One might be surprised to learn that the largest influx into the homeschool field today are professional teachers. The reasons they give are very interesting.

  • In the 1960s, teachers had more of a say in what happened in their classrooms. However, the government has more control these days. It is important to know that the Vietnam War taught us that the war cannot be won from the White House. Likewise, the teacher, who is in the trenches (metaphorically speaking) knows what her children need. Unlike the bureaucracy, Ella sees them as human beings and not statistics. Heck, school lunches were even so much better in the ’60s.
  • Teachers rightly complain that they must now teach their children to pass government-mandated tests that require them to sacrifice teaching the basics.
  • Class sizes have become so large that children are being taught to act like robots instead of individuals. Teachers are forced to teach as a one-size-fits-all…they are less able to individualize their curriculum.
  • Recess and play time are shrinking. Many teachers complain that this creates stress and forces little ones to fit into unhealthy and unnatural molds.

Teachers take a beating when blamed for the growing decline in the US public school system, and few people listen to “those in the trenches.” Government bureaucracy is more likely to blame. Is it any wonder so many teachers choose to homeschool their own families?

Most homeschool students outperform public school kids on college entrance exams. Obviously, most parents are doing something right, whether or not they have teaching credentials.

Are there any sad stories about children who are not receiving a proper education at their place of origin school? The answer is yes, but you find more such stories in the public school system. Government intervention is not a solution. The awareness and participation of parents (“those in the trenches”) is the solution. That is the case whether one has children in home school or public school systems.

This is not said to put an impossible burden or even blame the parents. I say this to empower parents. The solution to education today comes remarkably from you, the people.