Onenewsnow.com just reported that an amicus brief in the argument to outlaw homeschooling in California has labeled homeschooling as educational anarchy. The result, of course is the ire lawyers working on the case and of many in he homeschooling community. Lawyer Brad Dacus states that the argument ‘discounts reality” and argues that the anarchy is in fact in the public schools.
I would like to stop for a moment and discuss the word anarchy. Anarchy is “a state of lawlessness and disorder, usually resulting from a failure in government.” (wordnet.princeton.com) Anarchy is further described as a situation in which human society exists without the Government (wikipedia.org) and the condition resulting from an absence of governing forces. (u-s-history.com) For most people, the word anarchy calls to mind a state of chaos.
While homeschooling does in fact exist without the government, it hardly chaotic. Meanwhile the atmosphere in many schools are chaotic and quite uncontrollable. If there is any truth to the accusation of anarchy existing in homeschooling, it is in the fact that the government is unable to control it to the minutia of detail.
While the government cannot control exactly what homeschooled children learn and when, they do have a level of control in the rules and standards that they impose on homeschooling such as testing and basic guidelines. Meanwhile, our government does dictate curriculum and “feel good programs” for public school children, yet, it cannot control the atmosphere of volatility created by constant monitoring and control.
Getting back to the accusation that homeschooling equates to educational anarchy, whether it is true or not, I have to wonder If it is such a good thing. All it means is that each child may learn something different and end up with different skills and knowledge to bring to the table. Even when all school children are taught the exact same thing for 12 years, at the end of that journey you will find that that each student has absorbed a wealth of knowledge that us unique from what others have learned.
In my opinion, whether you homeschool, or go to public school, you will deal with some level of educational anarchy. This anarchy will be controlled by the intelligence, giftedness, and talents of the individual student. The only different is that homeschooling may label one result as a failure when homeschooling may find value in each outcome.
(This essay is an exercise in vocabulary. I encourage you to pick a new word each day and have your children to write an essay. Choose the number of required words according to grade level, age, or ability. ) For more words of the day see: syncretism, autodidact, extreme and mediocrity and more.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?