Don't Be Distracted...

This week I am making a transition from teaching in the physical classroom, to teaching in a virtual environment. The rise of alternative forms of education has not come without controversy. The traditional (I call them statist) defenders of public schooling will immediately whip up the rallying cry of defending public tax dollars. Any attempt to remove a student from the local public school will be met with resistance. Pubic enemy number one is the charter school. Whether they be public or private, the statist will yammer on about accountability, stealing tax dollars and unfair operating models. Defenders of charters have dug their heels in, as they rightfully should, to deconstruct these attacks. Other alternatives face similar attacks as well.

Homeschoolers in many states face an uphill battle and often times roadblocks are placed in the way of families who wish to educate their children at home. Just this past week the public education watchdog group Chalkbeat ran a story here in Indiana about how public schools manipulate dropout numbers by claiming those leaving are going to homeschool. Of course the article is less than flattering toward homeschooling, citing that there is little to no accountability of follow up once a student leaves the public school system.

Manual High School, Indianapolis, IN

These battles, while important in a sense, should not distract us from the real issue related to education; family control over education. As I have pointed out in many previous writings, there is a clear difference between schooling and education. I have also claimed this country does not have a public education system, instead we have a school system. This is the discussion that must be had. We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in arguing the differences between options, but instead must insist that parents enjoy those options. In an attempt to do this, let's look three common arguments statists make about why we must protect the public school system and counter those with reasons why parents should be able to reject the status quo.

Without school, children wouldn't learn - If you can believe it, this is probably the most common reason I hear for why we must protect the public school system. Of course if you give it even a second of thought you realize how ridiculous this is. However crazy this seems, people believe it! At the risk of not just dismissing it, I will at least provide examples of why this is an insane defense of public schools. In America today there are a little over 1.5 million children who are homeschooled. So how do they perform? According to a study done by the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschoolers outperform their public school counterparts on ACT/SAT testing and graduate college at a higher rate. How can this be? Isn't the only way to ensure children are educated is to cram them in to a classroom every day? Of course not! Children can and do learn best outside the confines of a standard classroom.

Schools ensure children get a "well rounded" education - The first question I ask when I hear this one is "what does that even mean?" What in the world does it even mean to receive a "well rounded" education? I assume by this the statist means an education rooted in more than the traditional reading, writing and arithmetic and would include foreign language, science, social studies, home economics, etc. This is a noble cause, but one that is not worthy of pursuit. What bureaucrat decides these things? What of the curriculum that is taught? Has anyone stopped to ask if children are benefiting from completing the curriculum they are forced to endure? Perhaps children would be better served being able to self determine what they study and how. Take the example of Richard Branson, the founder of Virigin Records and Airlines. His education was taken after the school system failed him and he went on to learn through life experiences to build a net worth of over a billion dollars!

Schools prepare children for society, whereas other options cannot - Defenders of the public school system will often lean on the socialization factor as a reason why children must be enrolled at a local school. Of course what these people willfully ignore are the negative impacts that this causes. In recent years the spotlight in public schools has brightly been shining on the bullying problem. Unfortunately, most people who have attempted to address the issue of bullying still fail to see the enabling factor that public school creates. The manner in which school is structured and run produces opportunities for those who may not fit in to social norms created in the school environment. Again, we must ask, why would someone be defiant to the point of wanting to force someone who is being bullied to stay in that environment? Those who choose to seek alternative forms of education are just as likely to engage in socialization, such as; home group co-ops, peer groups and other clubs and organizations.

Clearly there are many more arguments made by both sides and while it is important to defend alternatives to public schooling, we cannot lose sight of the main point. The public school system and its one size fits all structure is a farce. It is rooted in force. Have you ever stopped to consider why that is so? If the public school model was so effective and persuasive, why would families need to be forced to attend at the threat of truancy laws? If we really care about educating our future generations, we should embrace models that work best for all and not forcing all in to one model.