Leaving much (edited for brevity) of Keith's diatribe for context, my
comments at the end:
"Keith Hughes" wrote in message
...
Yes, and parent should get involved (as in PARTICIPATE, not spectate) in
their kids education! Few parents I encounter even know the names of
their children's teachers. Schools, and school boards, respond to the
demands of the community (read 'parents'), and unfortunately, those
demands are too often for a baby-sitting service that passes children
from grade to grade irrespective of their level of attainment.
Once again, you miss the point. Parents have the responsibility for
preparing their children *for* school, monitoring their performance *at*
school (P.T.A., parent-teacher conferences, etc.), and changing the
educational system when it isn't functioning properly. We live in a
democracy in the US, and inherent in the democratic process is both
personal and social responsibility. Vote out the school board, the
system *will* change. Sit back and carp on newsgroups on the other hand,
and...oh, that's right, nothing happens. Get it?
Sorry to snatch the easy bone from your jaws, but no, I'm not a teacher
(never have been, not married to one). I was, however, lucky enough to
have been raised by parents and grandparents who believed in education,
and their rearing techniques reflected it. So I know adequate parenting
when I see it, even seeing so rarely.
And to those whining about a tax rebate for home schooling, how about
for those who have no children? Shall I get a rebate for the 30 years
I've been paying property taxes for schools I'm not using? Or the roads
*I* don't personally drive on, or the Fire Department *I've* never
personally used, or...get the point? Public education, as with all
social services, benefits *society as a whole* when done properly. We
all reap the benefits, we all pay the costs. We all have a
responsibility to get out and do something when it's not done properly.
Look at voter turnout and tell me how involved people are in society.
Keith Hughes
Interesting you should say that. In our county, for a few years out of the
last several, the fastest growing in the country (read: infrastructure
challenges), 65 and over get exempted from the school portion of the
property taxes.
As that comprises about 90% of the property tax burden, and they then also
get a homestead exemption, doubled for 65, seniors in our county get to kick
back for a few years until they snuff it. If I'd have known that, I'd have
the technical owner of my home having registered for that privilege! (My
kids are long out of the system; I was very involved in their schooling and
activities, and didn't begrudge the taxes paid.)
(The technical owner part is that rather than take a deed, I did a contract
for deed. So, the original owner is still "owner of record" despite our
beneficial ownership. Because it's more appropriate at this time, I'll be
getting the deed this year - but I'm some way from qualifying for the break,
let alone that we're cutting the cord and leaving!)
L8R
Skip
--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
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