This article makes me shudder http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/...ngafearofchildrenfallingthroughthecracks.html
The more we network with one another, the more we are able to protect our right to homeschool. I'm not a joiner by nature, but I'm happy to help the membership of HSLDA grow larger to gain more influence on these issues. The best defense of homeschooling, I think, is the diversity of homeschoolers these days. I moved from a small town where the only homeschoolers I encountered were religious conservatives (the stereotype in the media) to a major metropolitan area where homeschoolers come from every walk of life -- every race, religious background, and educational style. The number one reason I hear for homeschooling? Because "the schools are doing a lousy job." The moment is growing, not shrinking, because the public educational system is (on the whole, I realize this isn't true of each and every school district) so poor. I don't see that changing any time soon. If the push to heavily regulate or restrict homeschooling rights gained significant ground, there would be an uproar from folks on the left as well as the right that are currently homeschooling their children. With nanny-state politicians in office, the push for regulation may gain ground. I hold out hope that the political pendulum is due to swing in the other direction, and the cry for government intrusiveness into every area of our lives will die down. Perhaps I'm a naive optimist, but the optimism keeps me sane.
Aljazeera in general concerns me. How such a one-sided news agency can be viewed increasingly as mainstream is beyond me. Still, that's the beauty of the Internet: We don't have to accept mainstream as mainstream and can choose commentary from elsewhere. As long as those responsible for policy remain uninfluenced, it doesn't really matter too much.