What do you think of when you picture home education? In her recent article "Education is not Compulsory," former teacher and home education supporter, Myra Robinson asked this question, but she began with the premise: "The philosophy behind home schooling is wrong. Children's right to be educated should take precedence over a parent's right to withdraw a child from school."
That statement gave me pause. Robinson suggested that the basic philosophy of homeschooling is based in the parents' right to keep their kids out of school. Apparently, however, she feels that this right only belongs to parents who provide an education in the manner of compulsory public education.
A Child's Right to an Education
I feel it's important to examine the notion of a child's right to an education, especially when the notion is used as rationale for forcing an educational program on a child in the manner of compulsory public education and government control of homeschooling.
What Does Homeschooling Look Like?
Robinson suggested a stereotypical image of middle class creative parents lavishing attention on their offspring. In my experience, the common stereotype of homeschoolers remains that of the isolated, large, religiously-focused family.
However, as Robinson pointed out, the reality suggests a wide variety of circumstances (i.e., unschooling, social homeschooling, classical education), among them some less-than-optimal situations. As the popularity of homeschooling grows, the diversity of families grows, too.
Robinsons' primary concern, apparently, lies with single mothers, often incapable of teaching, who remove "disruptive" children, usually boys, from school, thus depriving them of an education (the school "learning programme".)
Robinson listed several case situations in which she felt homeschooled children were receiving inadequate education. I imagine that I could describe similar circumstances, (i.e., illiterate, parents not home, poverty, etc.), for a significant number of children in school. Why do we expect homeschooled children, as a group, to perform academically and have home situations at higher standards than those in school? Homeschooling must be better in order to be an allowable option?
What is an education?
I also feel it's important to examine the notion of "an education," especially when attempting to equate it with presentation of school curriculum. If a child has a right to an education, shouldn't the child determine what, how, and where to acquire it? Shouldn't parents hold primary responsibility, via school enrollment or homeschooling, for helping their children gain valuable skills and learn what they desire to know?
Robinson worried that homeschooling gives preference to parents' rights over children's rights. She seemed to suggest that government, rather than parents or children, should hold primary responsibility for making decisions about a child's education, encompassing what, how, and where to acquire that education. I suggest honoring the child's right to a personally-compelling, not compulsory, education.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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