Nikoline Markussen 2HHF

17 August 2009

School-street 1704
Sacramento
California

Dear Mr. Simms.

I have seen you in the media, and you have expressed your concerns about home-schooling.
But I must admit I disagree with your statements.

I have two children myself; Thomas and Taylor, and they have been home-schooled all their
life. I have chosen to teach them alone, and I am far from alone: According to the department
of Education, there are nearly 1.5 million home-schooled children, and it is growing quickly.
It has been doubled in a decade, and that is about 3 % of all the school-aged. Other sources
say the number is even higher: between 1.8 million and 2.5 million.

It is a lifestyle to me, I do not have a job beside, and that is because I want to give my
children the best education they can get. I teach my boys in English, history and Bible. When
we are shopping in the local supermarket, I teach them about economic. The Math comes on
a DVD, so even though they are home-schooled I am not the only teaching person. We make
the plans for our holiday, so we can learn about the nature while we are going.

I do not find it safe to send my kids to public school, it is unsafe, drugs are rampant in the
school and the academic standards are downwards. I know many, who home-school their
kids, because they want their kids to be more religious, and give them more morals. The
schools does not have the money to help kids with issues, instead of helping them doing
things their self, they got them an assistant to do everything for them. People have discovered
home-schooling, and now they also want to try it. The internet have connected us all op, we
can connect with each other, get materials and help other families, who want to start teaching
home.

The reasons to home-school are more or less: It is safe, I know what my kids are doing, they
do not do drugs and alcohol and they get the help they need. I want you to this into
consideration the next time; you express yourself in the media.

Yours faithfully
K. Allen
Georgia

(370 words)