Reply #183: I also earned a Calif. Clear K-12 credential. It

[LibDemAlways]

was, as you describe, a long, often difficult, and expensive road.

After a break to raise my daughter, I returned to the classroom this year as a substitute teacher.
Even the lowly "sub" must have a credential in this district.

Meanwhile I have a friend who is home-schooling her 15-year-old ice skater daughter. My friend is a nice enough person, but she has no college education. She also has no interest in anything going on in the world and thinks whatever Brittney Spears is up to qualifies as news. It's hard to imagine that her daughter is receiving the same level of instruction as 9th graders enrolled in the local high school. The girl spends much of her day either at the ice rink or travelling an hour each way to and from the ice rink. "School" is, at best, an afterthought.

I realize that each situation is different, and there are no doubt well-qualified home-schooling parents and motivated students. However, that is not the case for all, and ultimately it's the children in marginal situations who will suffer. I think the judge is right. There should be standards for anyone who takes on the responsibility of educating a child.