[Tirian]

An even-handed approach in some aspects, but it is interesting how the writer characterizes a disengagement from public schools as an assault on them. ("But America's home-schoolers represent an assault on public education that teachers everywhere should pay attention to.") Perhaps the writer never studied logic in school. (Oh, wait a minute, that's part of the classical education that home schoolers use, never mind!) It is an "assault" only in the manner in which one highlights the glaring deficiencies in the other.

Another assumption the writer makes is that this is something that "should frighten teachers everywhere". Maybe it should frighten teachers' unions more interested in turf than in teaching. Our older children started public school in 9th and 11th grade, respectively, and were welcomed by their teachers. Because they were different. Because they were able to interact respectfully with the teachers, the other students, and the course content. (Our daughter was routinely mistaken as a student teacher by both students and by other student teachers.) "Send us more [of your children]" has been a common comment from their teachers, a sentiment that does not seem to arise from fear.

[blackdog]

That's precisely what happenned to my daughter too. As part of her application process to test into private school after homeschooling, we met with the admissions person who instead asked my daughter alone out to have lunch.

They came back from lunch gabbing away about geometry, balancing equasions, chatting in spanish, seventeenth and eighteenth century artists, classical music, and so on.....

She has complete cirriculum access to every grade level class.

Public schools cannot bend and flex for anyone. Too busy being "fair" I guess?

[gobucks]

"Maybe it should frighten teachers' unions more interested in turf than in teaching."

I agree it was a relatively weak statment in an otherwise bold article. Your suggestion is better. Were you home schooled?