idig

I had a theory about his panchant for the gaudy cowgir- ... er, I mean ... cowboy outfits, but that theory was blown out of the water when he married Emilee.



NO! NOOO!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Make the image go away!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

<Stands on Soapbox>

IMHO, that's an overgenrealization, Martin, and is an unfair criticism of one of the best options I believe parents have to offer their children. A "formal" education (whatever you mean by that ...) certainly does not guarantee that an individual is going to be "successful."

Are public schools a better answer than homeschooling? IMHO, the answer to that is an overwhelming NO! In my school (I am the principal of a small, private, Christian school), our 1st grade spelling list is the equivalent of the local public school's 3rd grade list. Our 5th grade English program is the equivalent of the 8th grade public school's English program. Get the point? All Homeschoolers have access to the exact same curriculum that we use in our school.

So, I'm asking you to not lay a home-schooled education down at the "It's a pile of junk" altar. In our county, approximately 1,000 students (out of a total population - adults and children - of 52,000) are home-schooled. While I do know families that I don't think do a very good job of homeschooling (and I know a LOT of homeschooling families), they are in the minority.

Homeschooling has little to do with learning about the "outside world" unless you feel that the "playground/bus education" of learning how to swear, have sex and what the latest faddish drug/alcohol is for teens comprises an "important" part of one's education. It is the parent's responsibility to teach their young people about the "real world" without giving them a thirst for the debauchery prevalent in our society. I am under the impression that Jere's parents did not expose him to much of society's evils and I applaud them for that. I'm doing the same with my boys. They need to know "right" and "wrong" and then they'll be able to look at the "world" and think "I'm not going to participate in that ... or ... I'm not going to go there, etc."

Besides, Jere can't be that dumb ... look at his business ... he's a rather enterprising young man. His fault (as I see it) is that he's still "young" and hasn't matured to the point that he is making quality decisions on a spiritual and moral level. I was "young" once, too ... and look at how perfect I turned out!

<Steps down from Soapbox>

Yikes!!

tomodori.com/phpBB2/images/smiles/cool_smileysmiley_com_18.gif

I guess that was the impression I had after reading the above statement. It seemed to me that you were saying that you don't believe "homeschooling" can prepare anyone with the knowledge they need to make them functional in society. The "Pile of Junk" bit is my interpretation of your thoughts on the "lack thereof" of the ability of "homeschooling" as a viable educational option that will prepare young people for the world.

Maybe I misunderstood what you were trying to say. Sorry if I jumped to conclusions ... I am apt to do that at times.

It hit a nerve with me, I guess, because of my dealings with state/local boards of education trying to tell us (parents & private, Christian schools) what to do. Our students, on average, dramatically outperform their public school counterparts ... and they (state/local boards) want to tell us how to properly educate our students via their onerous regulations. No, thanks. Enough running and jumping. We want to see Dick and Jane learn. They can keep their "edukashunal" system and we'll keep ours. Fortunately, we've won the legal battles ... thus far. Grrrrr ... I'll try to calm down ... ... sorry for the rant.

Yes, let's all welcome Blane and his "evilness"....