I've seen the good, the bad, and the indifferent. And the flat out ugly.

The worst of the bad I ever saw was a couple who had significant *coughs* "cognitive challenges". They homeschooled thier kids, but decided to send them to the highschool I went to. I'll be blunt- the parents were clinical morons, and the kid shouldn't have been trusted with anything dangerous unless closely monitored. They figured he was going to be a brain surgeon or something, so they raised hell with the school when the formal tests showed he was less than average. Good football player, though.

The good, that's easy- one parent is literally a rocket scientist (retired becuase he didn't want to work on ICBMs), the other is poet and painter. Thier kids... wow, I rarely feel dumb around anyone.

And everything in between. The vast majority of it is indifferent, becuase there REALLY is an art to teaching, and most people (including a lot of teachers, sadly) don't have it.

The real problem with homeschooling, and this is not aimed at anyone, is how well schooled are the parents? And I don't mean just what courses you took, but did you understand it well enough to teach it? I really think that home schoolers should go to a high school with other kids, and not just for socialization reasons. I mean, how many of us remember how to work a square root (or a cube, or 4th, or nth) without useing a calculator or tables? Or know a second language well enough to teach it (this one only counts for Americans)? Or remember what a dangling participle is?

Then again, I buy used text books on ebay and albris and in yard sales becuase they are good reading, and still use a sliderule and tables. *shrugs* I might not be the best judge of normal.

I think the thread is evolving, much like life.

I truly feel that as a parent, I want to impart good values and the process of learning. Then whatever my kids learn at school or at home or wherever can be put to use in this process. And hopefully, my kids will gain some knowledge out of information.

My goal for my girls is for them to have their own businesses by the time they are done with high school. I don't care if the businesses suceed or fail, only that they try. I am hoping that they will learn the process of being a business owner through their efforts. Then if they want to, they can gradually take over my business. And if they don't, they will have the experience and knowledge to do their own.

"... how well schooled are the parents?"

Religious zealots aside (nothing is going to change them, in public school or outside of it), I really believe that any parent who really wants to educate their kids can do it if they care enough to put some effort into it. There are guidelines and sources of assistance.

I live in the Stupid Capital of America, and the homeschooled kids I've met around here are far superior to the others (of course, anything would be). One reason is that most parents just don't seem to care about their kids --- what would you call it if their kid is 12 before they realize that he can't read?

But the schools care even less. Their priority is control and getting money. Sure, they were all behind the No Child Left Behind, because it meant more money. If you really want to know what goes on in American public schools, check out Linda Schrock's essays at http://www.lewrockwell.com/taylor/taylor-arch.html
Ms. Schrock is a long-time schoolteacher and doesn't pull any punches on the nightmare of public education. She's from a different part of the country than I am, but I recognized the agenda right away. Take a peek and raise your blood pressure.

Most of the homeschooled kids around here have their own small businesses, lawnmowing, chickens/eggs, vegetable garden & stand, etc. And their lemonade tastes better, too.

Sue

Well, I've known a lot of teachers. A lot of them are there becuase it's a job, but most of them really want to teach. They don't care about power. They care about three things- being allowed to teach with political hurdles, getting the parents involved and about the kids. I don't know of a single teacher who was behind No Child Left Behind. They all knew that was going to be the death knell for public education when it was proposed.

The people you are thinking of are the people who force teachers to have certain things in their curriculum (or not to have it), or they get fired/unfunded.

The biggest problem is that to be a teacher, you need to be certified after a long period of academic and hands on education. To be the people who actually decide what get's taught and how much money goes where, you don't have to be a teacher- instead, they are usually CPAs and the like. If you have a school board that is elected, the board members don't even have to have graduated high school (like in my home town) and are answerable to no one other than the clowns who elected them in the first place.

It would be like having the people who design and build a bridge be at the mercy of someone who thinks that wood can be substitued for steel and portland cement for proper concrete, and has the power to force the bridge to be built that way. Anyone who protests s fired, and that is repeated until there is no one left but those who nod and go along, and die hards who are going to make the best bridge out of what they have.

And the worst part is the parents. I agree with you completely that if the parents don't care, it doesn't matter what kind of education the kid gets. I'll agree, I've known a lot of homeschooled kids that were top end people. And as I said, I've seen a lot that weren't. I'm not saying that home schooling doesn't work, I'm saying that if the parents don't have a clue, there's problems. Lots of them.

As for the theological component, that is still the #1 reason why kids are homeschooled in this country. Our own fundamentalists can't be ignored.

As far a lemonaid tasting better, I'd rather have limeaid. :P

I have close relationships with several teachers and I'd say you pretty much nailed it. It's the same in TX.