Wow. I can't understand why anyone would take away a persons right to education. That's what homeschooling is, Education. I homeschooled my children when they were younger. When my middle son wanted to try out public school, his teachers embraced having a homeschooled student. He ended up helping the teacher tutor the kids who couldn't "get it". On his standardized test his score was 8 points from perfect in reading and 10 points from perfect in math. He went to public school until the middle of 5th grade (where curiously his grades began to decline and he began to lose interest in learning), when he was withdrawn. My son just couldn't learn how to put up with injustice. For some reason, instead of looking the other way when someone was bullied, picked on, stolen from he had these horrible morals and this curious sense of right and wrong so he would defend those in need of defending and bring problems to the attention of the teachers. We are back to homeschooling, we don't fly under the radar because we are abusers. I invite you to sit down and talk to my son about any number of things, you may not get a word in and you will probably learn something you never knew. The abusers go to school. Can any of you who oppose homeschool say with all honesty that your entire public school experience was wonderful? And if you say that kids need to learn to deal with bullies, let me ask you this:
WOULD YOU WORK IN A PLACE WHERE YOU WERE BULLIED, STOLEN FROM, OR EMBARASSED? If you're being honest, the answer is no. My children have the right to the best education possible. If more public schools were run like homeschools, then more homeschoolers would be in school and the test scores would be up across the board. I have met more public school teachers who HOMESCHOOL their own children than I ever thought I would. These people were also homeschooled with far less resources than we have today? Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, Wolfgang Mozart, John Witherspoon (Princeton University President), General George Patton, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd President) , Albert Einstein, John Rutledge(US Supreme Court Justice) I could go on. Every parent has the right to decide on their childs education, no governemt office should hold the power to tell a parent that their child get their education at home.

It truly scares me that CA has outlawed homeschooling. I can't begin to understand how intelligent people made this decision which affects so many families. I teach public school in GA, but my partner and I homeschooled our own two children from 3rd grade on. We made the decision to do so b/c we felt that our children were more heavily influenced by their peers and teachers than by our own family values. It's also true that you sometimes get poor quality teachers, and we felt we had had our share. Both of my kids are now in college FT, work FT, have plenty of friends and are "socialized." Neither have been involved in drugs or alcohol. They are great kids!
All families should have the freedom to educate their children as they see fit. Our educational system is a nightmare! I work there everyday and try to make a difference in the lives of the children I teach, but I would NOT want my future grandchildren to enter the system as it now exists.

So goes California so goes the nation. Straight to hell.

Clark has a great show -- interesting, beneficial and always very informative!!I listen when I can and love it. However, like his "bed-fellow", Neal Boortz, I find his excursions into the "social" somewhat disquieting. Of course, I fully realize that Clark and Neal were home schooled and know of what they speak. IfI can just convince the stuffy, hidebound colleges and universities to buy in to this remarkable inovation, I'm reasonably certain (given the "right" Barnes & Noble and/or Liberty University (sic) curricular materials, plus the almost daily mind taxing field trips) just maybe I too can obtain an exciting and financially rewarding double major in Astrology and Industrial Chemistry.

With all due respect to your noble profession *Officer Sid Crane.* The vast majority of parents who home school do it for the right reasons. Not to fly under the DEA or social service radar or are too lazy to get their kids to school. Those are the exceptions not the rules. And to weed out those who abuse the home school right, there should be standards and rules regarding home schooling, not banning it outright.

That would be like outlawing motorcycles because there was one used during the commission of a crime. It's dumb and doesn't address the problem.

Of course Californians are insane. Have you seen the other laws they've passed? They're almost all nuts. But that's a different topic.

Unless the teacher's union is behind it, why would you outlaw homeschooling? How stupid. Maybe if some of the elected officials and their constituents had been homeschooled perhaps they would have a better grasp on reality.

Homeschooled students score higher than average public school students most of the time. And I've yet to meet any homeschooled student who can't read. How ridiculous.

You think homeschooled students aren't socialized? Yeah, I think learning how to bully other kids on the playground is a valuable socialization skill that must be learned. And learning how to form a clique in order to exclude some of your fellow students, that's most important to succeed in life. Oh and learning how to cheat on tests with your camera phone, oh yeah, better learn that one, too. Of course I'm being sarcastic, but get off the socialization horse and open your minds. If the comeback you have for banning homeschooling is those kids don't get socialized, maybe you should spend some time on a playground or at a daycare. Socialization isn't all it's cracked up to be. Parents at home can teach respect while homeschooling obviously easier than teachers can. But like the saying goes, those who can DO, those who can't TEACH.

Homeschooling should remain an option if parents choose it and can invest the time and effort it takes to get the curriculum through to their kids. It should NOT be outlawed. PERIOD!

If you don't want YOUR kids homeschooled, I have a solution for you: Don't homeschool them! But don't take others' right to do it just because you don't like it. That's not only selfish and childish, but it's facist, too. Live your life please, not mine.

Californians must be insane or at least the court system. This has to be challenged in court. Have we become communist Russia already? These black robes are a bunch of idiots.

I am a big fan of your show, even telling others to listen to you, but I was very dismayed over your ignorance over the home schooling issue in CA. As a public school teacher who helped set up the independent study program in our high school district (where a student does their course work at home, supervised by an certified teacher) I have experienced the harm a child experiences if a parent does not provide an adequate education at home. Before this ruling, all a parent had to do was sign an affadavit saying that they would educate their child at home, with nothing said about if or what type of education would be provided. Simply stated there was nothing in the law that held the parent accountable for their child being educated. I personally have experienced high school aged children not being able to to read or write as their parents "home-schooled" them when they were younger. I also have experienced parents who have signed their students out of high school using the affadavit process so they could avoid California's compulsory attendance laws. The judge did not outlaw home schooling, the judge just insisted that parents prove that they are providing an accrediated education to their children. By the way , most if not all, public school districts in the state provide the means for a parent to educate their child at home. Please Clark, do as much research on this topic as you do on ways to "avoid getting ripped off"
Sincerely,
Linda Campbell

PS Are you aware that Finland spends 6%
of their GNP on education, compared to our 4%.

unconscionable to try to prevent parents from teaching their children in the safer environment of their home.

I don't agree with outlawing home schooling, HOWEVER, States should mandate proficientcy tests for home schooled children. My christian fundamenalist sister-in-law home schools her daughter who is approaching 10 years old and still can not read due to an apparent learning disability that neither my brother nor sister-in-law want to acknowledge exists! They should have got special help for her years ago but they pretend that there is no problem. Parents often think they know what's best for their children when they in fact don't have a clue.

Ron, I saw Italy's health care system first hand too. My son had a bicycle accident there and cut his arm severely. Our experience was not one I would want to go through again. The hospital had construction going on outside the operating room with dust and dirt everywhere. My son had to stay overnight and he had absolutely no care at all. We had to let them know when his IV ran out. No food was provided except an apple and stale piece of bread that was literally thrown on a tray for my son. When we went back for a follow up check-up the doctor came into the examination room smoking a cigarette! When the bandages were removed I saw that they had not even cleaned up my son's arm from the accident. We never went back to that hospital but went to the US military base 50 miles away which provided excellent care. I don't want socialized medicine!! No cost can only mean no service! And, by the way, I home-schooled my two sons for 7 years and they were at least two grades ahead when they were tested. And throwing money at a problem doesn't always fix it.

I'm all about improving our schools but when I looked for further information about what Finland is doing, I found many many references to their "national curriculum" - Clark, where did you find that they have a system where "each teacher decides for themselves what to teach"? I find many references to strong national curriculum ... what gives?

The last time I checked, this WAS a free country with parents being in control of their childrens lives(as long as they are not abusive). The public school system is broken and the only way to fix the problem is to take the government out of the equation.
I agree with Clark and feel sorry for Ron who seems to be out of touch with the state of our public schools

This is the type of ridiculous court ruling that should cause people in this country to wake up. Close the failed government run education system (babysitting service).

That was a disgraceful thing you said about the public school system in this country, I had at one time had great respect for you, but you hit a new low, I'd expect that from Boortz, but not you, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Maybe if your great Republican party would stop all these tax cuts and support public education we wouldnt have these problems in our education system.
While I'm at it, you always point out the high taxes they pay in Europe, why don"t you say that it for everyones health care,but hey, thats socialized medicine, I'll take that any time, and we had first hand experience with Italy's health care, as my wife had a fall in Pompei, 2 doctors treated her immediatly, and NO charge what so ever. Clark please keep your right wing comments to your self.