Reply #90: I have to point out

[LWolf]

that your "two cents" simply points up the justification for requiring that teachers be certified. While there are some parents that are able to provide a positive education through home schooling, that is not true for all. The only way to make sure that all children have equal access to education is to make sure that they have qualified teachers. Not all home-schooled children are taught by your grandchildren's parents.

I'm a teacher certified in two states, one of them California. I could do a much better job educating kids, at least through middle school, at home than in my own public school classroom. That's not a reflection on the teacher, but on the factory model that structures public schools. Drop class sizes to 15 or less, make classroom bigger and more comfortable, and the daily schedule and curriculum more flexible, and you'd see really different results in public school classrooms as well.

If public schools were learning centers rather than curriculum factories, we'd all be better off. I'll be watching this particular ruling play out with interest. If I were a home-schooling parent, I would start advocating that public schools provide the positive benefits of home-schooling, if that option is no longer "on the table:" small class size, comfortable settings, flexible schedules and curriculum. It's an opportunity to work to bring the benefits of home schooling to the rest of the nation's students.