HOMESCHOOL SUPPORT
I am so excited to hear about the couple from Fredricksburg, Va. that are considering homeschooling their son. I was homeschooled my whole life and most people cannot tell that I didn't go to public school because of my social skills. The belief that homeschooled children do not get any socialization is an untrue assumption. I went to church and seminary, played sports, was a member of a dance troupe and have always had many friends.
Naturally there are those homeschooled children we all know that are 'socially awkward.' However, I know more children that are 'socially awkward' that went to public school than I do that were homeschooled. Everyone is different, and sometimes that is just a person's personality.
Here I am now at BYU. I have friends and I date and have even had boyfriends. Oh, and guess what? I have never missed the 'socialization' that I would have received from a public school.
Good luck to the parents from Virginia, besides getting the socialization that your son needs to live a happy and productive life, he will also be getting a great education, and isn't that the most important thing?
Rachel Redfern
Sacramento, Calif.
HOMESCHOOL PROBLEMS
I was shocked at the narrow-minded view displayed by the student condemning public schools. I've gone to public school my entire life and I feel that I am a better person for it. High school is more than just peer pressure and bad influences. It is a chance to be exposed to all different types of people and experiences.
What do they think their child is going to experience in the real world? I'm not saying that all home schooled children are 'socially retarded,? but they are definitely disadvantaged when put in a socially competitive atmosphere. I hate to have such a Darwinist attitude, but when it comes to experience in dealing with others, public school wins. I would love for there to be a way for my kids to live in a righteous, perfect bubble too, but the world just isn't like that. Life is hard and it isn't always pretty. It's better that kids see opposition in life so they become stronger. It is the same in the Church, there could be no good without evil. We can't all live in a garden of Eden forever.
Ashley DuPlessis
Johnson City, Tenn.
FANATICAL ADVICE
You know what bothered me more than our Red (Blue) Zone offense on Saturday? The 'fans.' Three things caught my attention:
1. Nobody shows up on time! You're not too cool to get to the game before kickoff. I watched the Florida State/Miami game last night, and the Doak Campbell Stadium was full during pregame. So spend a little less time on your hair and get to LaVell Edwards Stadium a few minutes before kickoff, please. No more trickling in at the end of the first quarter. Come on time, or don't come at all.
2. Nobody is wearing blue. Every college football stadium I see on TV has its stands full of its school color for every game. I caught the rebroadcast on TV and saw almost no blue in the stands. We look pathetic.
3. The guy who wouldn't give the football back to the Boston College ball-boy while the kicker was warming up at the end of halftime made us look really bad too. An armed officer had to go up there to get the ball from him! Don't be an idiot.
For crying out loud, let's be real football fans! If you're not at least 10 minutes early, you're late!
Adam Frank
Pocatello, Idaho
GET IN BOOKSTORE LINE
I harbor no feelings of regret for the hundreds of dollars I have spent at the BYU Bookstore over the years. It is a magical place. However, I had some serious questions after reading Thursday's front-page article 'Bookstore Cracks Down,' a fairly blatant piece of toe-the-line reporting. Melanie Craig does a good job of bringing up and then ignoring several issues that cry out for explanations. For instance, in the second paragraph she says cash-saving students are hurting 'local business.' It's hard to see how any local businesses besides the Bookstore are suffering. Was this just thrown in to direct some of the attention away from the Bookstore? Where are the outraged local business owners? And I almost laughed when reading textbook manager Tom Hirtzel's hanging quote about the new policies being for the students 'benefit.' What? As it is presented, that line is no more than the lazy mumblings of a bothered parent trying to justify his commands by saying 'it's for your own good.' The subtext goes something like this: Listen kids, go get in the textbook line over there, keep your heads down and don't ask questions. And don't forget your credit cards.
Joe Plicka
Davis, Calif.
A TIME FOR GOOD
This a time for bravery, not blame; a time to cooperate, not complain; a time for citizenship, not cynics; a time for helping hands, not hateful hearts; a time for quiet prayer, not loud protest; a time for rallying, not reviling; a time for sharing hope, not shaming folks; a time for full support, not sedition; a time to understand, not undermine; a time for work, not a time for weakness.
Cynthia L. Hallen
Associate Professor of Linguistics and English Language
LIST BOOKS ON ROUTE Y
I think that much of the BYU student body would agree that purchasing textbooks through the BYU Bookstore this semester has been frustrating and costly, to say the least. One of the main problems is that the Bookstore is the students' only resource for determining which books their classes require. The Bookstore, as a business, must protect its own interests, so they naturally won't release this information any earlier than necessary if it means losing business. The problem is that this releases the Bookstore from the responsibility of charging competitive prices; they can simply wait till the day before the semester starts to publish required course textbooks, leaving the students no time to shop around and find a better deal. We are then obligated to purchase overpriced books from the Bookstore.
A reasonable solution would be to make information about course textbooks available through some other, neutral means (i.e. Route Y), at least a couple weeks prior to the beginning of a semester. This would allow students to make the best purchase decisions, and would obligate the Bookstore to abide by the same rules as their competitors. If they want students' business, they will have to be competitive.
Stephen Ma
Los Angeles, Calif.