But seriously, yeah, homeschoolers cut down on public school a lot. It seems like we paint with too a large brush but think about this. We are generally riled up by the likes of some on this thread who, with their bigotry and votes are likely to allow the passage of regulations that directly effect us and make more difficult our chosen path. We have to be very vigilant about that sort of thing and it tends to make us counter attack with a lot of zeal. The miss conceptions about homeschooling is far more prevent and unanswered than negative things about public school. The difference is also that many of us have BEEN to public school and homeschool and are speaking from direct personal experience. We homeschoolers know darn well that not all public schoolers are XYZ stereotype. And unlike the opposite side we know because we have been there or know vast numbers of people that have been to public school. How many homeschooling parents were in public school themselves? Most of them! How many homeschoolers know lots of public schooled people? Probably all of them that are graduated and in the workforce. Most of the people I know were in public school. Lots of people come out fine. But having been to an engineering college and knowing lots of 'geeks' and 'misfits' I also know many people for whom public school was a nightmare. Is that everyone? No! But I have know doubt at every public school in the country right now there are at least a few kids that HAVE been bullied and picked on and generally are miserable. Of course it is not most of them. But why does that matter? I don't want main stream kids or kids that get values from their peer group. Do I mean that all public schoolers get all their values from only their peers? Not at all. I just mean that I want my kids to get NONE of theirs from their peers.
Yeah some homeschoolers can be a little rabid in their retaliation. But we have to. We are trying to defend a fundamental right from the encroachment of ignorants that would legislate those rights away or constrain them with incredible burdens. If you feel insulted some, know that we all know lots of nice public schooled people, recent and past and we know the problems are not universal. We just think they are 'bad enough' to justify the choice to homeschool and we are a little understandably paranoid defending that choice from liberals and socialists.
I understand what you are saying and where you are coming from, but I truly believe you are going about it in the wrong manner. The insults constantly thrown at parents who choose not to homeschool do nothing to further your case, but rather alienate people who would otherwise jump into your corner to protect your choice to homeschool.
As I said to Jen in a post to her, if my only experience dealing with the issue of homeschool vs. public school was from Free Republic, I would NEVER defend it as a choice.
A homeschooling friend of mine (her daughter and mine were on the same little league team) was absolutely appalled by some of the comments by on some of these threads by homeschoolers. Her oldest two are in college and were homeschooled from the time the oldest was in 3rd grade. Her 2 youngest just finished 1st and 3rd grade. After reading several of the threads where the homeschoolers were allegedly defending themselves she asked me how could I possibly support homeschooling when I was shown so much disrespect here. I looked at her and then at 3 of her 4 children and just said, because I know all of you.