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Thanks for getting back with me and, as last words go, you were right. I was a bit too quick to spout off. Besides, I started it by calling the parents stupid, a remark that could easily be taken personally by anyone agreeing with the parents and made me guilty of what I had said about you.

I do understand some of the passion you have. My reaction was based on my sympathy for the students, who for whatever reason, are unable to take advantage of home schooling. For those students, the extracurricular activities seem to me to be like a bonus for having put up with all that's bad. They earned the right to them. Home schooled students miss out on the bad stuff, but get to take part in the good and that seems unfair to those who are stuck in the public system.

It is a weak position, I admit, and the solution is probably to scrap the disaster public schools have become.

Home schooled students miss out on the bad stuff, but get to take part in the good and that seems unfair to those who are stuck in the public system.

It is a weak position, I admit, and the solution is probably to scrap the disaster public schools have become.

I appreciate your remarks and think that you and I aren't too far apart in agreeing that public education is an absolute disaster. I, too, feel very sorry for the kids who are stuck in the rut of public education because of circumstances they cannot control. But we must keep our eye on the ball and cannot be guilty of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

There HAS to be an educated class in our country in order for it to survive. Being tossed a so-called learning nugget of 'gosh knows what' from the educrats in the public school system isn't good for any of our kids. Unfortunately, because too many parent's heads are stuck in the sand, they think Johnny's & Susie's straight A's mean they're brilliant..... Wrong!

I could write a book about the horrible things kids are being taught in public schools, along with their cushy dumbed down schedules, but I won't bore you. Actually, I feel just as sorry for the home schooled kids as the ones in public schools. Home schooled kids are often made to feel odd and freaky, not to mention "unfairly privileged".

They don't get to enjoy the benefits of socialization and interaction of public schooled kids and are usually forced (by their circumstances) to grow up/mature much faster than their public school counter-parts.

When thinking about the home schooled, realize that they mostly have personal interaction with only their mother, father or siblings on a day to day basis. Kids are kids and long to be with other kids outside of the immediate family. Many home schooled kids resent the opportunity and advantage their parents have given them because they long to be like "other kids and feel normal".

Thank goodness the love of education and learning is held to such high esteem by home school parents. They are today's and tomorrow's heroes. They have to weather the tough times with their kids, fight off the state who is trying to usurp their parental authority and try to make their kids have as 'normal' a childhood as possible.

This is why I'm so adamate about public schools allowing home schoolers an opportunity to at least try out for teams/squads, etc. Everyone knows that quotas can be adjusted, if the school desires. I'm not advocating that a home schooler take a public school student's "spot" on a team or squad, just let the kid join in and contribute. And for what it's worth, you and I agree 100% in your remark: "the solution is probably to scrap the disaster public schools have become."

Amen and peace, brother!