Judge orders homeschoolers into public district classrooms

I know that this thread is a bit old, but I've been meaning to reply and hadn't had a chance to sit by myself with no child chirping in my ear until just now.

I am absolutely against the court butting in and showing such a blatant bias to one parent due to what appears to be a personal prejudice on the part of the judge against the mother. It sounds like he doesn't like her opinions/religious stance and he is taking it out on her in the courtroom, protestations to the contrary aside. That is disgusting and certainly should prompt an investigation into every case the judge has ever heard to find out how many other people he railroaded based on his personal biases.

I was homeschooled and consistently tested years (anywhere from 2 to 5) ahead of the average for my grade level. I was definitely more interested in certain subjects than others, but I tested high on all subjects. I wasn't brainwashed with religious dogma at any point. I learned from a set curriculum that was provided by an accredited academy and they fully monitored all of my grades and test scores and provided mid and end of year grades based on my performance.

I was pulled from public school and homeschooled for educational reasons. I spent far more of first grade in trouble than I spent learning. I got into trouble because I finished my work quickly and then had such a hard time not fidgeting and squirming (or chattering) because I was so bored and tired of waiting for what seemed like forever for the rest of the class to finish their work. Finally, my mom pulled me and said she'd handle it since the teacher in the class was stuck teaching to the slowest student while everyone else waited and my mom could focus solely on me and I could work as fast as I wanted.

One popular argument against homeschooling is the "what about college?" cry. It's garbage. I got into a very good college with no trouble at all. It wasn't even a small issue.

A lot of people were initially concerned about the social aspect as well. That was never a problem and they were very reassured pretty quickly. I have always been a social creature and, in a neighborhood full of kids, there was never a time that I felt left out or ostracized. On the contrary, I was generally one of the leaders (and chief instigators) and my yard was always a popular gathering place for all of us because I was always the first one available to play in the afternoon.

In addition to all of the kids in my neighborhood providing social interaction, I was very active at my church and in our youth group. So, there was a whole other group of people I could socialize with. Again, nobody there would mistake me for being shy, withdrawn, or lacking social skills.

If the neighborhood kids and the church activity didn't provide enough socializing for me, I was also active in the local community theater. I have always been a theater geek (I'm still crossing my fingers for Rock Band: The Musicals) and this was even more perfectly suited to my interests while providing socialization with a wide spectrum of ages.

So, while I can only speak for myself, homeschooling worked out very well for me and I don't regret it at all. My own opinion would be that the judge should try being a bit more open minded and not assume that because the mom has some religious beliefs that she is mentally ill and a sick in the head menace to her children. On the contrary, she is likely setting them up with a base to succeed educationally that will stand them in good stead in the future.

This assault on homeschooling has been ongoing for many years and is one I follow closely. It is absolutely incomprehensible that the courts feel that they are better suited to judge with a broad brush what is best for every child. They've already proven that they really suck at that game!

So, this is my opinion as someone who was homeschooled.
Take care,
Cindi