This is a California story. But Florida, where home schooling is pretty popular (Don't believe it? Check out their savvy lobbying-oriented web site as but one example.), might want to take note of the home school battle taking place out west.

An appellate court has ruled that credentialed teachers must lead home schooling in California. As the case moves ahead on appeals, a perhaps unexpected coalition has emerged.

See, home schooling is not solely the realm of ultra-religious parents who want to instill the Bible into all their children's lessons. Increasingly, free-spirited liberal families seeking a less regimented learning experience are turning away from mainstream schools, too.

Though they differ on many things, the home-schoolers and the un-schoolers have the common goal of retaining the freedom to educate their children as they - and not the government - sees fit.

So they're teaming up to fight the California ruling, the LA Times reports. It's a compelling and interesting story that makes you think about whether folks really mean it when they talk about the parents being the first and most important teacher. Just wanted to share.