That's right. School is *not* just book learning. But there have been so many instances of one or two unruly students in the public school system ruining a field trip for the rest of the class, many districts have decided to forgo field trips altogether. Every homeschooling parent I've ever talked to has told me that they make it a special point to take their child(ren) to museums, zoos, concerts, etc as part of their learning experience. Another big reason I'm in favor of homeschooling is that if your child excels in a given subject, as a parent you can make the choice to spend a little extra time immersing your child in that subject. Public school districts are basically hogtied by curriculum requirements, so they simply don't have any "extra" time to devote to ensuring that the slower children don't get left behind, and the brighter children don't get bored ( ... )

Amazing that you could write so much on a topic without bringing up your mother.