Please Support This **Update** It Passed

[Vela]

Well I have to totally agree with you guys on your decision to homeschool Hannah. I homeschool two of my children and one goes to public school. The oldest didn't want to home school so she was given the choice. All three of my children have been given the choice, and they are HAPPY in home school.

As far as the socialization they get in public school....yes that was great for my son's self esteem to be called a girl by his teacher because the red dye we used in his hair for halloween turned pink and took a few days to wash out. It was great for his self esteem to be beaten up in school and have his backback straps cut in half, his assignments stolen by the "bullies" and torn up so he failed many of his classes. It was GREAT for him to have that kind of interaction to beat him down when he defended another child who was being picked on. The school did NOTHING to help me with the problems, even though they were given the names of the children and we had NUMEROUS meetings with teachers and school personally. My son, in home school is now getting As and Bs and is HAPPY not to be subjected to the torment.

He is in a /gasp! state funded homeschool online charter school and yes, we got a computer for it, but guess what?? I pay my taxes for education, I am as entitled to use those taxes to fund my child's at home education as those who send their children to public school use our taxes there.

My youngest child is happy in home school, she has also been in public school. They have learned SO much more than they learned when they were in public school. My son told me he learned more in two months worth of home school than he ever did in public. He has teachers for each class, has online discussions with other students in his classes, he belong to the Boy Scouts in our area, so yes, he gets his socialization, he just doesn't have to have the torment and BS than can sometimes go along with public school.

Everyone has their own ideas about what is best for their child, but I think it is wrong to dictate to someone else they are wrong in their decisions, and do not have the right to school funding assistance from the government for programs available if they choose to home school. I honeslty feel my children are better served by home schooling than they were ever served by public schooling.

As sparks mentioned, they were lost in a seas of large class sizes, didn't get the help they needed when tey didn't understand, and their eudcation suffered. We can spend as long as we need to on difficult things and explain things in ways they can understand now.

Sparks and Puckstop, you made some great points about why homeschooling can be such a great thing for those who choose to go that route. I think it's great that we are able to have such a choice, whether it be for home schooling or public schooling.

[lizbud]

This is all way off topic, but I believe parents do have a right to practice
it if they are up to it. It's a BIG responsibility. A child is only young & curious
to learn in their younger years & the chance to enhance that spirit of learning does fade as they grow older. IMO.

I really believe we were blessed to have great schools (not like some are
today). Both my kids did well with the teachers & developed friendships
that have lasted through their adult years.

[Cataholic]

Vela,
My heart breaks for your poor son. I see it all too often in the public schools here, and this bullying seems to start younger and younger.

[lizbud]

Just recieved this email fron Indiana Senator Lugar this morning. Great news.


Dear Ms. XXXXXXXX

Thank you for sharing with me your support for S. 1738, the
Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2008. I share your support for
this important legislation, and I signed on as a co-sponsor of this bill.
I am pleased that President Bush recently signed this bill into law.

Any crime is disturbing, but those that victimize children are
particularly reprehensible. I believe that children are our most
precious resource, deserving of the protections we, as caring adults,
are committed to afford them. Over the years, with my strong
support, legislation has been enacted to provide our communities
with greater protections from child predators by giving law
enforcement the tools needed to fight this scourge. However, we
must continually review ways to combat this problem.

S. 1738 seeks to protect children from exploitation by
directing the Attorney General to create and implement a National
Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction to
coordinate the prevention strategies of the Department of Justice,
U.S. Attorneys, and the FBI. The bill also authorizes $320 million in
additional federal funding to assist local law enforcement officials in
investigating and prosecuting these heinous crimes.

Thank you, again, for contacting me on this important
issue.

Sincerely,


Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator

[Lady's Human]

And another bit of freedom goes into the trashcan.

[Puckstop31]

And another bit of freedom goes into the trashcan.

But you are "safer" now. It's better to be 'safe', than free, right?

[Lady's Human]

Better to be safe than free?

ROFLMAO!

[lizbud]

And another bit of freedom goes into the trashcan.

Yeah, just like laws reguiring stop lights on corners of busy roads, and
laws requiring us to pay to have our streets cleaned & the trash picked up.

This sharing of information between agencies can help stop the creeps
from abusing the world's children, I say go for it.I am so happy that a very
well respected, Sen Richard Lugar, co-sponsered the bill.

[Lady's Human]

There's a big difference between basic public safety and opening the door to more surveillance by big brother.

Funny, I remember someone complaining about a similar bill, except it was a bill which required warrants (which this doesn't) and requiring specific court oversight of the monitoring agencies (which this doesn't).

IIRC it was called the patriot act?

Oh, right, I forget, that was a bill supported by the current President, so it must have been bad. My mistake.