Homeschooling May Cause Children to Learn the Wrong Thing

I believe your wording is fine, but I also still believe that the larger issue you are trying to discuss is regarding the scientific community, rather than the government. I will point out that I am unsure about the regulations regarding homeschooling in locations other than North Carolina. While my homeschooling experience was required to follow certain guidelines, I do not know whether or not these guidelines were universal or specific. I will, however, say that we did not acquire our learning materials from any school system. My teacher went and purchased our text books, along with other materials, from specific markets that cater to teachers. There is a fairly large support structure these days to support homeschool curriculum, and most of the materials you need can be pre-approved and readily available. Now, regarding the comment that you are not acknowledged, I will not pry, but I will say that this makes it far more difficult to achieve academic legitimacy. If not acknowledged, then it becomes hard to defend your schooling when/if you try to reenter the public school systems. This makes it incredibly difficult to enter college, and places you at the mercy of academia. Regarding social hindrance, I understand, but suggest that there are cases of students who fail to develop socially as a direct result of homeschooling. This may be partially because of personal choice, yet may also be the result of lacking opportunities, as I have mentioned. The circumstances behind my creationist science text book is simply that the text book is part of an approved series of homeschooling curriculum. It teaches modern science, but differs on the major points of evolution(not adaptation) and the Big Bang Theory. Other than these two points, the text book was essentially similar to any other science text book. You are correct in your statement that the government funds the public school system, but I reject your logic that the government has any real power over what is specifically taught. The state and federal government fund the public school system, but the information taught in each subject essentially is provided by the scholarly community, and teachers are mainly regulated to ensure that they uphold the standards of this community. Keeping to your hypothetical: if a teacher were to teach that 2+2=5, then the government would first have to discover that this had been happening. Second, the government could theoretically suspend their status as a teacher, but the mathematic society would be the ones with the true power. Conversely, if the government authorized teachers to say that 2+2=5, then the mathematic scholars would instantly discredit the government. Education is not about regulation. Education is about knowledge. Regarding my learning creationism: yes, technically this was a private home. However, it was a legitimate schooling program, submitting to all of the state requirements. In addition, there are private christian schools that are deemed legitimate and subject to government regulation. Therefore, the argument that it would only apply to individual homes is nullified. Considering the separation of church and state, I will not argue my views about it in this debate. However, this is intended at an official level only. Officially, the government is not allowed to display bias in any way, shape, or form to any religious stance. That does not mean that government employees do not have individual rights to practice religion, it means that they may take no official stance. Extending this concept to schools, I will reiterate that this is at an official capacity only. Officially, public school teachers and other faculty are discouraged from taking any explicit stance on religious matters. While God may not officially be allowed in schools, there is nothing to prevent students from exercising their religious rights in a reasonable fashion. I also have two uncles and several family friends in the school systems of California, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Kentucky. My uncle in California is actually a principal, and devoutly religious. In response to your quotes: While I will again acknowledge that I have been schooled in North Carolina, I would also like to say that I have publicly prayed, discussed religion, and spoken with other students about God without any repercussions whatsoever. Furthermore, I have attended extracurricular christian events, I have had one teacher specifically and directly encourage me to pray with another student, and my wrestling coaches led the team in the Lord's Prayer before every match (a ritual that I continued when I began coaching). So, while I understand your concerns regarding government regulation, I must admit that I have not been personally affected. If this is not the case where you live, I apologize. However, I still must admit that it seems there is more to your argument than simple government regulation.