Political asylum for…homeschooling?
Many people don’t know that homeschooling is illegal in Germany. It seems absurd that a developed, democratic nation would ban homeschooling outright, yet it is true. The draconian Deutschland laws actually date back to the Nazi era when the government wanted complete control in how children were educated indoctrinated (thus making this a case in which Godwin’s Law doesn’t apply).
A German couple who wanted to homeschool found out the hard way that Germany still intends to enforce this law. Persecuted by German authorities, they fled the country for America back in 2008. Now it looks like they might be granted political asylum:
In what could be a major international embarrassment for Germany a federal immigration judge in Memphis Tennessee is expected to rule this Wednesday on the political asylum case of the Romeike family who fled persecution by German authorities over homeschooling in August 2008.
“The persecution of homeschoolers in Germany has dramatically intensified,” said HSLDA staff attorney Michael P. Donnelly. “They are regularly fined thousands of dollars, threatened with imprisonment, or have the custody of their children taken away simply because they choose to home educate.”
It’s for these reasons that the Romeikes fled Germany and with the help of HSLDA filed for political asylum in the United States.
Uwe Romeike, a music teacher, and his wife Hannelore, have five children. “The freedom we have to homeschool our children in Tennessee is wonderful. We don’t have to worry about looking over our shoulder anymore wondering when the youth welfare officials will come or how much money we have to pay in fines,” said Mrs. Romeike.
“We left family members, our home, and a wonderful community in Germany, but the well-being of our children made it necessary,” said Mr. Romeike.
“If the political asylum application is granted it will be the first time America has ever granted political asylum to Christian homeschoolers fleeing from German persecution,” said Donnelly.
Pray for the Romeike family that they might be able to be the primary educators of their children in the manner in which they choose.
Thanks you for making me aware of this situation in Germany. I well understand this family’s plight and pray that they will obtain the aslum they request.
We were overseas a few years back. I had taken two schoolaged children over to be with dh for a few months, as he was working in Central Europe (not in Germany).
There was a large international contingent where we were. When it got out that we were homeschooling our girls, the reactions were very interesting.
I do not recall a German response, but the Dutch folk were absolutely aghast that we could consider it. The British were similar (and seem to be in the process of making THEIR homeschoolers miserable).
We have it very easy in North America. I am glad the US will accept the refugees! I suspect the Romeikes will not be the last.
I do not see these people as refugees. People from Burma, and the like, are real refugees.
dear writer
let me convey my idea about homeschooling
we know with that in recent years, homeschooling is widely used. We should consider which effects are caused by children or our students if we apply them homeschool. I tried to express some of the effects of homeschooling in children:
http://edulifers.blogspot.com/2010/01/negative-effects-of-homeschooling.html
Elvis,
I read your article, and I found it filled with stereotypes which have no basis in reality. I note, not surprisingly, that you do not cite any studies to back your views, but just make statements without any factual support. My own experiences of homeschooling – and the experiences of millions of other homeschooling families – have shown your stereotypes to be false.
I would suggest that you actually interact with homeschoolers and also engage in the studies which have found homeschoolers to be well-prepared to engage in society as adults.
Hello, you are quite mistaken in your Nazi comment. The mandatory german education in schools dates back to Martin Luther (he was a christian, last I heard) and was readily adopted by Prussia. As you should know, Prussia was the biggest state in the nation of Germany founded 1871, so their model was adopted.
It is also completely wrong to say that there are no choices in Germany. We have private school, religious school, Waldorf and Montessori Schools.
If this was a muslim family seeking asylum because their daughter had to partake in swimming classes with other boys, the USA would decide very differently indeed.
To the Romeike’s I say: Good riddance, stay with your fundamentalist friends, bigots!
[...] German homeschooling family I blogged about has been granted political [...]
Pingback by Good news! « Divine Life – A Blog by Eric Sammons — January 28, 2010 @ 8:57 amIn Germany we do not tolerate any kind of extremists – neither left nor right nor religious ones. As traditional christian schools seem to actually not be christian enough for this family, my only guess is that they want to indoctrinate their children with stong xenophobic values.
I am happy that our judges forbade this. We don’t allow fundamentlistic muslims to indoctrinate their children either so why should we allow Christians? Parallel societies never led to anything good in our history – so why should we help those who want to start them? If it was only about Christian values then I must say it is something the parents could have taught their children after the normal school as well (which ends at around noon in the first grades).
And just because the law was written when the Nazis were ruling our country (which it was) it doesn’t mean that the law itself may not make sense. Nobody is arguing whether it makes sense to have motorways either despite them having been built mostly to enable the war machinery to go quickly from east to west.
[...] Another German reader takes issue with my support for asylum for a German homeschooling family. He writes: In Germany we do not tolerate any kind of extremists – neither left nor right nor religious ones. As traditional christian schools seem to actually not be christian enough for this family, my only guess is that they want to indoctrinate their children with stong xenophobic values. [...]
Pingback by Average American = extremist German? « Divine Life – A Blog by Eric Sammons — January 29, 2010 @ 6:08 am[...] Why Homeschool Examiner.com Stop the ACLU RedStateEclectic The Teacher The Divine Life Home Education Magazine Educating Germany The Daily Salty [...]
Pingback by Roscommon Acres » Blog Archive » Thoughts of a secular German homeschooler on the asylum case — February 5, 2010 @ 4:13 amGerman Student~
The law persecutes those who choose to home educate for other reasons, as well. Even parents who choose to educate their children at home due to poor academics in the school, a school that cannot or will not protect their children from bullying or even health issues where DOCTORS have suggested educating the child at home.
It is an irrational fear based in stereotypes rather than experience. America has a much more pluralistic society than Germany, with far more social problems, but none of it stems for our homeschoolers, even in states where the practice is fully unregulated.