It's scary. Focus on the family did a good radio program about it today.

wow thats crazy talk. hopefully one day ill make that list of famous homeschoolers haha

"The HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) is working it's magic," No pun intended?

Even though I'm an atheist, I think people deserve the right to teach their children if they want to instead of sending their children to public schools. I go to a secular private school. Reminds me of what Dr. Michael Behe said on Flock of Dodos "I don't care, my kid's are in private schools." Unless homeschooling usually doesn't offer the education required to get into good universities, but there are a lot of universities in the world for them, I don't see why they would have a problem getting into one. In my school math gets pretty crazy, and I can't imagine my parents teaching me how to solve the problems I get. Here's a problem I got today (5th day of senior year): x^7 - 20x^5 + 2x^4 + 64x^3 + 40x^2 - 128 <= 0 (express domain in interval notation)

I don't know how this problem can be applied to anything, but I learn in school and problems like these are likely to be on the SAT or whatever. Have you done the SAT, did you not have to do it to get into the university you're in if you're in one?

or did you*

WOW, I waqs homeschooled in CA, as was my bro and sis... but even then we had to be part of a "home-schooling group" which took all the state standard tests...

Education is and always has been the job of a parent, but the goverment wants to train uup you child "in the way he should go" instead of you. Even people who take their kids to school each day are realizing that that moust also teach their own kids.

I will not shirk my responsibility when my time to teach comes, and Lord willing I hope I will not be a criminal because of it, but I hold teaching about the God YHWH as more important then the laws of a single country. I gues this is easier for me to say now that I am completely out of what is comonly call Chrisitanity, but I serve the One true SOn of God Jesus, and will follow Him down His path even if it leads to jail, whether that be sooner or later.

Yep, I took the SAT. If you're homeschooled you have to in order to get into universities. I scored pretty high so I got in everywhere I applied.

And I thought about it for a while and I still can't understand how "The HSLDA is working its magic" is a pun.

I think there are several way to look at this. Public education insures a certain level of education across the board, and private education usually exceeds that level or it can be grossly below it, I've seen both. The idea is to insure that all recieve the best education possible, and I think that in this day and age it should be publicly sponsored. I realize how you feel about this, but the world isnt going backwards and those that want it to usually dont make it very far. We need to make public schools work.

We need to make public schools work.

At the price of freedom? And free-thinking? I'd rather try to make the world go backwards and get nowhere than accept a form of education that doesn't educate.

I don't think it's right that they are trying to do that to the homeschooled children in California, but if parents are dead-set to homeschool their children, having teaching credentials, which aren't terribly hard to get, can only make it better in the long run.  Or maybe that's just naive thinking.  Best of luck to you.

First of all I just found out that the home-school group in that case was the same one our family participated in and my mom was the high school counselour for many year swith... Sunland Christian school....

as for the other question it is that The true believers have a real relationship with Jesus were he actually interacts with them, and not just through the bible. The idea that God would still interact with us is foriegn to the "church" who have gagged god and made Him seem to be mute. he is not. many claim to hear Him but their lives speak otherwise. Jesus is a person and He is ALIVE!!! Being alive he acts like it

"We need to make public schools work."

Uh, and making homeschooling illegal is the way to make public schools work? You'd force parents to put their kids into a system that they don't trust, respect--when they could receive a BETTER education at home?

Everyone I know who's been homeschooled, and about 20 families roughly...have excellent grades and scored in the 2000 to 2400 range in the SAT's and are all at their colleges of their choice. I know one girl who's at Stanford conducting biology research in her freshman year at the age of 17...homeschooled. Homeschool is light years ahead of public education.

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm not scared.  I agree with you.  In fact, this could be good for homeschoolers all over the land.  Maybe it will cure us of our complacency. 

Anyhow, if it gets too bad in CA, y'all all just move to TX, the land of the *free*.

(leans back)

"This is fantastically interesting, dude, I return and here we home-educated lot are put on the spot!"

-- You were the first, actually to inform me of this legality--

"Yesterday, though, a fellow student in my American Goverment class sent me an e-mail for the petition."
Please listen to an important message that was broadcast today by Focus on the Family. "In Defense of Homeschooling" ... Recorded radio broadcast ~ Friday, March 7, 2008 by James Dobson & Michael Farris & others
Sign Petition Now! You can help stop this threat to homeschooling by signing an online petition to depublish the Court of Appeal opinion:
Brief explanation of the California situation by HSLDA

~Lael

i just *now* found your comment, sorry

Wheatstone lectures...i don't know if you can listen to them anywhere. they send out a cd after each camp with the lectures on it for us to have...they might have some clips on their website tho....wheatstoneacademy.com i think...or something close to that.

This fascinated me. Reading all these different comments.

youre very right about the facism. have you read hillarys book? she wants to put tv's on every street corner with government approved educational messages.

I'm not familiar with California's state constitution, but I think the U.S. Constitution would support parents' rights to homeschool their kids. In Alaska, the state provides homeschool materials free of charge and the students' work is monitored by certified teachers. I like that system.

Hello, I see that you stopped by today.  I just wanted to comment on your homeschooling article.  First of all, I am a public school librarian (please don't throw brickbats, ok?).  While I support the concept of those who wish to homeschool their children to do so, it has been my sad experience that in my area (Central PA.) that there is not an abundance of parents who attempt homeschooling who manage to suceed at it.  Often the student has problems in the public school with respect for others, or a learning disability that is undiagnosed, or problems with motivation.  The parent decides that they will "save their child and homeschool them" only to discover about a month or so later that the idea was great but the energy to do so is just not there.  So back to the public schools they go, further behind than they were before.

I will be the first to admit that public schools have their failings.  However, without them, an unacceptable percentage of the young would get no education at all.  Do you see a great movement for homeschooling in the inner city?  How about with migrant worker's children?  Or those whose parents are illiterate?  Or perhaps those who must work multiple jobs just to keep a roof over the family's head?  The public schools must provide a basic education for the public who cannot or will not educate their children.

It is not the place of the government to deny individuals the right to educate their children.  However, for the good of society at large, there must be accountability in place to see that even the children of the unable get a shot at an education.

There are many Christians who work in the public schools.  I am one of them.  I must be honest and tell you that the harsh words, broad accusations and brickbats thrown at the public schools that none of public schools or their teachers are any good is judgemental and hurtful.  Christians working in the public schools need your prayers-it may not be the same calling as filling a pulpit, but it is a calling just the same.  Without Christians willing to teach in the public schools, many young people would have no mentors, examples, or just plain loving people to have an influence on them.  Homeschool freely if you wish, but please, please....be gentle with those of us whose calling is in the public schools.

I know someone who wrote a paper on goverment-controled education...

Apparently, in the act that created it, school was for educational purposes and to "create better citizens".

I've been homeschooled as well as to public and private. I've never had as many friends as with homeschooling, so that social interaction thing is crap. Here's a quote:

"Nothing enrages me more than when people criticize my criticism of school by telling me that schools are not just places to learn maths and spelling, they are places where children learn a vaguely defined thing called socialization. I know. I think schools generally do an effective and terribly damaging job of teaching children to be infantile, dependent, intellectually dishonest, passive and disrespectful to their own developmental capacities."
Seymour Papert

I love it. <3

Anyways, awesome post.