You guys clearly need a horror example from Sweden which is right now preparing to completely outlaw homeschooling!
http://kleviusnews.blogspot.com/
This is the same Sweden which introduced the murky concept "pathological symbiosis" (an evil circumlocution of attachment) as a means for the state to arbitrarily stealing children from parents under the false label of child protection (see Angels of Antichrist http://klevius.info/Antichrist.html?1...). As the main reason the Swedish state presents the lack of enough peer interaction (which, in fact, constitutes the most serious drawback of the public school). An eery scientifical study abt PS & its creepy implementation is on
http://www.klevius.info/pathologicals...
Sweden (with compulsory school attendancy & extremely high cost schools) scores low in school comparisons compared to its neighbor Finland (with only compulsory education, not attendancy) which scores top together with Japan etc!

And by "weird" I meant "wonderful?" =D

BigJ you don't have to agree with homeschooling or any other freedom, for that matter. In fact, I, too, was against homeschooling until I met several families and had my own children and began doing research on the topic. We don't have to agree. ;) The weird thing is, as a teacher, homeschooling allows me to use all those cool methods we learned about in college. It's really about freedom. The freedom to teach and learn with my children. The freedom to be with my children.

BigJ

Personally, the reason I homeschool my child rather than work in the school system, is that in the twelve years that I would be serving, all those years still wouldn't solve what is wrong with the educational system. The time served "might" temporarily plug a leak in the sinking educational boat, but completely fix it? Nope.

I can, however, in those twelve years, teach and prepare my child and send her out in the world, ready to deal with life.

In dealing with history, social studies, civics and manners I have found that home schoolers are mostly above public schoolers. And well educated in the non politically correct true things.

I'll repost that statement for lost...
"Hmmm.......and some adults cannot spell either..."

So very true....(scans down the page)

BIGJ learning isn't transmitted from one full brain to another. Parents don't have to understand the general theory of relativity in order to purchase a physics course. Matter of fact, you can find it here for free: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/ho...

ur lost >>> ur flagged!

I have seen some amazing results from young people that were schooled at home. They appear to be more aware of what is occurring in the world and more motivated in seeking a independent happy life. These parents purchase teaching and testing materials at the numerous available home school supply stores. They also have a tentative time line for each task to be successfully completed. Aberration is the single word I have to describe these parents. They manage to educate their children without exposure to gangs/drugs, lack of educations on morals, exposure to a belief system they oppose, and etc.
Most of the failures I have seen in home schooling have occurred when the parents were not dedicated to teaching the children or the home schooling started after continued discipline problems in school. These children basically became undocumented school dropouts.
I oppose proposed regulations requiring parents to be licensed teachers in order to home school.

In answer to the question whether homeschooling families should be tax exempt, my answer is a resounding NO!!!
Our homeschool laws are just fine,thank you very much, and if paying public school taxes keeps them that way, I'll pay them without complaint. Otherwise, there will be changes in the law and we will be academically controlled by the state and that would put us in the same category as public schools. And the statistics show that we are definitely NOT in the same category as public school children. I, for one, want to keep it that way!

I say those statistics show that most of the homeschooling families are NOT lazy and really don't need the state breathing down their necks. Those families are doing a great job on their own.

I think that people who are wanting to know more homeschooling should go the excellent website that is just for Texas homeschooling families. www.thsc.org

But here is some answers from their website:

Since my children do not attend public school, do we get a tax break on our school property tax?
Home school families, like all families in Texas who own property, must pay local property taxes. Property owners who have no children are also required by law to pay property taxes to support public schools, in spite of the fact that they do not take advantage of the programs offered by the public schools.

Does the school district have to approve my curriculum?
Absolutely not! Home schools in Texas are private schools, and private schools are not regulated by the state. The school district has no authority to approve curricula used by private schools.

What is the required curriculum?
In order to be a legitimate home school, you must have a curriculum which teaches reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and a study of good citizenship, and you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide (not a sham) manner. This curriculum may be obtained from any source and can consist of books, workbooks, other written materials, or materials on an electronic monitor including computer or video screens, or any combination thereof.

No additional fees need to be put onto parents that homeschool. Home schooling costs quite a bit as it is. So as i see it they are paying out 1k+ for an acredited homeschool course on top of local school taxes............just to give them a PROPER education that the state cannot......

I think home schooling is excelllent if the parents are totally committed to this enormous task. Lazy parents won't cut it. I think home schooling should involve stipulations from the state. I think the home schooling parents should pay taxes just like those that send their children to public schools. The state needs to initiate unscheduled home visits and make sure each home schooled child is actually being taught with proper curriculum. This could be covered by our tax payers money or incorporate a home schooling fee to cover the state's investigations of these home schoolers. Some stipulations need to be mandated on home schoolers.

Next question: Should parents of home schooled children be exempt from school taxes??

As a homeschooling parent I disagree.I believe most homeschooled children are better socialized. They have been exposed to more different people then they would have in school. Mine for example volunteer approximately 50 hours a year. This includes nursing homes, VFW and mission teams. They go to youth group and participate in home school athletics. My children have gone to proms, football games and dances.
Children home during the day are meeting all sorts of people and learning to get along with people of many ages not JUST peers.
I often hear about how people assume homeschooled children are not well socialized but my children are never told to "be quiet" and not talk to the people standing in line next to them waiting to go to the bathroom or sitting next to them eating.

But just like public school, homeschoolis not for everyone!