Isn't that just the silliest thing? Fortunately, I live in a state that tends to lead the industry in distance learning. Even though I homeschool, technically, my children are public school students, I even turn in a long term lesson plan, quarterly samples, and semester grades to our certified teacher who is available if we need help. I think that having the option of having some of my tax dollars actually help fund my children's education is important. With the sheer number of resources available to people who teach at home, the need to be a certified teacher is a moot point. So many people make the choice to teach their children themselves because their children need the extra one on one help and encouragement that you just can't expect a teacher with 30 students to give day in and day out.
To be honest, this ruling doesn't worry me, it just points out the need for people to get a little more educated about how the education system works. What has a bigger effect is the "No Child Left Behind" act. The problems it has caused with our public education here in Alaska have been wide spread and very far reaching with no suitable resolution in sight. Teaching to the test has become the rule and I know that is that way in many areas of the country. We have the same mandatory testing, hopefully I don't go into labor that week in April, as it is so important for the kids to be there. The agency in charge doesn't care why a kid misses a test, they mark it against your school.
I would think that any time you tell a parent that they don't know what is best for their child that you are now regulating free speech... I feel that I am ultimately responsible for my children and that is no one else's place to raise my children for me. As a child, I was taught not to question what I was taught in school, even when it was at odds with what my parents taught me. I still fight some of it today, like worrying about my kids scores on the standardize tests and "Is my son doing as well as his peers?"
Each family has their own reason for deciding how to best pursue a good education for their children and the only time I take issue is when people blindly hand their children to someone else to raise, distancing themselves from what their children are learning, and expecting the teachers to do all of the work. I think that parent interaction is the most important thing for a child. Kudos to the people who help their kids with their homework, volunteer in class or after school, and communicate with both their child and the teacher on what is happening because they aren't being blind and treating school like it is a daycare.
