Home-schoolers and Public School Activites

Children who are homeschooled should be allowed to participate in extra curricular public school activities. Just because parents deiced to home school their children does not mean the children must miss out on all the extras that come to those children who attend public schools. All adults pay taxes for the public school system so all of their children should be allowed to use the facilities and join groups paid for by the same school system. Home schoolers can help benefit the public schools' sports teams by allowing coaches to be able to choose by a larger variety of players. Homeschooled children participating in public school activities would benefit themselves and the public school system.
All parents are known to not have the same beliefs when it comes to parenting and this applies to the way their children get their educations as well. Some adults think sending a child to a public school takes away from that child's learning experience when they could learn have a one on one at home. Others see it as perfectly normal and a good way to start adapting to "real life." Whichever way parents decide to educate their children should not affect children being able to participate in after-school activities in their communities. All children need a place and a group of peers to practice their talents on, whether it is soccer, singing, or debating. These outlets should not be taken away just because the parents, or children as well, would rather them learn at home.
Another reason children should be allowed to participate in such activities is because all of their parents pay taxes for the public schools. This alone should easily allow all children the access to any public school equipment, sports team, or clubs possible. If someone was giving money to help pay for a pool or any other item, they would be given unlimited use to it, but this is not the same for homeschooled children. These kids, who happen to be homeschooled, should not be restricted from things their parents help pay for.
Aside from homeschoolers having a need and right to extra-curricular public school activities, they would also benefit these groups. If a coach at a local high school was choosing his team for the year, he would only have the students from his home school to choose from. If homeschoolers could be involved, though, he would have a number of people from all over the district to choose from, creating the best team possible. There is one limit which would have to be put on though and that would be the homeschoolers participating at the school in with their district so there are no arguments between coaches and other team leaders for certain students. As long as that does not get in the way, homeschoolers should definitely be able to be part of sports teams to benefit themselves and the athletic department they would be participating in.
Some homeschoolers need these extra curricular public school activities to increase their gifts. Others just want to meet people and want to exercise their parent's rights as tax paying citizens. And still others would like the experience of being involved in a sports team and also help the local school's win a few games. Whatever the reason there is no doubt or question about it, Homeschoolers should be allowed to participate in all after-school programs their district's high school offers.

The Book to Ban

The book, Teen Witch, by Silver Ravenwolf should be banned, becuase it encourages young, impressionably teenagers to get involved in witchcraft, something they should not be getting into. This book can be purchased at any local bookstore, in including Barnes and Noble where I have seen it sitting near the Sweet Valley High books, and is available for anyone to read and this should not be the case. At barnesandnoble.com the publisher describes this book as something positive, "a book you're going to love...it's designed for people who want to find out about Wicca...and maybe become real Witches," as if becomming a witch is a good thing. This book may not be a big problem though, if teenagers were not taking this well known wiccan author seriously and practicing witchcraft themselves. On the same website in the comment section there are over 200 teeangers who speak about how witchcraft has changed their lives and it being their new purpose.

One girl, named Lauren, wrote, "I had never heard of wicca before, but after my friend lent me this book and I have been practicing the craft. I feel it has helped me discover my new path in to the future." This young teen has clearly stated that this book has gotten her entire life involved in witchcraft and it is definitly not a positive thing. If this is not reason enough to ban this book nothing is. If people wait too long stories similar to those of the Quija board may start occurring, except these would without a doubt be true on account witchcraft is much more dangerous than any wooden board. Teenagers need to learn that and this woman, Silver Ravenwolf, should stop influencing them to do these things.

Whether someone believes in demons or not, why take the chance? If you don't then you don't want your teenagers reading this nonsense and if you do believe than you definitly don't want them to read such a book. Without a question this book should be taken off every shelf possible. It is worse than Harry Potter, which has been banned in some places for its use of witchcraft. Harry Potter implies witchcraft is real, but is still jsut a made up character. This book, Teen Witch, gives step by step instructions on how to cast spells using a number of various household objects. Some people may say, in defense of not banning this book, children and teenageres have minds too and know when something is bad. This young girl proves this statement false by saying, "My friends and I didn't want to involve ourselves in something bad so we read this book in search of answers,we have read many books but none of them have such detail or answer as many questions. After we read the book we had no problem getting started,we are daily practioners and find it relaxing." There are many other comments that go along these same lines.

Teens are looking for answers and this book should not be out there to be able to intercept them before they find what is correct. This single book can ruin years of parenting and moral teeachings and should be stopped now. This book should be one of the number one candidates for being banned in this country and anywhere else it is sold. This is to protect every influential child, teenager, or adult, from becomming influenced and sucked into the world of witchcraft ushered by the dangerous religion. It is for our own good as people and we need to realize that and ban this Teen Witch and every book like it.

Red Cross Donation

I gave blood at TCC on September 16, 2004. :)