Guest Post by Ron Paul
During last week’s Virginia gubernatorial debate, Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe promised that as governor he would prevent parents from removing sexually explicit books from school libraries, because he doesn’t think “parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
McAuliffe’s disdain for parents who think they should have some say in their children’s education is shared by most “progressives,” as well as some who call themselves conservatives. They think parents should obediently pay the taxes to fund the government schools and never question any aspect of the government school program.
School officials’ refusal to obey the wishes of parents extends to the anti-science mask mandates. Mask mandates are not only useless in protecting children from a virus they are at low risk of becoming sick from or transmitting, the mandated mask-wearing actually makes children sick! Yet school administrators refuse to follow the science if that means listening to parents instead of the so-called experts.
Replacing parental control with government control of education (and other aspects of child raising) has been a goal of authoritarians since Plato. After all, it is much easier to ensure obedience if someone has been raised to think of the government as the source of all wisdom and truth, as well as the provider of all of life’s necessities.
In contrast to an authoritarian society, a free society recognizes that parents have both the responsibility and the right to provide their children with a quality education that reflects the parents’ values. Teachers who use their positions to indoctrinate children in beliefs that contradict the views of the parents are the ones overstepping their bounds.
Restoring parental control of education should be a priority for all who believe in liberty. If government can override the wishes of parents in the name of “education” or “protecting children’s health” then what area of our lives is safe from government intrusion?
Fortunately, growing dissatisfaction with government schools is leading many parents to try to change school policies. Parents are also responding by pursuing alternatives to government schools, including the option hated most by authoritarians: homeschooling.
The unnecessary coronavirus lockdowns and the teachers union officials’ support for keeping schools closed have also contributed to the growth in homeschooling.
Parents looking for a homeschooling program that includes an introduction to the ideas of liberty should consider my homeschool curriculum. My curriculum provides students with a solid education in history, literature, mathematics, and the sciences. It also gives students the opportunity to create their own websites and internet-based businesses. The curriculum is designed to be self-taught, with students helping, and learning from, each other via online forums.
Starting in fourth grade, students are required to write at least one essay a week. Students also take a course in public speaking.
The curriculum teaches history from a pro-liberty perspective, and the economics section is taught from the Austrian viewpoint. But, unlike government schools, the curriculum does not compromise education quality, distort facts, or undermine parental authority in pursuit of an ideological agenda.
Students using my homeschooling program develop a love of learning, study superior communication skills, and gain real-world business experience. They also develop critical thinking skills that will enable them to succeed in whatever career paths they choose.
Parents interested in giving their children a well-rounded homeschool education that includes an introduction to sound economics and the ideas of liberty can get more information about my curriculum by going to RonPaulCurriculum.com.
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Every parent and child MUST walk away from the government monopoly day prison system. The massive increase in homeschooling (or even doing on-line public school, supervised by parents), is a tremendous PLUS for ALL AMERICANS. The sooner we can collapse the government system, the better off the future will be for everyone.
No, on-line public school is still not good enough. How is that collapsing the government?
I like your posts, but sometimes wish you’d take it a step (or a couple steps) further.
Agreed. Anything online based feeds the beast (big tech corps). Withdraw consent.
You know from my previous posts that I push for the complete abolition of all involvement in education by the government (go back and read them and you will see). I was simply pointing out that even getting the kids out of the classroom and undermining the need for those buildings and employees is a good thing. A very small step from there to full home schooling. And at least parents can actually see the curricula with the on-line public school – I mean that as K12, Connections Academy, or similar “free” online schooling programs, not the BS/half-assed crap that kids had to deal with over the past year or more.
Ok, fair enough. You have the right idea.
Actually, I had also just read an article on Lewrockwell.com in which a recent study of the massive increase in homeschooling included these options in their stats. My thoughts were clearly influenced by this article.
He also doesn’t think citizens should be telling government how it can govern. He is not alone in this. He is in the majority (not that majorities mean anything anymore).
Thanks for the commercial, Ron.
Hey, far too many say “things need to change,” or “homeschool your kids” without offering a concrete option. Ron has, and at only $250 a year (when you purchase auto-renewal), its a great deal.
Wondering…if he cares so much about liberty, why charge at all to spread the ideas? Don’t have a problem with wanting to be compensated for our work, but I do question motivations sometimes.
Believe it or not, but some STILL cannot afford that low price of $250 per year. Guess they don’t get to hear the message.
There are still folks involved in administering everything, plus the website, chat groups, etc. Not sure if they offer scholarships, but there is also something to be said about how much value someone puts on something that is free.
Good point. Kinda like you NEVER give puppies away for free.
I love homeschooling the kids, I get to go over things I have half forgotten- we did a little Greek mythology today, he knew more of the gods and titans than I did- and we spend as much time using whatever I think are the best sources to cover the things that I know will serve him later in life. Then we discuss what we’ve done in great detail over much longer periods of time so that it sinks in and becomes real knowledge, not just another block to check off.
The best part is that we apply the knowledge- math is used to measure, estimate, and solve real problems we deal with daily. We’re building a full brick barbecue and pizza oven, so there’s the history (invention of concrete in Rome, brick making in New England), design and architecture (fitting the grills, height of the oven space, making the chimney vent properly) construction principles (mixing, pouring, and finishing footings, proper mortar mix, laying masonry plumb and level) as well as the aesthetics and finishes (striking the joints, the beauty of arches, and and the way it fits in the landscape and with the rest of the structures).
It never seems like I’m teaching and I don’t know if they ever realize that they are learning, but year by year it becomes apparent that we’ve done a much more thorough and useful job of it than the 20 million dollar budget the school district and all their credentialed teachers and administrators ever seemed to provide. And the connection we form as people with one another. I realize that they are our children, but they are also their own people that we have formed real friendships with them based on respect and admiration for each others efforts and accomplishments. Of course we love each other as a family, but we also like each other as individuals with different personalities and outlooks.
Of course there are holes in our knowledge and skill sets- tech and pop culture for example- but they have a wide range of friends and associates that they have come into contact because of the farm and what we do with that help them fill in those blanks. The best part- especially for me- is watching them become confident because of what they have done, not some grade based on standards developed by people with agendas and values we do not share.
^^^ That’s the way to do it. IMHO I believe Socratic discussion is one of the best forms of education…rarely, if ever, found in the schools. Love seeing students cry…LOL… for real. That’s how you know you have their heart and they’ll listen to you.
BUT…what is to be done for those who don’t have this option???
Organized and structured curricula like Ron’s attempt to get kids learning on their own from 4th grade on (with parents interacting directly up to that point). The key to education is to first teach a child HOW to learn. From there, its mostly about making sure there is sufficient access to knowledge to fill their desires to learn. I got the “how to” from a Montessori, but my parents made sure that I was never without books, the public library, etc. While HSFs approach might not work for everyone, the entirety of all knowledge (except that which has already been banned), is available to anyone with a computer these days.
You sound privileged. (Just kidding…don’t freak out)
Public libraries are in shambles these days. Can barely find quality books anymore. Just junk. Should we rely on computers for all knowledge these days?
Indeed, I was blessed (I prefer that word) to have a mom that cared very much about my education. She was showing me math and spelling flashcards well before I ever went to school. Both my parents worked to pay for my private schools, and my hard work and commitment ensured some critical scholarship that helped out after their divorce. Can’t speak to the quality of the public library near my house, but in the 60s it sure wasn’t filled with pornography, and at my education level, I never ran out of things that didn’t challenge me. And I’m not sure that computers are the optimum choice, but one can hardly deny how much information, free books, great literature, etc one has access to for nearly no cost these days. But one first has to learn how to find it “safely.”
Well, it sounds like you know what you’re talking about. I’m sure your parents can take some of that credit.
Traditional schools suck specifically because there is rarely any real connection to anything that anyone actually cares about, uses, etc. Homeschoolers (the decent ones anyway), treat every moment as a “teachable” moment, where the government prison guards treat only the moments between bells as “teachable,” thus leaving nearly every student without any interest or desire to learn unless the bell is first rung. Great job.