To Illinoismith,
I do not recall posting to any of your comments. Perhaps you could provide me the number.
I disagree with you.
Your carefully reasoned arguments are completely correct on an intellectual level, and I have made all of them myself many times but this isn't enough to bring about reform.
Reform will come about when parents **emotionally** feel differently about putting their **precious** child on the government school bus.
Government schools hurt children. At the moment they are failing to meet the needs of boys, possibly even actively pursing policies that directly cause them to fail.
No,,,,it is time to stop the " My children are thriving in government schools" arguement. No, they are not thriving. We have the statistics to show that boys are failing. It is not at all good for either boys or girls ( who may seem to be doing well) to witness this abuse of other children.
Also...we should reject the arugment, "My children are going to a wonderful public school". No, they are not. The government school culture is pervasive. If the government school is staffed with Education School graduates, it is NOT a wonderful school no matter how many Blue Ribbons it has been awarded.
It is time that we make government school defenders explain to the rest of us their exact reasons for sending their children to government schools that educationally and sometimes physically, and emotionally damage and abuse children. Why are they doing this?
The only excuse acceptable response is that they are so poor that absolutely have no other option. They have made every sacrifice possible and this is still not enough. They are doing it because if they didn't armed police, social workers, and court action would be brought against them.
If you want to see privatization of universal K-12 education, then parents must begin to be **ashamed** about their decision to use government schools, if they could and can sacrifice to provide a different environment.
Wintertime,
For the record, I agree with you that we need to go on the offense more often. I read through those posts on this thread, and I saw nothing insulting that would warrant hitting the abuse key.
We homeschoolers are hammered over and over again by relatives, neighbors, friends, politicians, teacher's unions, and so many others for our decision to homeschool. We've heard far worse from anti-homeschoolers than what you posted. You were criticizing the public school system and the decision to place one's children into them. When Freepers criticize homeschooling and the decision to homeschool, we fight back, but I don't remember anyone reporting the anti-homeschoolers for abuse here.
Once a Freeper cursed me out in a Freepmail. I mean, literally cursed and called me names. All I did was calmly post a message telling her that I would report her for abuse if she ever posted to me again. That was the only time I ever even thought about hitting the abuse key, and it would've been perfectly warranted in that case.
I am 100% supportive of complete and total separation of school and state. An institutional-like school setting that requires children to attend six hours/day 5 days/week is not only unnecessary but harmful in many ways.