To all of my readers,
On occasion I receive letters either by e-mail or private message telling me how dumb we are for home schooling and how unsocial zed my children will be. I generally ignore them because they are so inflammatory they’re not worth responding to. I am always up for a good debate with well thought out arguments. I’m not interested in name calling. I have finally received a letter that at least to me, seems to be genuinely questioning the home schooling lifestyle as opposed to just writing meaningless dribble to spout off. In fairness, I need to tell you that I cannot publish the whole letter as it is too long. I’ve only published the parts I wish to respond to. So to my ‘anonymous’ sender, I thank you for writing comments that I think many non-homeschoolers have, but writing it in a way so that I can respond.
Question: Government involvement in home schooling can be a good thing. It ensures that all parents who “claim” to be home schooling are actually doing their jobs. It means that qualified teachers can make sure that your ‘gifted son’ is learning to his fullest potential. It possibly means monies that can be passed your way to help you fund your home school. I fail to see, in any way shape or form, how government intervention in home schooling can be a bad thing. I think you have a personal agenda against Hillary and democratic change. You’ve said you don’t want a certified teacher to come and help you–I have to wonder what you’re hiding.
Dear Anonymous,
I have to assume that you are not home schooling but are in some way involved in the public school system. Being thus, I have to assume that there are certain parts of the home schooling lifestyle that you simply cannot understand. I will do my best to explain them to you.
Opposed to Federal Government Involvement
First of all, I am not opposed to all government involvement in home schooling–just most of it. I am vehemently opposed to the federal government’s involvement in home schooling for several reasons. One is that the federal government can only prescribe a ‘one size fits all’ solution. The problem is, one size does not fit all as we’ve seen with the NCLB Act (No Child Left Behind). We are a country of many different ‘sizes’ if you will, and our educational laws need to reflect that. Furthermore, it has historically been left up to the state to determine educational practice. This is not something that the federal government should have jurisdiction in. One reason, I suspect, that the federal government has left such things up to the state is so that the federal government doesn’t further get bogged down with bureaucracy. I don’t think the federal government’s involvement in home schooling is good for homeschoolers OR the federal government itself.
You can look for more of my response later. As always, I welcome other well thought out comments, whether or not they agree with my views.