If even only 50% of homeschooled kids are fundie pod children (and I think that the great majority are) then concern is appropriate, as is action to end the abuses of homeschooling. If even only 30% are being poorly served, or so on...then something still needs to be done.

Okay, you think "the great majority" of homeschooled kids are "fundie pod children."

Data, please. Something. Anything. This is another in a long line of baseless assertions in support of a judgemental opinion. It's wrong. It's wrong when Fox News does it and it's wrong when you do it.

There seem to be two groups of people here--those who care about kids, and those who care about their own "rights" including their supposed right to screw up the lives of their family members.

How can you not see how wrong it is to judge people you've never met based on no evidence whatsoever? How can you tell the homeschooling people here that they don't care about kids? Do you not see how Free Republic that is?

You make baseless accusations, then you tell us we don't care about children.

So, let's review. You have no evidence that homeschoolers are mostly "screwing up the lives" of their kids. AND...the people who point this out don't care about kids.

That's a really horrible thing to say. You and people like Uriel are doing a terrible job demonstrating the "social skills" one can expect to learn in public schools. I'm pretty sure public schools don't teach kids to invent negative stereotypes about groups of people they know NOTHING about.

Homeschooling? Thriving in college? Evidence? Statistics

You don't think homeschooled kids are thriving in college? Have you ever looked into the question or is it something you just feel isn't right?

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/29/e6/28.pdf

Unless you speak at least one, and preferably two, other languages fluently, and read and watch films in those languages on a regular basis, I frankly don't think that you know what your children should be learning. Of course the same may be said of parents whose kids are in traditional schools.

Okay, what "should" children be learning? This implies that you actually know.

There is one obvious drawback of homeschooling, even when it is "successful." The gulf between the very best educated and the very worst, and all those in between, is becoming wider and wider, exactly the same as the gulf between the richest and poorest, those with the best medical care and those with the worst, those with opportunities to pursue fulfilling careers and those who are lucky to get a job, any job, and so forth. Homeschooling can only contribute to exacerbating those differences.

Okay, how, exactly?

But to pretend that it has no societal ramifications -- and that it isn't symptomatic of the ever-growing narcissism and deluded faith in exceptionalism that is especially evident among the affluent -- is nonsense.

Most homeschooling families I know live paycheck to paycheck. You're over-philosphising. Besides, what could be more narcissistic than pretending to know the educational needs of people you've never met and condemning the people who are in the best position to know?

Someday, you too will have to be part of the rest of the world. I mean that in every sense. Thinking you can escape it is only a wish. It has nothing to do with reality.

What does this statement have to do with reality? Homeschooling parents want to escape reality? They want to be separate from the world? What are you talking about?

Again, and again, you can make all kinds of academic assertions about this subject you seem to not have studied in the least, but without evidence to support your assertions, it's really not much more than hot air.

Well, you see, I WAS homeschooled, so when you scream and rant and rave about how I am judgemental, bigoted, use Fox News mentality and so on, there's a reason for that....I learned it at home :)

Well, see, that's where your elementary mistake is. You're blaming homeschooling and homeschoolers when you should be blaming your parents. If you think all homeschooling parents act like yours did, then your parents have created such an emotional turmoil inside you, that you've can't think logically or rationally on this topic. Certainly your comments haven't been logical or rational or even humane.

I'm one of you, so when you hurl this mud, it's sticking to you too.

No, you're not "one of us," because there is no "us." There are individuals who choose an unconventional educational path for our children in a variety of ways. I avoide the ones who are judgemental, so keep your "us" to yourself.

Look, I hope you get the help you need to stop judging people you don't know simply because of your issues with your parents, but I'm through, here.

Okay, I'm exhausted and a little depressed at the simplistic, bigoted viewpoints here.

What evidence is there that homeschoolers do worse than public schoolers? None.

But still many here think we should be concerned.

What evidence is there that homosexuals raise children worse than heterosexuals? None.

But still many people think we should be concerned.

Well, those people are bigoted against homosexuals. We know this because they worry about homosexuals when there is no objective evidence to suggest that worrying is justified. They have an emotional response that they try to rationalize and they claim that those who aren't worried don't care about the children, despite the lack of evidence for any increased danger posed by homosexual parents.

It's the same with you folks who are worried about homeschooling.

It's just as wrong and I hope you're able, some day, to see that.

Adios, amoebas!