As a product of public and private schools in Canada and the US, I think homeschoolers on FR tend to focus on the incredibly poor public schools (such as Washington DC) while ignoring the generally good (such as Oakland County, Michigan, where I graduated from high school) and great (Montgomery County, Maryland, where my wife went to public school) public school systems.
Pretty much everyone I know went to a public school. Generally speaking, few of them have any complaints. Homeschoolers on these threads focus on the sensational stories about things that go wrong in public schools while ignoring the millions upon millions of normal, productive members of society who graduated from public schools.
That being said, if I have my way, my kids are going to the British School in DC or St. Albans.
Schools have gotten amazingly politicized in the last couple of decades. Parents (some anyway) are fed up with the focus on sexual deviancy, political correctness, etc under the guise of education and throwing more and more money at a problem that does not get solved. Teachers unions and attorneys add to the decline of standards over the past 20-30 years.
The pressure from some states and corners of the media to make homeschooling a pariah-like function only add to the willingness of some to want to get their kids into an environment where parents have a say once again, and not the state.
They are supposed to work for us, the taxpayers. They forget it often.
Dear Modernman,
"great (Montgomery County, Maryland, where my wife went to public school) public school systems."
The Montgomery County schools aren't so great, anymore, regrettably. A few are still pretty darned good, academically, and a number more are still pretty decent, if not quite good. Larger numbers, unfortunately, aren't what they once were.
As for "good" public schools in general, well, what can I tell ya? My own neighborhood in Anne Arundel County feeds into what is supposed to be the best elementary school in the county. Our school district is pretty high rent, we're talking about lots of intact families, mostly college-degreed moms and dads, high incomes, high property values, truly enriched environments.
When we moved here four years ago, the other moms and dads were aghast that we were dedicated homeschoolers. They took it as a personal affront to their prized elementary school that we wouldn't send our children there.
Sadly, we're now seeing the effects of that "great public school." It appears that the school has no idea of how to deal with bright, energetic, fun-loving boys. Two of the boys on our cul de sac have been "diagnosed" ADHD. These kids aren't hyperactive. They're just regular, active boys.
It's gotten so bad with one of the children that his parents will be pulling him out of school after this year. To homeschool. It is a bitter irony as these parents were among the most hostile to us when they learned we were homeschooling.
What this supposedly "great public school" did to this child is abuse. It is criminal.
Modernman, I'm sure there really are still some good public schools out there. However, many of the public schools with good reputations actually pretty much stink, now.
sitetest