Mommy Life – Growing outrage at Michael Pearl and his response to child’s death
I think it’s a scandal when a man who last year raked in 1.8 million from Christian parents sincerely seeking to improve their parenting skills is revealed to be a man of pride, arrogance, and contempt for others.
Michael Pearl himself escalated this into a scandal by his reaction to criticism, which revealed his true heart.
Come, Weary Moms! – Child Discipline or Child Abuse?
Much of this is the result of very misguided or overwhelmed parents trying to implement “Biblical” discipline in their homes. THIS IS NOT BIBLICAL DISCIPLINE AND IT MUST STOP! As compassionate Christians and as a home schooling community, we must have ZERO tolerance for abusive parenting. If we seriously want to preserve the abundant liberties we enjoy as home schooling families, we’re going to have to make sure that our movement is not characterized by such aberrant behavior.
thatmom.com – so does Michael Pearl bear any responsibility for the death of Lydia Schatz?
Michael Pearl’s ideas have consequences. He told his readers that he recommended that children be disciplined with a piece of 1/4″ plumbing supply line and that the Bible says it is to be used on the back, which he defines as “anywhere from the shoulders down to the feet”, even telling parents that “the small of the back down to the thighs is the most effective.” Lydia Shatz received just such a beating before her death; her sister received kidney damage as a result of the same method of “child training.”
Don’t tell me Michael Pearl bears no responsibility.
Comment at PATH – Mimi Rothschild
Often we can know more about someone from what they do not do. In this case, I have read no statement from the Pearl’s about the tragic loss of Lydia Shatz and the injuries sustained by her sister. By failing to do so weeks after the child’s death, they display a callousness and lack of love that is repulsive to me.
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I hope that the Christian homeschooling community will continue to speak out against this outrageous teaching and its founders so that no more child suffer as Michael and Debi Pearl’s twisted heresy.
Contending with the Culture – Tragedy in a homeschooling family
The parents must answer for what they have done. And those who taught them that this was an acceptable manner of discipline must answer for what they have taught.
Tags: advocating abuse, child abuse, Christian homeschooling community, Lydia Schatz, Michael Pearl, No Greater Joy, Pearl scandal, To Train Up A Child
Most reader know I have strong opinions about how the term ‘homeschooling’ is used – it is a matter of maintaining our distinctiveness. This piece from the Little Rock Homeschooling Examiner fumbles around with ‘homeschooling.’
The Arkansas Virtual Academy, located in Little Rock, is accepting lottery applications for the 2010-2011 school year.
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This is a huge benefit as local school districts are not mandated to provide services to homeschool children.~~~
Students do the learning at home, but it is rigid and inflexible like a number of traditional public schools.
To the writers credit, she does explain the ARVA’s “downfalls.” However, why not just say that enrolling in a public school is just that – public schooling?
Tags: Arkansas Virtual Academy, Distinctiveness, homeschooling, public school, state benchmark tests
Science as Homeschool Culture.
Jenny Lynn schmidt writes the “Adventures in Homeschooling” blog on Psychology Today’s website. Her March post is a story about science in her homeschool:
I am exhausted. Today was Science Co-op. Science Co-op tends to wear me out, but I love it. I confess that I am an artsy-fartsy science geek posing as a suburban homeschool mom. Long ago when I was eight, I had dreams of being a lab-coated mad scientist, mixing chemicals together, exploding things and being on the cutting edge of something. Lack of a systematic temperament and intense math skills unfortunately made that hope unrealistic, but my interest remained, and now every week at Science Co-op I get to pretend, which is almost as good and probably more fun.
Read the article here.
Tags: homeschool science, Jenny Lind Schmitt, Psychology Today, science geek
You have probably read the text of Michael Pearl’s Laughing Note on Facebook, “It has come to my attention that a vocal few are decrying our sensible application of the Biblical rod in training up our children. I laugh at my caustic critics, for our properly spanked and trained children grow to maturity in great peace and love”
The content of the fb Note is significantly different than the website statement Neither bother to mention Lydia Schatz’s death – no mention, no sadness, no remorse.
Some reaction:
Mommy Life – Michael Pearl laughs at his critics, no apologies for dead children
What an arrogant man! As a mother of 12, ages 9-41 (all very accomplished and emotionally healthy) and grandmother of 12 (all homeschooled), I laugh at Michael Pearl that he finds the world divided into those raised according to his rigid program and those raised with grace (failures all, in his eyes) .
But I’m not laughing that so many people have been fooled into believing this is a good Christian leader. Not a word of remorse about the plumber tubing! Not a word of remorse about two dead children!
For shame!
No Longer Quivering – No Laughing Matter: Michael Pearl & His Chicken Mock Critics
Holy shit! ~ I am having difficulty finding words to express the anger ~ the fury ~ which I felt rising up within me as I read Pearl’s utterly preposterous claim that children raised according to his methods will be sharing the message of God’s love. Pardon my French, but ~ WTF?!!
Quite Garden – Michael Pearl Responds
His closing zinger:
“Even my chickens are laughing . . . well, actually it more like cackling, because they just laid another organic egg for my breakfast and they know that it was that same piece of 1/4inch plastic supply line that trained the dogs not to eat chicken….”
I’m not kidding. That’s an apparently genuine response posted on the ministry’s blog.
Water Lilly – Michael Pearl Laughs at Critics
Releasing the… statement with its dismissive tone is unbelievable. It speaks to an arrogance that defies Christian comprehension, mercy, grace, and humility.
The content also defies comprehension, but I’m not sure my brain has quite processed all the claims made above. I will probably have to come back to that another day.
Sweeping the cobwebs – Pearl Laughing All the Way to the Bank
What is it called when you make millions of dollars advocating abuse? Blood money.
And finally from To Train Up A Child
Get your own copy of TO TRAIN UP A CHILD and find out what all the squawking is about.
Tags: advocating abuse, Biblical rod, Blood money, child abuse, Lydia Schatz, Michael Pearl, No Greater Joy, To Train Up A Child
