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Here is my letter. I sent it to tucsonweekly@...
Mary Ellen
Snowflakes are on of nature's most fragile things,
but just look at what they can do
when they stick together.

Re: Poor Sports: Home-Schooled Kids Shouldn't Be Playing High-School
Athletics.
By Tom Danehy

Dear Mr. Danehy,

Let me make this clear. I do not home school my children because of
"racism, paranoia, religious intolerance or combinations thereof".
Rather it is for the benefits of a 1:2 teacher to student ratio, the
privilege of spending large amounts of time with my children, whose
company I enjoy, and the ability to focus on basic education and
extracurricular activities, just to name a few.

Believe it or not, my children do play with children who attend school
and watch TV. They even watch TV in our home (Gasp!). They associate
with Catholics, Mormons, Christians, and Agnostics. They play with
cousins whose skin is a different color than their own. When they are a
bit older, I will probably read and discuss 1984 with them. How many
parents of schooled children do you know who read and discuss a variety
of literature with their children? Be honest!

You said "Lord knows those kids don't present a threat to my kids getting
a scholarship." Are you aware that homeschooled "kids" are receiving
scholarships at places like Harvard, not to mention numerous state
colleges?

You seem to be concerned about homeschooled children having an unfair
advantage in athletic competitions. If you did even a little research,
you would find that there are requirements for homeschooling families.
We do not "get up around 10 A.M., go to the gym for a couple hours, hang
out for lunch" and then lie about what we do. I have done and continue
to do research on education and home schooling. Before you continue to
slander a group of people whom you obviously know nothing about, please
do some research of your own.

Sincerely,
Mary Ellen Gates
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