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The following is my reply to the writer:

Darren Rovell,

My name is XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. I am a USAF pilot in the XXX AW which has the worlds only ski-equipped aircraft in the world. We fly the international scientific community around the polar regions of the globe to further the scientific knowledge base of the world in a multitude of areas. Though a Military unit, we are the only ones with the magnificent LC-130H aircraft which is a standard C-130 with the worlds largest set of skis for landing on snow.

I am a father of 5. We home school. And I am sure by this statement alone you might think I am looking for a fight with you, I am not. But I do wish you to think through statements like the one you posted recently. And I quote:

“Stay away from home-schooled kids. It goes without saying that these kids don't get out of the house much. There are 34 home-schooled competitors in this year's bee, including speller No. 142 Jack Ausick and speller No. 217 Benjamin Zachary Walter. The first home schooler won in 1997 and others followed, including Lala in '99 and Thampy in 2000. But kids that actually interact with other children at school have won three out of the last four bees.”

I simply have to ask what influences are you listening to that you come to this conclusion? I will be the first to admit to you that my children are NOT the universal home school standard. But they are “out of the house” quite a bit. It would seem that a good part of my income is spent in the taxi business to support it all. Ball Games, Clubs, recitals, music functions, church functions, club functions, Programs on my base for youth, programs with 4 H. And the list goes on and on and on.

We have to apply your line of logic to the world to see if it would stand the test of reality. After all, if these kids don’t get out much it stands to reason that they would be social misfits, would it not? Seems that Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Lincoln turned out alright. I would imagine we need to be concerned with socialization so that people could do their jobs well. You know, like George Patton or Doug MacArthur. We would not want the best of our Generals in WWII to be home schooled in that way, would we? But they were. No, not ALL of their education is home school, just like not all of my children’s education is home school. They may attend High School, they may not, but they will go to university, Just like the others did.

There is definitely a block of people out there who know little of home schooling or of how it is done. You need to be honest and ask what their frame of reference is. Like mine, it was Public School all the way, complete with recess, school busses, Home Ec, Gym, Proms, School Dances and walks across the stage for awards, Band nights or the final one called Graduation. Truthfully is not all bad, but it seems to never bring up the negatives, its just how it was. That’s a frame of reference new to us. Formalized public school is recent history. You and I went through it. Today it is a system with a lot of VESTED interest in it staying the way it is. Unions, Politicians and others demand we know only them in control of it. While I am not trying to debate it with you I simply want you to see that very real reasons exists for why parents like me Home school. Start schooling by 8:30 AM and end by 1:00 PM and achieve more scholastically than their counterparts in the public system. What to do with that time? Use it. Go places, do things, be involved, get the hands on experience that you would not have sitting in a classroom. Be at home with family or out with friends “socializing”.

I think you have been lead down the path of those who know little to nothing about home schooling. I wish you to learn a little more before making such a blanket statement. I have flown around the world as a USAF pilot, seen many cultures and have experienced many different things, but one thing universal to all of them is that the best children of those societies are the ones with involved parents who do more than just raise kids, they parent them, teach them and motivate them. Yes, there are some parents who have no business home schooling their kids, but they have choices too, like on-line virtual schools so that courseware and syllabus can be done for that parent who does not know how or fears making mistakes. There are other ways as well. They deserve the right and respect to have cared enough to want more than the one-size-fits-all school to a lower-common-denominator government answer. Teachers today have my respect and admiration. They are often great people working against a rising tide of problems that hand cuff them from doing a lot of things they wished they could do. Say something wrong and they are in trouble, discipline wrong and they are in trouble, can’t speak to some parents who’s little “angel” could do no wrong all while working within a system that oft-times is broken from the TOP down. They have my respect, but this does not mean I have to send my children there.

I invite you to look at the list of home schooled folks attached at the end of this letter as well as follow the link to an article you may find interesting on the subject.

I would be glad to make myself available to you for any questions. In the meantime, go Red Sox and do it again New England Patriots!

Regards,

Documented in the book, Home Schooling: The Right Choice, by Chris Klicka

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