As usual it does not belong in news - it belongs in "chat" or "personal/bloggers."
Responding to the thread:
What the original poster does not realize or chooses to ignore is the fact a school is neither evil or good, it is neutral.
Those who are chronically truant are not going to become the next wave of physicians, lawyers, teachers (gasp!) and working professionals, but instead fill the prisons.
Of course, my opinion is not anecdotal and given enough time I can find plenty of positive empirical evidence to back this as fact. But facts, as we all know, are completely ignored and eschewed by the rabid crowd of homeschoolers.
I have many students who have never missed a day of school this year. They are also the children of well-educated, professional parents who 1. are involved in the school; 2. involved in the community; 3. care about their children.
And, before the whole ‘afterschooling’ comment arises, there are not that many people in my small rural county who can understand Latin well enough to teach it. The local Catholic priest is not as versed as I, so that point is moot.
Finally, my thanks, Gabz, for your kind post elsethread. I have backed off of FR for a while and will likely not return because I go back to work on Monday. Work; where I shall help students reach their potential, enforce the rules, make them think outside of the box, and provide them with work their parents cannot help them with at home.
I wonder if it is inappropriate to ping the original poster of this thread, but I have given my word about it, so I will not. It may, in time, end back up in the hands of the moderators who will no doubt recommend we all learn to play nice and grow a backbone rather than run. I could be wrong, of course.