I spent the 4th grade I was in an advanced Seminar class in a public school in San Diego.
I was blessed to have a wonderful and kind teacher named Mrs. Hester who knew what she was doing and had firm control over the classroom. I have some great memories from that class.
Homeschooling worked for me, but that doesn't mean there aren't people like Mrs. Hester out there who know how to run a classroom and give kids a great school experience.
I also understand the dislike of public schooling. Really, it depends on the area, as I learned from experience.
What doesn't help are people like Mikey who just toss out insults and who don't answer to people who, from experience, rebut what he says.
LOL, please excuse this grammatical error. It's what I get for not double checking while editing a reply before posting.
I don't believe the poster Mikey has any clue what he was talking about.
I have yet to meet a homeschooled child who is not sociable and well-mannered and perfectly at ease with peers or conversing with adults. I'm sure they exist, but I haven't met any.
And just like your experience with public schools, I agree with you that it depends on the area. And in many cases it has nothing to do with the "wealth" of the particular district. We live in one of the poorest counties in Virginia - but I would put the schools, and the teachers in this district up against many I know in some of the wealthier school districts in Delaware.
The education of our children is ultimately our responsibility and I would venture to say most parents take that responsibility very seriously when it comes to making choices in regard to that education. And no one should be castigated, regardless of the choice.