Many people have felt the same about charters. I am blessed *for now* to be in a charter that is rather free in what curriculum I choose an how I choose to teach it. Yet I struggle and pray about the decision to stay in and for how long. EventuallyI want to be totaly independant, but until that time I very much think that I do, infact, homeschool. (I understand virtual schools a lot have more control though.) But I am aware of the freedoms I gave up.
My reasons for this choice are varied, but are based on money, the need for someone else to keep my ADD self structured, compromise with dh, and other things. Deep down I much prefer the idea of independent HS - I am also easily "hated" by homeschoolers and public schoolers alike.
I have to let it go, though; technically NO ONE in my state homeschools. You are either in a public or private school. All that varies is how large that private school is and what is done through that school.
However as much as I am not a fan of the PS system, I do not buy in completely to the conspiacy about the virtuals and charters. I am not convinced that they are attempting to chip away at rights we have by having virtual or charter schools, what *I* see is them wanting a peice of the pie and HS is popular. Yes, so they get people to do a virtual or charter who otherwise might have "gone it alone." (And that is very unfortunate. I keep praying for some sort of voucher that would allow low income people to HS without too many strings.) But I see that as different than eroding a parent's right to HSing in the true sense.
edited for grammer and clarifaction of a few garbled sentences.