Good news from the one American city I truly do like!

[bae]

I am not a fan of homeschooling but it is a right that parents have and it should be.

When we began homeschooling, the superintendent of our local school system told me that it wasn't legal to do so. (Wrong.) And that I had to have his approval anyway. (Wrong.) And that he had to approve our course of study. (Wrong.)

When I asked him "so, what if we just go hop in our yacht there, sail off across the state and national border which is a couple miles offshore here, and spend a couple years homeschooling at sea?"

He replied "I'd stop you from getting on the boat!"

He doesn't work here anymore.

What arrogance!

[Williamsmith]

According to the census there are about 1.5 million homeschooled children in the US at any one time. So, that means that approximately 1.5 million minus 1 ...did not become a homicidal serial bomber.

[CathyA]

Wasn't the Goodwill bombing done by a copycat? Nothing further has been said about that.

[pinkytoe]

The Goodwill incident was caused by an incendiary device of some sort that was accidentally donated. Or that was the story anyway.

[LDAHL]

Not surprised that he fit the domestic terrorist profile: young (or youngish), white, male, with right-wing views. Unless he operated outside social media, we'll probably find out that he frequented Breitbart and other alt.right sites.

ETA: I should have mention Christian-identified, also.

Now there’s some Olympic-level conclusion-jumping.

[pinkytoe]

One of his home-school friends was quoted as saying “It’s just very difficult for a lot of (home school) kids to find a way to fit in once they are out in the real world.” Cops said his vendetta was due to personal struggles and not any sort of political or idealogical views. Sad for all

[Tybee]

I am really surprised that folks are pointing to homeschooling as having any connection at all with this kind of violence.

I have taught many homeschooled children over the past 30 years when they have arrived at college, and have generally found them to be better educated and better adjusted than the typical public high school educated student.

I really wonder at the news coverage of this, if it is not a convenient chance to lobby for more government control over parents' rights to educate their children in the best manner for that particular child.

[CathyA]

What I find very disconcerting is that (supposedly) his parents had no idea he was having problems. How can this be??

[catherine]

According to Austin news, he was fired from his job some time ago. I sometimes wonder if it is a good thing to cloister kids in a home schooled environment - never exposed to different kinds of people and ideas.

My son didn't fit into the traditional school system, was failing badly and in danger of taking up with unsavory sorts of people and we took him out and homeschooled him. He brightened up immediately, got a full time job (one of our "assignments" for him as he was over 16), and did extremely well in all those things that his public school basically prevented him from doing.

He was not cloistered at all--in fact, his personality vehemently defies cloistering.

I know he was older than the traditional homeschooled kids, but I would never make assumptions that homeschooled kids are disadvantaged in any way.

[catherine]

What I find very disconcerting is that (supposedly) his parents had no idea he was having problems. How can this be??

If you have 15-20 minutes to spend, this was a very frank talk by Dylan Klebold's mother, which may answer some of your questions.