Why Homeschool Independently?

Someone asked why I believe it is best to homeschool independently, without the assistance or oversight of government schooling. Here are a few of my heartfelt reactions to that question:

1. In the USA, public schooling is highly regulated by laws imposed by the federal and state governments. According to the Constitution of the United States, the federal bureaucracy should have no laws about education. (see Amendment 10) Yet the feds have created laws like “No Child Left Behind” that are imposed in exchange for federal funding. Of course the states like federal funding, so they accept the mandated laws.

Many people believe that there are parts of the “No Child Left Behind” law that are not truly beneficial to children. For example, part of it is that children have their names reported to Selective Services, so in case the draft is reinstated, the feds will have your child’s name. Nice? Now you see why they’re saying no child will be left behind? Of course public schools should have an opt-out option for parents, and when my daughter enrolled in a public school here in California, I saw the option and of course opted not to have her name reported to Selective Services. But if you’re receiving any kind of government funding or are in any way connected to a public school or charter school, do you know if your child’s name is being sent to the federal government for something that has nothing to do with education?

You gotta watch these government laws and regulations - they’re tricky, and intended to be that way by those who created them. They call the law mandating psychological testing for every American “The New Freedom Act”. Does the impending forced psychotropic medication make you feel freer? And they call the law mandating forced termination of parental rights if a child is kept in foster care for 15 months the “Adoptions and Safe Families Act”. Does that make your family safe if someone makes a false accusation against you? Lots of non-abusive families are being caught up in that scam. See Fight CPS. Likewise, “No Child Left Behind” is more about the dumbing down of educational values rather than the amazing uplifting of all poorly achieving public school children. It is about children passing standardized tests, not about making classrooms more enriching and creatively stimulating for learners.

2. Public school connected homeschoolers, including those enrolled in government funded charter schools, have lots of paperwork requirements. Instead of spending time having fun with the kids, parents are forced to jump through hoops by filling out paperwork and attending meetings where a public school funded educator supervises their homeschooling efforts. I think that’s ridiculous. Most parents who homeschool their children are savvy and concerned enough to know what they’re doing, and don’t need supervision. They need to spend their time creatively raising their children and giving them educational opportunities. I experienced this supervised type of homeschooling the first year I homeschooled my son, and it sure wasn’t for me. If you’re still putting up with this kind of oppression, and in return getting a few books to borrow and use, or a borrowed computer, or a few measly pieces of art paper for your kid to draw on, basically what you’re doing is selling out for some stuff that’s not worth all that much.

I don’t know about you, but part of why I wanted to homeschool was to have fun spending more time with my children. I really loved our time together, and we went places and did things together all the time. Once I was freed from the need to constantly fill out paperwork and meet with the school system representative, it was much more fun and less stressful for all of us.

3. Some charter school requirements are ridiculous, and they ruin the creativity and fun that homeschooling can provide. I noticed this when my son had a “homeschooling” friend who was enrolled in a charter school. The charter school insisted that this mother use a certain type of curriculum. I think it was Calvert. The mother had a stack of borrowed books including about ten paperbacks that she was supposed to get her twelve-year-old son to read. Both mother and son hated the curriculum, and nothing got done. The books didn’t get touched by the child.

I remember one of the books was The Diary of Anne Frank, which I have read and enjoyed, but this kid had no interest in it and the mother had no opportunity to be creative and assign something he’d be more likely to enjoy, such as “It’s Not About The Bike” by Lance Armstrong, which would have been perfect for him.

No, creativity was not encouraged, and the imposed expectations were high. The natural result was that this boy ended up being put back into public school by a very frustrated and disillusioned mother.

Anything that imposes any type of curriculum I truly believe is not intended to encourage happy homeschooling. As homeschoolers, we know that no one curriculum fills the needs of all children, or all parents. We root around a bit until we find something that works for us and makes the children happy. Every family is different. We need the freedom to be able to choose curriculum that suits our kids.

4. Government funded education is a form of welfare. I know if you’re getting any kind of government help for your homeschool educational endeavors, you probably don’t want to hear that. But it is true. You’re getting a hand-out. Even if that welfare payment consists merely of a few borrowed books or games, a computer, or access to a public school copy machine. Those of us who have discovered the freedom and joy of independent homeschooling pay for everything ourselves, from books purchased at the homeschool store, to karate lessons. Nothing is paid for by the government, so we’re not selling out, giving our time and peace of mind in exchange for a few goodies.

5. When government controls your homeschool, are you able to let your child learn what s/he wants to learn, at his or her own pace, or are there expectations you must fulfill? For example, here in California all fourth grade students in public schools must learn about California. All fifth grade students should study decimals, fractions, and percentages. There are grade level expectations for all the subjects normally taught in school. Are you being forced to meet someone else’s expectations, or are you forming your lessons according to the needs and interests of your child? How controlled are you?

There’s five concerns I have with the government’s control of homeschooling. I could come up with more. I welcome your comments on what I’ve just written, whether you agree, or not.