Re: Homeschooling
Both my boys were in public schools for the majority of their school years. My wife and I were heavily involved in all their schools and were known to their teachers very well. We were PTO officers and were usually co-President. We had a few lefty nutbag teachers (before you Dems jump, read the last paragraph in this post), but our kids weren't in their classes very long - except for one, because after a short but effectual meeting with me and the Principal one afternoon he decided to stick to the curriculum and stop the ideological banter.
I've known a number of boys (I was their Scoutmaster) that were home schooled. Some did great. Their parents were intellectually capable of providing an invigorating and intellectually challenging curriculum for them. Some on the other hand didn't do so great. The biggest drawback I saw with home schooled boys (can't speak to girls since I didn't interact with any) was their lack of interrelationship and social skills with other kids. This was one of the reasons their parents got them involved in Scouting, which is a great place for boys to learn these skills, as well as leadership and many other skills.
I support the public school system. I also support vouchers so that kids that are stuck in a bad school system have the option to choose another option. I also support home schooling, if that's what the parents want.
To me, the choice is that of the parents. The resulting education is what matters. If a parent feels that they can provide as good or better an education for their child at home, then they should have the right to do so.
As for me and my wife, we felt that teaching was the responsibility of the parent, by using all the tools available to us for our children. Some of those tools were very good teachers in the public school system, with extracurricular group activities that were not available in home schooling or even some private schools.
We tried private schools at first. We were not satisfied by the results after the first grade with our oldest and the same with our youngest (2.5 years apart). We found that the local elementary school was wonderful. The local middle school on the other hand was not, and we were able to get the boys transferred. The same was true for the local high school. We were able to get our oldest transferred and the youngest was lucky enough to get picked in the lottery for the specialty high school he wanted to attend.
Like I said, we were involved in our boys schools on an almost daily basis. We sat down with them to do their homework. We didn't do it for them, but we sat together in the den until it was done, with us reading some book and them doing their studies.
We believe that parents are the primary teacher, and that the teachers at school teach the basics, with the parents reinforcing and explaining for clarity and comprehension.
That is what's missing in our public school system... Parents. Not money, but parents.
Home schooling is fine, if the parents can provide the stimuli and interaction that a traditional school provides. Without it, your just teaching facts, without any practical application.
We live in a diverse society. Public schools provide a way for our kids to learn to live and function effectively within that diversity.
I do agree that in many instances, the public school systems are a breeding ground for liberal and progressive indoctrination. By having the parents involved though, like my wife and I were, that influence can be tempered and used as a teaching tool itself, by letting the child know, that there are competing ideologies and the parents have the ability, and the duty, to not only expose the child to other views, but to be there in the formidable years to help explain the truth from the ideological rhetoric - of both sides.
And don't get me started on "Christian" schools. We tried that once... ONCE. After a teacher told my oldest son "The Devil was in his heart" because he wouldn't stop asking questions of her during class (related to the damned subject she was talking about)... and the way we found out is because he had terrifying nightmares for a week thinking the Devil was in his heart and would come out and get him in his sleep... well...