Epic Rant (Home School Edition)

I know two families, personally, who are home schooling. I know many more families who either have in the past or are contemplating doing it at some point. I know that the education level of a home schooler is superior to public and privately schooled students. I also know the subject matter is wider in range and more fully understood.

This pisses me off: "Now those home schooled kids who don't have any interaction with other kids..."

I was reading an op/ed piece in our local paper discussing the "new" fully online "public school" and if they're legal. Of course, there's some discussion that they should not be able to collect full-time student fees from the state since they are fully online with no face-to-face time at all. Some are saying it's essentially home schooling without the parents having to do the teaching. I'm fine with the discussion...but as soon as "home schooling" comes up people go nuts!
I mentioned it in passing to my in-laws one day and the look on my mother-in-law's face was classic. She then went on to try to tell me that one of her relatives (a teacher for many years) said it's so much work and really not worth it. I'd never told them that I knew folks who were doing it already...so I informed them of that and the fact that yes, it takes some work to get set-up, but it's not so much that it's troublesome and there's lots of support to help you get started if you want to. I reminded them that we have a large group of home schoolers here in our town and county. If you mention home school to almost anyone who works for the public schools there is an immediate freak-out of epic proportions. It amazes me.

"At first, the rudiments of literacy and arithmetic were taught inside the family, assuming the parents had those skills. Literacy rates seem to have been much higher in New England, and much lower in the South. By the mid-19th century, the role of the schools had expanded to such an extent that many of the educational tasks traditionally handled by parents became the responsibility of the schools" (emphasis mine...from wikipedia History of Education in the United States)
What is wrong with going back to teaching my own children? Why do people assume that if one chooses to home school that the kids are socially inept and/or backward, that they're isolated, and that all they do is school work from sun up to sun down? Why do people assume that if one chooses to home school they're some kind of religious zealot or conspiracy nut? When I had my children they became my responsibility and I take that responsibility seriously...including their education. If I don't think the public school is cutting it, I have the choice and the right to choose a different course of action up to and including home schooling and those who do choose to home school should not be looked down upon for taking the responsibility on themselves. Instead they should be applauded for giving so much of themselves to their children, for being responsible and loving and wanting to make sure that their children get the very best. Just like any other parent.