2023-9-15 Do You Homeschool Your Children?

Strong families, communities, and nations require their members and citizens to be educated. Thomas Jefferson is credited with making a statement similar to this one: “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” 

To encourage education, the early American colonials began public schooling, and public schooling has generally been a good thing in America. The first students were the sons of rich property owners, merchants, and other such people. They were taught such topics as politics, mathematics, divinity, ethics, Latin, Greek, mathematics, surveying, navigation, accounting, bookkeeping, science, English, and contemporary foreign languages.

Girls were taught household skills, such as sewing, cooking, gardening, and nursing, by their mother or governess. Eventually, girls and children of all colors and races attended public school. Today, schooling is moving in the opposite direction. As time passes, more parents are choosing to homeschool their children. Two or three weeks ago, I asked the four girls in my Primary class who were home schooled and who attended a public school. Three of the girls said that they were home schooled, an answer that surprised me.

According to Mary Margaret Olohan, former President Donald Trump promised to be the champion of homeschoolers in America if he is re-elected. He said the following in a new Agenda 47 video that was recently released on social media and Rumble. 

“As president, it was my honor to support America’s homeschool families – and to protect the God-given right of every parent to be the steward of their children’s education…. Since the China virus, America has seen an estimated 30% increase in homeschool enrollment.

“When I am reelected, I will do everything I can to support parents who make the courageous choice of homeschool…. Under the Trump tax cuts, we allowed families to use 529 education savings accounts to spend up to $10,000 a year tax-free on tuition for grades K through 12. This was a tremendous win for school choice – very important, school choice, remember that term – and yet, that benefit did not apply to homeschoolers.

In his next term, Trump pledged, he will fight to “allow homeschool parents the same incredible benefits -- $10,000 a year per child, completely tax free – to spend on costs associated with homeschool education.

“I will also work to ensure that every homeschool family is entitled to full access to the benefits available to non-homeschool students – including participating in athletic programs, clubs, after-school activities, educational trips, and more…. To every homeschool family, I will be your champion.”

As school districts become more and more woke, wise parents will choose to homeschool their children. If your school district is teaching CRT, gender issues, and other woke topics, you may need to join the homeschoolers.

Homeschooling as we know it today began in the 1970s when my older children began kindergarten. I had low opinions of the programs, and I have watched with great interest as the programs improved. Some of my grandchildren were homeschooled for kindergarten and then sent to public schools. My neighbor homeschools her son who is now a freshman in high school because she does not like the atmosphere in public schools.

Wise parents will be aware of what is being taught in public schools. If their schools began teaching woke topics, they should be ready to remove their children from public schools and to either place them in private schools or to homeschool. Wise parents will ensure that their children receive appropriate schooling in a safe environment and will strengthen their homes, communities, and nations by doing so.