I’m not the least bit surprised to be saying that the state appellate court in California has reversed the earlier decision requiring that parents be credentialed in order to homeschool. Given the fuss that created, with even the Governor disagreeing, I didn’t think the decision would hold.

I’m not a homeschool parent, and I probably never will be. I won’t say definitely because you never know, but it’s not something I want to do. But I do firmly believe in the right to do so.

Almost more interesting than the article were the comments, especially one from someone saying they were a Future School Teacher. New comments are added to the top of the list, and this was one of the first, so if you want to read it on the site go to the very last page of the comments and take a look:

I think home school should be taught by parents with a credentials because the education cirriclum is has changed since they have been in school.Also, what about those parents who want to home school thier child and didn’t make it pass middle school themselves? How is that suppose to ready their child to be a intellectual asset to society? I think they should be certified in order to teach thier child because educational standards have changed since they were in school and for their child to move foward to college they need the proper education and people interacting skills to move ahead.That’s just my opinion

Scary. Just plain scary. I really hope this future teacher is somewhere in elementary school, because his or her writing skills are simply dismal. Not someone I want to hear about teaching in any school anytime soon.

Sure, undereducated parents trying to teach can be a problem, but not near the one opponents like to claim, just as socialization isn’t the problem they like to claim it is. Most homeschool parents really are trying to do the best they can by their kids. An undereducated homeschooled child going into a public school is probably far more memorable to teachers than the well educated one. It’s a matter of which one takes the most effort from the teacher.

And so long as I’m talking about homeschooling, I thought I would share a resource I came across while using StumbleUpon. It’s a list of free homeschooling resources. Looked good to me, so I’m sharing it.

I’m not homeschooling my kids, but my sister is. Today I read an article that I had to immediately forward on to her. It seems California may be clamping down on its rule that only a credentialed teacher can teach the kids.

The family involved is doing something that is much like what my sister and her husband are doing with their kids, as I understand it. They’re registered with a charter school, but teach the kids on their own at home.

California does not consider parents to have a constitutional right to homeschool.

I’m not a homeschooler, but I find that ridiculous. Homeschooling is a great option for many families. I don’t care if it’s for religious reasons, if you don’t like the schools in your area, or if it’s just your preference, I think parents should be able to decide how their kids are taught. So long as they do receive a decent education, it shouldn’t matter to the state how it’s accomplished.

And yes, I know the quality can be the big issue.

Obviously it’s very important for parents in California to be aware of this one. While they’re saying the law hasn’t actually been changed, a precedent has certainly been set that the kind of homeschooling many parents do here in California as a workaround may not comply with the law after all. Which really sucks.