He can still play on the basketball team, right?

If anything it seems that little Rick would at least always have a teacher who was passionate and engaged, at least if we believe Rick's self assessment. I think that there are pretty good lesson plans out there that guide a teacher enough that the hard skills of teaching are not that hard to learn.

I know too many teachers attracted by the fact that it meant summers off as a career to let the skills of a teacher be a determining factor if I was going to home school my kids.

 

I don't doubt his skills. But he's only one person.

It would seem to me desirable to have a diversity of viewpoints available to every student.

 

I have heard too many teachers talking about this "job perk" for it not to be a consideration to me. I've also heard teachers get together, and all they talk about is union matters as opposed to education.

I wish I had a higher opinion of schoolteachers in general. I really do. But I guess I don't.

 

Every teachers isn't a saint, but think of it this way -- how many sportswriters bitched about their jobs, or pointed out something as a perk that seemed inappropriate, or talked about pay instead of writing? There are a lot of good writers who do just that on their off time. But when they're on the job, they're on the job. I think that would be true of a lot of professions.

 

When Playboy photographers gather after work, I'm sure they bitch that too many women are shaving down there. That's what people do. They bitch.

 

Teachers? I worry more about parents.

 

I worry about parents too. I just worry about teachers a lot, too.

 

You should worry more about the parents. Generally, every school district is the same -- you have some great teachers, you have some lousy teachers, you have a lot of good teachers, you have a few teachers collecting a paycheck. Curricula are so standardized these days that the classrooms are getting darned close to being teacher-proof.

 

Don't know if that is a selling point, either.

 

I think this would be a good reason to home school. At least Rick would be an engaged, passionate teacher (if his self assessment is accurate)

Personally I wold not home school my kids as I don't have the patience for it and every home school kid I know is socially inept.