People were asked for their opinions about the recent California ruling that renders homeschooling illegal.

Share your thoughts on home schooling vs. public education. Should the state require credentials of those teaching outside the education system?

The following reactions to the California Home School Ruling is posted on http://www.latimes.com

1. I really feel that the judge is out of his mind by making a bold statement like that. ofcourse there's no constitutional right to educate your own children, but every parent has a right to what type of "education" is being taught?! now pledge of allegiance is not allowed in school, i really hope that they take this all the way to the SUPREME court and batte it out, cos when it crosses the state lines, you'll only get more help. if anything it helps the (failed) school system in CA by having home schooling. i really feel CA is going in the wrong direction for a lot of things...

Submitted by: joshua komanapalli

6:00 PM PST, March 6, 2008

2. How dare parents keep their children from government indoctrination! Positive thoughts will be rewarded; negative thoughts will be punished. Government good, parents bad!

Submitted by: Scott S.

5:46 PM PST, March 6, 2008

3. It doesn't matter that most public schools give a sub-standard education or that in many areas children are not physically safe in school, what matters is that your home schooled child equals missed revenue for the state and that is an intolerable situation. What is even worse is that public school officials justify this position based on the "welfare"of the child; how about letting parents decide what is best for their children.

Submitted by: Andy

5:44 PM PST, March 6, 2008

4. We don't have a voucher system, yet you still pay taxes, or which 40% goes towards education. Why should the state care? Wait, are homeschoolers not being taught that homosexuality should be celebrated? Are they praying with the kids during school time? Are they teaching their kids morality which is the job of the state? Are homeschooled kids not dropping out at a 50% rate? Surely, then they are not performing at the level of the public school system.

Submitted by: Lex

5:35 PM PST, March 6, 2008

5. I agree with this. Yes, there are a lot of good homeschoolers out there who network with others and try to do the best job that they can. But there are also those with no more than a high school education who teach secondary level classes that they may have never even taken themselves (and yes, I personally know of several situations where this is the case, I'm not making generalizations!). It's not saying you can't teach your own kids -- just that you need a teaching certification to do so. More education for teachers? Welcome to the world of teaching, homeschoolers.

Submitted by: Elle B.

5:24 PM PST, March 6, 2008

6. There isn't any job in our state that is done by one and only one type of person competent to do that job. Judges come in many varieties (federal, state, municipal) with varying levels of competency within the categories. To say that a state credential is the only appropriate way of determining the competence of a teacher is absurd. Homeschooling is just one more example of the natural development of diversity when society meets its own needs.

Submitted by: Randy

5:16 PM PST, March 6, 2008

7. Public schools are often just a waste of time for students with above average intelligence and personal motivation to learn on their own -- and that is a fairly sizeable chunk of the population -- maybe 20%. These kids are just whiling away their time being taught to take some standardized tests over and over. Don't you all remember this? For some it is more than a waste of time -- it may be humiliating or dangerous. I think schools should have to prove themselves capable of inspiring kids to learn before they are given the legal right to imprison teenagers in state run daycare.

Submitted by: ridahoan

5:10 PM PST, March 6, 2008

8. We are Christians and homeschool our children (our son is 8 & our daughter is 5). However, we do teach evolution and our children understand they can be good followers of Jesus and understand that God created the world through evolution. In fact, our son loves studying evolution. Our homeschool group (which meets weekly for park day and trips to Griffith Observatory, the LA Zoo, etc.) is a great conglomeration of friends who are atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, agnostics, and even a Wiccan. This enriches our childrens' lives and education and we love it.

Submitted by: Paul Alexander

5:09 PM PST, March 6, 2008

9. So, one family is considered the standard for all home-schoolers? Then we should look at our prisons over-flowing with people taught by "credentialed teachers".

Submitted by: homeschoolingmom

5:05 PM PST, March 6, 2008

10. Possession of a teaching credential does not automatically mean a person is a good teacher. Conversely, not possessing a teaching credential does not mean a person is incapable of being a good teacher.

Submitted by: Jennifer

5:02 PM PST, March 6, 2008

11. That's a tough one. While it's a parent's right to not send their kids to a school filled with the offspring of irresponsible, neglectful parents, it's also scary to think of all these homeschooled kids who are taught to believe the earth is flat.

Submitted by: SGV

4:56 PM PST, March 6, 2008

12. A "credentials student" means that I am enrolled in a credential program at an accredited university in CA, have passed the CBEST exam and am subject matter competent in my field: Biological Sciences. What's your degree in homeschooling father? Submitted by: Ashley

Submitted by: Ashley

4:52 PM PST, March 6, 2008

13. What is most important is the student outcomes, not the method for obtaining them. Public schools were established so that every citizen could be well-informed. Private school and home school are simply alternatives. BTW my college students certainly are NOT going into teaching for the money or time off: they won't be paid for the mandatory vacation. They want to make a difference in children's lives, just as parents do. We need to ways ways to complement one another.

Submitted by: Seen All Sides

4:43 PM PST, March 6, 2008

14. Come to Texas. I love our home schooling freedom & opportunities. I was home schooled in the late eighties. Now I enjoy the gift of doing the same for my 3 children. An excellent program that I am using is called New American School. It's a very helpful online tutoring program for those of you who are interested.

Submitted by: Brandy

4:43 PM PST, March 6, 2008

15. My daughters attend the same HS I did years ago, and while it's a fairly highly-regarded school district, I'm appalled at some of what happens there. One of my daughters tells of a time that her teacher had his girlfriend in class. This same teacher seems unqualified to teach at the HS level as the classroom does not appear to be under control and he commands little respect. How can this environment be conducive to a good education? What with the shootings at different campuses, that would be a strong argument in homeschooling one's children, too!

Submitted by: Katherine

4:42 PM PST, March 6, 2008

15. My daughters attend the same HS I did years ago, and while it's a fairly highly-regarded school district, I'm appalled at some of what happens there. One of my daughters tells of a time that her teacher had his girlfriend in class. This same teacher seems unqualified to teach at the HS level as the classroom does not appear to be under control and he commands little respect. How can this environment be conducive to a good education? What with the shootings at different campuses, that would be a strong argument in homeschooling one's children, too!

Submitted by: Katherine

4:42 PM PST, March 6, 2008

16. The state does not want to take away your choice to educate your children as you see fit, they want to take away all your freedom. By saying that parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children, they are saying that human beings have no inherent rights - that the only rights you have are the ones explicitly spelled out in a government document. Thomas Jefferson warned us over 200 years ago that we would not lose our freedom in one fell swoop, but in small incremental steps. This is one of those steps.

Submitted by: Ed in Palmdale

4:40 PM PST, March 6, 2008

17. I'd say that all the grammatically incorrect posts to this thread by public school supporters (i.e illiterate graduates) makes the case for homeschooling - and disolving the public school system!

Submitted by: Save me from the morons

4:39 PM PST, March 6, 2008

18. Wow! Ashley sure makes a great point in her comment. Ironically, I do not think it was the point she intended to make. Her poor writing style and grammar just go to show that possessing a teaching credential does not guarantee that you are well-educated.

Submitted by: David

4:35 PM PST, March 6, 2008

19. Ashley - Because you are all knowing (or at least better educated and capable of imparting knowledge to children than their parents), what is a "credentials student?" Or did you mean credentialed? The ability to spell correctly, or at least effectively communicate is essential to teaching, don't you think? No, apparently you don't.

Submitted by: A homeschooling father

4:35 PM PST, March 6, 2008

20. You don't have to be religious to want to homeschool: the quality of public school education available locally is generally pretty poor. I'd guess that the average uncredentialled but motivated parent can deliver at least as good an education. Now add religious convictions (but no cashflow for private school!) and the decision is easy.

Submitted by: Marco Huesch

4:29 PM PST, March 6, 2008

21. States hinder public education by refusing demand for 100% federal funding of public education--from daycare through advanced degrees. Socialist nations do this through public ownership. But churches now privately own lots of shares of stock in corporations--so they preach MONOPOLY CAPITALISM & spport wars to destroy socialist nations as was Iraq.

Submitted by: Fed funding of public education needed

4:27 PM PST, March 6, 2008

23. Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, Woodrow Wilson, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Wright brothers, Leonardo Da Vinci, Agatha Christie, Daniel Webster, Alexander G. Bell, C.S. Lewis, Sally RIde, Florence Nightingale, Peirre Currie, George W. Carver.....yeah homeschooling doesn't work. (Said with sarcasm in case you don't get this with your public school education.)

Submitted by: AL

4:23 PM PST, March 6, 2008

24. As a credentials student having obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and as a substitute for a high school district, I find it insulting that anyone who has not undergone the rigorous training necessary to become a credentialed teacher in CA would have the audacity to assume they have the knowledge and capability to be responsible for their children's education. Not only are homeschooled children disadvantaged by their parents’ lack of understanding of learning theories and teaching strategies, they will lack the socialization skills necessary for success in their career and life in general.

Submitted by: Ashley

4:22 PM PST, March 6, 2008

25. I wonder if some of this is a knee jerk reaction to the possible elimination of some teaching positions in California school districts? I myself have two daughters in the public school system. I have no desire to home school them and, furthermore, do not feel qualified to do so. That being said, there are perfectly capable parents out there that do want to home school their children and should be allowed to do so. Some teachers don't seem to care about students getting a good education, only about getting tenure and plenty of time off.

Submitted by: Katherine

4:20 PM PST, March 6, 2008

27. We really need to push a voucher system and let public education compete for students. Hopefully it would mean the end of the teachers union and the public schools. We'd raise a generation of critical thinkers instead of the politically correct ignorant lefties we now produce out of high school.

Submitted by: Bryan Mace

4:15 PM PST, March 6, 2008

28. My oldest son is 16, a junior AP Honors student, my second daughter is 14, a 4.0 freshman, GATE student. Both go to a public high school but were launched into high school from home schooling. I still have two more at home that are learning. School at home has prepared both their hearts and minds to under take the very bias opinions of the public school environment. At home they learned to think independently rather than agree with a system of education. During Hitler's Germany parents lost their legal rights to educate their children. I will not leave the education of my children's heart and mind in our state.

Submitted by: Nancy

4:14 PM PST, March 6, 2008

29. The Home School community in California out performs the public school system in every possible measured parameter. For one, take an objective look at the SAT scores! Why are we spending money fixing something that is clearly not broken??

Submitted by: Ron S. Camarillo

4:11 PM PST, March 6, 2008

30. Okay, let me see if I have this right… Parents should have the CHOICE (right) to abort their child, but if their child is born parents should NOT have the CHOICE (right) to parent, teach, or be with them M-F 8a-3p Sept-June as parent could CHOOSE to harm child during those hours & the gov't might not find out. So, the gov't, who WON'T protect child while in womb but will protect CHOICE of parent (to choose death for child) while child is in womb, is more qualified to keep child safe once the child is outside of womb –at which point gov't deems parents should NOT have CHOICE re: child M-F 8a-3p Sept-June.

Submitted by: Hmm...

4:11 PM PST, March 6, 2008

31. If you want to profit from contracts to provide MANDATED TESTS, will you spend money propagandizing that U.S, public schools are rotten? (Think of how ditto-heads swallow all the baloney Rush slices and beams down to them.) Copytighted STUDENT tests are tax-costly. A profitable INDUSTRY exists around them. Expect tp hear MORE GRIPE-GRUMBLE--NOT LESS.

Submitted by: So many tests bought by taxpayers

4:08 PM PST, March 6, 2008

32. For Judge McCloskey to say there is no constituional right to homeschool one's children shows how far we've drifted into the nanny state. Do we need a constitutional amendment spelling out that parents,NOT THE STATE, are the primary educators of their children? We have just accepted that public education means the state has a right to intervene in the education of our children. If they really gave a s**t they would give us some decent schools.Time for every parent to stand up and declare that we will not be pushed around by neighborhood busybodies, CPS(Can'tProtectS**t), and zealots who think they can do a better job raising our kids.

Submitted by: Margaret Blackwell

3:57 PM PST, March 6, 2008

33. My boxes of religious homeschool potboilers has many instructions on how to milk public treasuries. First--become "non-profit" (ha ha) & go off tax bases. Then make "field trips' to taxpaid libraries, parks & museums. Take faith-soaked kids to "witness" at flagpoles, yelling "under God" in the Pledge, so it destroys indivisibility & SETS APART the little goblins who are taught to welcome TORTURE for atheists.

Submitted by: Tithers as tax parasites

3:56 PM PST, March 6, 2008

34. How does Mr. Duffy explain that home school student consistently outperform their public school peers? This is a prime example of activist judges overstepping there bounds. I bet this bozo has been overturn in the higher courts more often than not.
Submitted by: Richard
3:55 PM PST, March 6, 2008

35. Time to move out of Karifornia!! This state has been a joke for the last 20 years, the last straw. It will be an absolute pleasure to leave for good, leave the traffic, the outrageous taxes, the liberal idiots ruling the state and bid ADIOS baby.

Submitted by: Jim

3:48 PM PST, March 6, 2008

36. #101 (Elizabeth) seems to have missed studies that say the opposite of those praising homeschools. We do "understand" arguments for keeping children tied to parents who at least KNOW MORE about Chapter & Verse than their kids. What satisfaction we see as congregations flip to assigned lines & chant them back."We found the right place"--even if the text says God made Jews kill all who grew milk & Honey in the Holy Land.

Submitted by: Has Eliz read all studies?

3:45 PM PST, March 6, 2008

37. "ACHTUING! No parents will be allowed to home school their children! The children belong to the state. The government is more qualified to parent than the parents! Anyone who disagrees will be sent to the Russian Front! Soon we will also eliminate the evil known as private schools-- they too are enemies of the state and will soon pay for teaching children to think! Thinking is bad. Thinking differently from the state is evil! Starting next year you may only read books and listen to music that has been approved by the state!" and thus begins the second dark age...

Submitted by: Steven

3:44 PM PST, March 6, 2008

38. Bishop Ussher (a TITHE-DEPENDENTchurch employee) protected his paycheck by saying Creation brgan 3000 years ago.That's when TITHERISM shifted from being Jewish to being Christian. #94 begs for taxpaid vouchers to supplement tithers who fail to pay the enormous10% demanded by clerics. If God needs 10%, pay it yourself.

Submitted by: #93 A Young Earth = Titherism

3:36 PM PST, March 6, 2008

39. I'm a Ph.D. college faculty in another state teaching pre-service teachers. My own children went to public gifted/talented or private single-sex depending on their individual needs, not on predetermined ideology. I also consult with home-school parents and cooperatives. In the latter cases, though I do see curricular weaknesses in math and science, I also see well-socialized students (band, Scouts, etc.) performing at capacity. One size does NOT fit all.(cont)

Submitted by: Seen All Sides

3:28 PM PST, March 6, 2008

40. I homeschooled my sons for many years, am not religious fanatic, but sick and tired of the pathetic public education here. I am a Ph.D. educated in Europe,speak five languages and my sons did VERY well and still do in REGULAR schools. They had plenty of social contacts and were ahead of their classmates. This court ruling is only a pathetic attempt in the politicians' interest to keep the voting public as uneducated as possible. As long as there is -as Julius Caesar said- bread and games, people will be happy. Educated people understand all their lies, so they will be only too happy to keep the voting public as uneducated as possible.

Submitted by: Dr. P. Beck

3:24 PM PST, March 6, 2008

41. #87 is not "leftwing liberal," using the phrase as if there's something wrong with leftist policy. We on the Left want thrifty public ownership of agencies that provide things we all need daily. We want taxes to buy out owners of oil companies, electric companies, natural gas cmpanies & water companies. Imagine how much less they'd cost us if we stopped paying profits on them!!! But many churches own stock in just such companies--they cling to profits, Is that righteous & virtuous? We're stuck in the Age of Robber Barons. Move Left!!

Submitted by: What's wrong with leftwing liberals?

3:23 PM PST, March 6, 2008

42. Can we sue the government for lack of performance in public schools? We have many people that come out of schools illiterate and uneducated. If we are holding individual parents accountable, then why can't we hold public schools accountable? If they are credentialed, then why can't they guarantee a certain outcome for every student? That sound ludicrous, right? It sounds ludicrous that the government is challenging parents about homeschooling their children in order to give them a better education. Most parents that homeschool care more about their children than the state does.

Submitted by: Karri Lewis

3:22 PM PST, March 6, 2008

43. I believe in evolution but still support their right to homeschool. & many public schools are a joke. A few examples involving those who went thru the public schools. I read a letter by a woman who referred to herself as a "scarey person" when she meant easily scared. & the clerk who ran 15 copies at 10c per, needed a calculator to compute the bill, & after it displayed "150" literally spent a few minutes meditating the decimal before very hesitantly saying "$1.50." & the guy who referred to the "difference" btwn dividing 100 by 20 vs 200 by 40, & when told in either case it was five, he got mad & said, "I'm going to check that out."

Submitted by: Mark Winshel

3:22 PM PST, March 6, 2008

44. I teach at a private college, and a majority of Presidential Scholars, those with outstanding high school GPAs and SAT/ACT scores are home - schooled.This ruling is nothing but a sop to the teacher's union and the education establishment who can't prepare their students properly for MY classroom. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! When the government school crowd resumes sending "graduates" who are able to write,spell, or form a complete sentence, and who perform basic skills such as answering questions,then we'll talk about the proper education setting for children.

Submitted by: monkfellow

3:20 PM PST, March 6, 2008

45. With the California school system being one of the worst in the nation, who can blame parents who want to home school their children and protect them from the unsavory influences of public school? A teacher credential does not prove that you are able to teach. Teachers resist competency testing for their profession. School system finances are based on numbers. The more students - the more money they receive. Perhaps that's why the teachers association is so interested in this legislation.

Submitted by: Natalie

3:19 PM PST, March 6, 2008

46. Why should we come to expect anything less from our courts and state government. We live in the biggest nanny state in the country. In the late 60's and early 70's California had one of the best education systems in the world. This was in a time when we had smaller governments and even smaller budgets. Today, we have government spending that is out of control and we spend more money per student than more than 38 other states. The system is broken, let the parents fix it, not the unions, not the elected officials, or the over paid burecrats.

Submitted by: Jim Goldman

3:19 PM PST, March 6, 2008

47. "What's best for a child is to be taught by a credentialed teacher," --- I went to college to become a teacher in CA - many in the program had to repeat math 3+ times to pass the "math for teachers" class and they did it by the skin of their teeth. These "teachers in training" also hated science and had pathetic writing skills. Are we really going to hold our kids hostage to these people who manage to sqeak out a credential? Meanwhile thousands of homeschool parents are willing and dilligent in studying the topics they teach their kids. Which teacher will do a better job? We need good alternatives. Homeschooling is an answer.

Submitted by: AJ

3:15 PM PST, March 6, 2008

48. #90 equates all U.S.public schools with outhouses and says children BELONG TO THEIR PARENTS. Scripture teaches domestic slavery of women, doomed to repeatedly be impregnated to create domestic chore-performers for the OWNING father who bosses everyone around. How many religiously homeschooled children volunteer for military duty--where they can be bossed around to the max?

Submitted by: Crude appraisal by #90

3:13 PM PST, March 6, 2008

49. One further comment. I grew up in, and was schooled in, New Jersey, not California, and thus I have no experience of the quality or lack thereof of California public schools.

Submitted by: Teachers' Son

3:13 PM PST, March 6, 2008

50. What a sad day when the rights of parents to teach their own children are taken away. Are we in America?
Submitted by: Kim
3:12 PM PST, March 6, 2008

51. I read many comments. *sigh* Claims that evolution is essential to life. What does evolutionary theory produce? Science is testing, no matter how you redefine it. I happen to have a very smart wife who wants to home school our kids. My first born started reading at three. She talked in full sentences at 1.5. She can point to every ocean, and knows where her Estonian friend went to on the globe. I work with people who don't know where Estonia is, or that it's a country. I want to home school my kids. I'll do it, even if I have to move.

Submitted by: Brian

3:08 PM PST, March 6, 2008

52. I disagree with that California judge's ruling, though. He disrespected 100,000-odd Californians over two parents' misbehavior. That's not right.

Submitted by: Teachers' Son

3:05 PM PST, March 6, 2008

53. However, public schools aim for a diverse array of viewpoints oftentimes, while some parents seek to filter the world through their OWN point-of-view. Nonetheless, public schools are also capable of censorship, and have been used against Native Americans in the past. So whose rights to teach should prevail? The right of the child to learn should prevail - to learn about the world, from multiple points of view, so he or she can make up his or her own mind. Thus, I shall not take a stance on homeschooling, either pro or against.

Submitted by: Teachers' Son, comment part 2

3:04 PM PST, March 6, 2008

54. As the son of a couple of teachers, I admit that both homeschooling and public schooling have their advantages. Home schooling benefits from 2-on-1 or 2-on-2 or 2-on-3 instruction and also from the fact that parents know their kids from the very beginning, while credentialed pro teachers have to learn what kids are like and divide their attention among several kids.

Submitted by: Teachers' Son

3:03 PM PST, March 6, 2008

55. Providing for the general welfare means preventing people from starving, freezing to death or falling ill with no aid given. Public education is a form of providing instruction so people are not left helplessly illiterate--unable to read contracts, understand traffic laws, etc. We, the people, are the STATE. We are the FEDERAL government. Criticisms of civil law are welcome unless they intend to destroy the republic.

Submitted by: Meaning of "welfare"

3:00 PM PST, March 6, 2008

56. Isn't it enough proof, with California's failing public school system , that the state is in denial of their own lack of credentials? With all their claims of how teachers are underpaid , overwhelmed , and how it's the "parents " lack of involvement ( resulting in their failing as an institution), why would they not applaud the efforts of the homeschool movement? How can any parent, homeschooler or not, sit by and accept this lie? Non homeschoolers, be warned, this lie is about MONEY , not concern for your child's welfare or education.

Submitted by: MJ

3:00 PM PST, March 6, 2008

57. The idea that only a credentialed teacher can effectively educate children is non-sense. Once a credentialed teacher is tenured, their interest in teaching is purely optional. My kids attend one of the best schools in the state, measured by API scores, and there are a number of credentialed teachers whose presence in the classroom has no bearing on learning.

Submitted by: Parent

3:00 PM PST, March 6, 2008

58. After growing up in a home ripped apart by sexual, physical, and mental abuse that included one sibling ending her life in suicide, I decided I wanted better for my children. I went to public school, was ridiculed by "credentialed" teachers for not participating (because I was so tired from my home), and was invisible to the whole system. I taught myself what I know and was able to teach my daughter too. She is already at college at 16, is #1 in her classes, and is in line for a full ride scholarship. Public school did NOTHING for me and I did everything for my daughter.

Submitted by: Product of Public School

2:56 PM PST, March 6, 2008

59. (cont) We will not stay on top of enterprise, if we continue to diminish children into institutionalization (which is what public schools are). My children who are homeschooled get to live and see the real world and are not closed up in a box all day being drilled with dribble from government workers. I'm so thankful for that.

Submitted by: Karri Lewis

2:55 PM PST, March 6, 2008

60. (cont) They are TOLD what they need to know and if their gift doesn't fit then too bad. The American history of the public school system was to create people who did what they're told in the industrial age. This seems archaic and dated now and puts us at a disadvantage in the industrial age. A very dangerous thing to a democracy, in my opinion. We need more creative, free thinking people in business. (cont)

Submitted by: Karri Lewis

2:55 PM PST, March 6, 2008

61. You people with your negative comments, please keep it to yourselves! Take a minute to think how your words are making my family feel. They are not bad parents and they have always done their best to teach us what they feel is right. Make sure you know what you're talking about when you say that my parents were convicted of child abuse. That is NOT true! And in regards to my mother's education, just because you don't finish high school doesn't mean you are an idiot and that you do not have the ability to teach others.

Submitted by: Cristina Long- Oldest of Long Children

2:54 PM PST, March 6, 2008

62. If Glenn and Kathleen do leave the state thank goodness. less people less congestion.

Submitted by: WAYNETANGO

2:51 PM PST, March 6, 2008

63. (cont) Do your children ever make waves? I mean real waves. Are they social changers? Do they stand up for what is right in a meaningful way? Bravo if they do, but they are the exception and not the rule. Again, why should the STATE make decisions about what a kid should know or not know? Do or not do? What counts or what doesn't? The way that I mean that it is demeaning is that children are not celebrated for their own special talents or gifts. (cont)

Submitted by: Karri Lewis

2:50 PM PST, March 6, 2008

64. Jk says stuff like "bombastic political statements." & "concealed underlying fascistic ideology." He is not likely to be called "Progressive," but he implies that is something terrible to be But "Progressives" demand less taxes to buy "Combat Combistibles" & more taxes to provide free education for teachers, dentists & doctors,

Submitted by: More accusations by #81

2:50 PM PST, March 6, 2008

65. i agree with claudia c, what is the problem with parents getting their credentials? they aren't being forced to stop. they're just being told to go back to school to brush on their skills to better teach their own children. even teachers with credentials and teachers in private schools are made to get more training after a while. wouldn't this be in the best interest of the child? that their parents or private instructors brush up on their trigonometry, physics and chemistry?

Submitted by: IDM

2:49 PM PST, March 6, 2008

66. Optomyst, I'm glad that your children were sucessful within the system. That does not mean that your children could have not done better outside the system. Who's to say that they are not just following along with what they were taught, i.e. follow in line, keep your nose clean, do as your told, etc. My point being is that the system (public school) teaches behavior and docility. (cont.)

Submitted by: Karri Lewis

2:49 PM PST, March 6, 2008

67. This ruling is a frightening usurpation of parental rights. The state-appointed lawyer is disingenuous because he just as easily could have asked for an in-home monitor during school/teaching hours with less disruption to the family. I'm sure the parents know that their children will be "exposed to teachings about evolution, homosexuality, same-sex marriage and sex education ." at some point but that they wish to control when and how that exposure occurs. Bottom line-if the kids can pass the three Rs, great. If not, then look into the method. (and yes I believe the theory of evolution is pretty much rock-solid ;)

Submitted by: Tony ByronThis ruling is a frightening

2:45 PM PST, March 6, 2008

68. JK says "backward, ignorant intolerance" is shown by comments about "right wing extremists." He expects his insults will stifle other commentators. Not so. "Conservative politics" ARE preached by many parents to their captive audiences--who may be doing housework or under-the-table paid work while they're "home with parents." How many homeschools break child labor laws? Oh--that's right--they're all "FORGIVEN."

Submitted by: Accusations by #81

2:43 PM PST, March 6, 2008

69. Some students can never be scholars but Gov. Reagan closed special schools for them. They went to public schools instead, but should never have been expected to "fit in." That's the situation now. They make trouble at school BECAUSE they should not be there. Gangs are magnets to these castaways but PUBLIC SCHOOLS are blamed for them. We need lawmakers who are not encouraging profiteering by providers of "home-schooling supplies." Mental deficiencies exist & there must be "sheltered sites" that don't expect Phi Beta Kappas to be there.

Submitted by: Genetic differences in scholars

2:24 PM PST, March 6, 2008

70. As computers multiply (with widespread use) education can have parts of it done at home, but not all. I've seen onTV the kind of teachers who create a genuine desire for KNOWLEDGE. As TV emerged, do you remember how we expected it to be a wonderful teaching mode? Then Far Right militarism came in, along with widespread PRIVATE OWNERSHIP of TV media --and we are stuck with sports for betting. preachers begging & Far Right politicians like Bush wasting taxes on war.

Submitted by: #74 What school districts?

2:08 PM PST, March 6, 2008

71. The best schools in the country -- Phillips Exeter, for example -- do not require teachers to be credentialed, realizing that a doctorate in your field might make you a better high school teacher than an education degree or a teacher's certificate. The worst schools in the country -- certain public schools -- have all credentialed teachers. Clearly credentials mean excellent education?

Submitted by: Adrianne Truett

2:05 PM PST, March 6, 2008

72. What is the big oppostion from home schooling parents to get credentialed? The law is not saying you cant home school your children, it merely asks that qualifications are met in order for you to do this. If the education of the child is so imporant to home schooling parents, why isnt getting credentialed worth the effort?

Submitted by: Claudia C

2:03 PM PST, March 6, 2008

73. Reagan hated public education. As regent, he wrecked our Landgrant colleges by starting tuition FOR THE FIRST TIME. For research, I own shelves of potboiler books that tell parents they must BUY all the stuff advertised in them--"to keep their kids safe from public education." As a realtor, I sold a house for a family where the husband bankrupted them by buying religious books, tapes, study courses, videos & records.

Submitted by: #68 Success of propaganda

1:56 PM PST, March 6, 2008

74. "Home schooling would be a great idea if the kids were getting a real education. Unfortunately it seems a lot of parents want to pull their kids out of school so they won't be exposed to the ideas the parents don't agree with..like science and reality." Hiram, you edumucate your kids in guvmint skewels, and we dumb hillbilly Biblethumpin' homeskewelers will edumucate ours in our trailer parks, mmm-kay? Geez. Talk about insane stereotypes.

Submitted by: Fed Up With the anti-HS Rhetoric

1:53 PM PST, March 6, 2008

75. #66 says she fears "STATE brainwashing of kids." Children are not slaves of their parents. The old "State's Rights" theme is here..as "Parents' Rights." States don't have rights--people have rights AND THEY MOVE. If parents make their kids ignore or deny scientific facts, those kids are a drag on all society as they argue obsolete blah-blah passed to them by Mom & Dad.

Submitted by: Parents can't brainwash?

1:46 PM PST, March 6, 2008

76. What an embarrassment the Golden State is to the republic! You see what "credentialing" public school teachers has done for the school system. How exactly does that enhance my ability to teach? Absurd.

Submitted by: Homeschooling in Texas

1:45 PM PST, March 6, 2008

77. It could very well be time to leave California. This forced indoctrination will not end here. I wish we had remained underground rather than filing as a private school.

Submitted by: 52degrees

1:38 PM PST, March 6, 2008

78. Freaking fascists.

Submitted by: Mike Jonze

1:32 PM PST, March 6, 2008

79. I do think that the public system needs to be reevaluated. Children are individuals not robots. Education needs to be individualized not canned. When teaching 30 or more children in one room the teaching has to be canned because you simply don't have the time to individualize it. I don't have the solution, neither does the government. We need to take responsibility for our children and get involved, maybe then we could find a solution.

Submitted by: Brown

1:28 PM PST, March 6, 2008

80. The loaded language in this judge's opinion reflects his bias (independent study programs are a tool, not a ruse) and perhaps his frustration with one particular family. It doesn't change the law in CA. Private schooling is legal; even with compulsory attendance laws, parents remain the decision-makers on their children's educational path. I wonder if the judge would have the same opinion about public charter schools that have independent study options? What about cooperative schools, or university-model schools that meet 2-3 days per week with homework on the other days? I fail to see any real evidence for this Chicken Little scenario.
Submitted by: Laurel in CA
1:28 PM PST, March 6, 2008

E-mail: reversetheruling@gmail.com