Well, as someone who has pointed out how much of the time in school is spent NOT being social, even when with people...
I completely agree with you that the all or nothing nonsense is precisely that, and I would never say "all day" is spent in line at school. That's patently false. And ridiculous.
But...
I DO think the very people attacking HSing are not thinking about how much of the time spent in school is NOT social, even if the kids are in a group of people. And as a product of the public schools myself, I DO feel qualified to make that statement. I'm not making assumptions about what it's like in public school, as the people who have never had dealings with homeschooling are doing about homeschooling. I waited in those lines for the water fountain or bathroom! I sat in those groups without being allowed to speak! I got the check-minus for talking to my fellow students when I was finished early with my seatwork! I've BTDT!
I guess I'm respectfully suggesting that I think you have it backwards: the "HSers are all social misfits" rant is ignorance, pure and simple, and the "school is often not a very social place" argument is an attempt to get people to really *think* about what constitutes social time, rather than simply assuming that time with people in the room = social time.
I definitely agree that there's no need to overstate the case though. And as I always say, no educational solution is right for all kids.
I'm certainly glad the public schools are there. Heck, my kid would be in our local one if they weren't doing such a lousy job teaching GT kids!
