For HSLDA Action, our goal is to build a
freedom that lasts, and that’s the fundamental
challenge we face.
With the recent surge in homeschooling,
I have fielded plenty of questions as to why
HSLDA Action is still involved in national
politics—and why that is important to our
homeschool freedom. My answer is always the
same. In order to maintain and build on our
progress, we must continue to engage in the
political arena.
That means we work with people from
diverse backgrounds, a broad variety of
cultures, and a range of political viewpoints.
Sometimes it is people who specialize in
working with the special needs community or military families. Sometimes it is
inner city groups, and sometimes it’s rural
associations.
It doesn’t matter who people are if we
agree on the important principles. Wherever
we find them, we ally with people who are
dedicated to educational freedom, supporting
families, and ensuring that parents are in the
driver’s seat when it comes to the wellbeing of
their children.
I know that many find the current
political landscape repelling. Vitriol is at
an all-time high. (Well, at least in living
memory . . . don’t get me started on the
founders’ vitriolic debate over adopting our
Constitution!) The mutual respect, honorable
conduct, and, yes, even cross-party comradery
that the Silent Generation remembers
and laments the loss of may seem to be
irrevocably lost to us today. And at the same
time, we sense the risks and dangers to our
freedom growing daily.
However, as more and more families decide
to homeschool, it’s more important than ever
to remember the principles that maintain
homeschool freedom.
Like the four
principles I use when
building with my kids, there
are four political
principles that underlie homeschool freedom.
They are obviously of a much higher order
than the principles for LEGOs or Minecraft,
and eminently vital. They are:
- Limited government
- Religious freedom
- Parental rights
- Educational freedom
Each is intrinsically linked to the robust
homeschooling freedom we enjoy today, and
if any are removed or weakened, our freedom
is imperiled.
Let’s start with the biggest and most
foundational idea: limited government.
Simply put, it means that the government
only has the powers allowed by the Constitution. It traces its roots all the way back to the
Magna Carta in England, but the principle is
straightforward. The government does not
get to do something just because it is the
government. It is only allowed to act if it has
permission, even when that is inconvenient
or inefficient. Such permission comes from our elected officials and, occasionally, the
people they appoint.
Why is this relevant to homeschooling? It’s
how we restrain our government from doing
whatever it wants. As a practical example, we
at HSLDA have dealt with seemingly endless
cases of governments discriminating against
homeschooling in the past five years. For us to
be free people—and free to homeschool—the
government must have limits. This is why
HSLDA Action firmly opposes the government
when it goes beyond its legal authority.
The second principle is religious freedom.
Now, of course, not everyone is homeschooling for religious reasons, and that is fine, but
homeschooling has been a place of refuge
for many families who found that traditional
education promoted values and ideology that
conflicted with their own. The truth is that
attacks on religious freedom often lead to
efforts that can undermine homeschool freedom as well. It is often assumed that religious
freedom only matters to religious
homeschoolers, but the preservation of religious liberty benefits
the whole of the increasingly
diverse homeschooling
community.
That brings us to the third idea: parental
rights—which includes the right of parents to
determine how their children are educated. At
HSLDA and HSLDA Action we talk a lot about
parental rights. That might seem a bit unusual
when we are so focused on our children, but
the logic of it is simple. History, research, and
experience all show us that parents are the
people most dedicated to a child’s success,
education, and well-being. While there are
exceptions to this rule, parents are consistently the ones who make the best choices for
their kids. That might seem obvious, but
common sense is not all that common anymore. That is why we repeat it, and that’s
why we support a parent’s right to direct the
education and care of their children.
And finally we come to the last principle:
educational freedom. Supporting educational freedom means recognizing that each
family—and each child—is unique. What
works for one child may not work for another.
What one family prioritizes, another may not.
There is a breathtaking amount of diversity
that exists within each and every family. The
unique values, culture, skills, and abilities
each of our kids have are paired with the
unique talents, abilities, and opportunities
each family brings.
Mass-produced education is rarely
capable of adapting to the individual needs of each student. Educational freedom is the only thing
that can provide the opportunity for each child
to receive the best possible education.
I have had the privilege of watching my boys grow, flourish, and hone their sense
of creativity. They have gone from constructing haphazardly to building long-lasting
creations. One of our Minecraft worlds has four distinct civilizations, with coherent design
and broad diversity. Soaring towers, mighty castles, and elven villages dot the landscapes.
In some places, stories from books spring to life, while other worlds flourish with entirely
original concepts. (Even dinosaur cavalry have their place!)
Their imaginations are employed, and then the math, engineering, and science—that
they don’t even know they are learning—are in evidence. Their home education has
been a crucial part of this. In my own way, I get the chance to apply the principles I teach
my children to my work with HSLDA Action and help ensure that other children get the
chance my boys have had.
It is our privilege to help build a world where all the individuality and creativity that
home education inspires can thrive. We must keep the foundations strong, because they
secure a path forward for our children to flourish.
