Debate on Fox News...Home Schooling

Click the link to view the five minute debate regarding regulating home schoolers to make sure they are teaching *liberal* values debate: http://search2.foxnews.com/search?access=p&getfields=*&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AS%3Ad1&ie=UTF-8&client=my_frontend&filter=0&site=video&proxystylesheet=my_frontend&q=home%20schooling

This bothers me on soooo many levels. Even though I vehemently disagree with religion, I've known many strict Conservative Christians whose children are extremely intelligent regardless of curriculum being used. Their children have gone off to college or are working now and *successful* (whatever the heck that means...which varies from person to person). One very religious woman that I know has a son, 15 years old, that is taking Calculus classes at PJC. They are YEC's but I know for a fact that they are being taught evolution...be it a very one-sided teaching of it though and yes, they are being taught that women are subservient and all that jazz...but, regardless, most are receiving the basics and more.

At issue as well, is the fact that they are leaving out an entire growing segment of home schoolers...secularists, like myself. I went through the Public School system and as far as evolution is concerned, it is not by any way taught in-depth. In my possession now are several high school and middle school texts that I picked up from a book depot in Milton for free...evolution is BARELY touched upon!

I felt like Mercedes was speaking through her rear-end with comments about home schooled children being *isolated* and unable to adapt to society, what a freakin' crock. As though no children in public schools have problems in society, or as if every public schooled child is outgoing and extroverted. Puhleaze! Same goes for home schooled children, many are extroverted and outgoing, some aren't...big deal. I suggest that anyone who thinks home schooled children are somehow unable to adapt come to a home school gathering and watch the children interact with each other. When we go somewhere in which there are children that mine haven't met? They don't stand their shivering in fear of interacting with other children, and they do not lack conversational skills either.

As far as learning exactly what children in public school are learning, well, I disagree with that also and do not feel that anyone should be told what they have to teach their children. Education is not something that only the schools can provide, nor should learning be limited to textbooks...many of which are dull, dry, and boring. Personally we use a lot of *living* books, the internet, television, conversations, etc. to *educate* our children.

Yes, there are probably some parents out there doing their children a disservice BUT, until the public schools clean up their act, proponents of them have no right to point their fingers at home schoolers and tell them what they should be doing/teaching. Many children in public schools are left behind, and coming out of them barely literate. The drop-out rate for Blacks and Mexicans is astounding at 45%-50%. A few months ago Newsweek or one of the major news magazines had an article regarding how college freshman have to be TAUGHT how to think for crying out lout. Perhaps they should be more concerned with that than with meddling in the home schooling community.

I am so thankful that in Florida, we can pretty much decide for ourselves what and how to teach our children without "Big Daddy" watching over us.