that they will be at the mercy of inept government bureaucrats.
All of my brothers and sisters have paid for college ourselves.
My youngest bother is relying on the GI Bill after serving in
Afghanistan and it has been nothing but a headache for him as
they cut off funding reinstate funding so on and so forth.
Supposedly it soon will get better. I think we would serve our
veterans better with just giving them a cash bonus after they are
done serving. We would probably end up saving taxpayer money
cutting out the middleman.
Jim| 5.24.09 @ 5:27PM
What a fantastic commentary. All too often we sell our children
short. Challenge them and they will amaze you at how well they do
while exceeding every imaginable expectation. Well done!
On a side note, why is it that it is okay to be competitive and
challenge children on the field or court but not okay in the
classroom. In other words, in sports, the bar is set high and not
everyone can play; but, in the classroom, standards are set so
low as to not hurt anyone's feelings.
Hunter Baker| 5.24.09 @ 7:16PM
R.S. McCain, I had no idea you were the homeschooling type. Good
on you and your family, sir. I'm glad to hear it has gone well.
Dave| 5.24.09 @ 10:43PM
Yes, let's praise Wayne Root. A man whose occupation consists of
scamming desperate sports bettors with not a whit, wisp or shred
of evidence he can handicap. Yes, let us all praise Wayne Allyn
Root.
Rod Stanton| 5.25.09 @ 6:16AM
I think USD (aks MCSD) may be better. But then I'm from the West.
Same local as G. Patton actually.
But all who wear/wore the Glob + Anchor are the best! BAr none!
ruth| 5.25.09 @ 10:21PM
Congratulations to you and your family, RSM. You have good reason
to be proud.
Basil Plumley| 5.24.09 @ 11:12AM
Congratulations!!
To your daughter, your wife, and you. I think the home schoolers will be our next wave of national leaders in business and politics. They will not be constrained by the Political Correctness of our public education.
I think a special consideration should be made to Samuel Blumenfeld who first proposed "Home Schooling" many years ago. He was quite prescient.
I could not help but notice but with the name of Kennedy McCain, did she get a lot of funny looks during the Illegal Immigration debate?
Sometimes, it goes without saying ...... but you are a good man (other) McCain.
Sean| 5.24.09 @ 12:31PM
If your sons rely solely on the GI Bill for college warn them that they will be at the mercy of inept government bureaucrats. All of my brothers and sisters have paid for college ourselves. My youngest bother is relying on the GI Bill after serving in Afghanistan and it has been nothing but a headache for him as they cut off funding reinstate funding so on and so forth. Supposedly it soon will get better. I think we would serve our veterans better with just giving them a cash bonus after they are done serving. We would probably end up saving taxpayer money cutting out the middleman.
Jim| 5.24.09 @ 5:27PM
What a fantastic commentary. All too often we sell our children short. Challenge them and they will amaze you at how well they do while exceeding every imaginable expectation. Well done!
On a side note, why is it that it is okay to be competitive and challenge children on the field or court but not okay in the classroom. In other words, in sports, the bar is set high and not everyone can play; but, in the classroom, standards are set so low as to not hurt anyone's feelings.
Hunter Baker| 5.24.09 @ 7:16PM
R.S. McCain, I had no idea you were the homeschooling type. Good on you and your family, sir. I'm glad to hear it has gone well.
Dave| 5.24.09 @ 10:43PM
Yes, let's praise Wayne Root. A man whose occupation consists of scamming desperate sports bettors with not a whit, wisp or shred of evidence he can handicap. Yes, let us all praise Wayne Allyn Root.
Rod Stanton| 5.25.09 @ 6:16AM
I think USD (aks MCSD) may be better. But then I'm from the West. Same local as G. Patton actually.
But all who wear/wore the Glob + Anchor are the best! BAr none!
ruth| 5.25.09 @ 10:21PM
Congratulations to you and your family, RSM. You have good reason to be proud.