Are we really homeschooling?
By Randy McCoy
That question was at the heart of the discussions during the recent annual meeting of the Tennessee Home Education Association in Nashville. My wife and I sat with the pioneers of the Tennessee homeschooling movement for a full day and considered, debated, and reconsidered the very core of our existence as a “nongovernment schooling option.”
This body of representatives, leaders from every homeschooling association in the state, spent well over half of its agenda defining what we do, what we call ourselves, what we believe in, and what we would go to jail for. Interestingly, though understandable given the time constraints, that question was never fully answered. I found it remarkable too, that some on the board could not relate to each other. One group was the “old guard,” the hardcore believers who have been around since Genesis … well, since the dawning of homeschooling — even before it was legal. The other group was the keepers of the faith, those introduced to and actively engaged in homeschooling from 5-7 years ago. It was not that these folks disagreed; they all shared the common ground of desiring the best for their kids and the freedom to exercise that desire, but it was the shift of core principles from one generation to the next that startled the board.
At the heart of the matter is a trend that seems to be a fulfillment of prophesies spoken in the early days of the legal homeschooling debate. It was argued back then by the powers of government that homeschooling would eventually, at best, transform into a confederation of very small, unregulated, private schools. It seems, given the proliferation of co-ops, enrichment programs, and tutorials that those public detractors may have been on to something.
Bear in mind, I do not write those words without fear and trembling; I am the codirector of a two-day enrichment/tutorial… any mud I sling will land directly in my face.
My colleagues in the THEA identified, correctly, that homeschooling has changed during the 25 years since its legal right to exist. That change has brought us to a fork in “the road less traveled;” and the future, indeed, the legality of homeschooling, may hang in the balance. We in the THEA may not have defined any solutions to the change but we definitely identified two distinct motives that separate the founders from the faithful: “Conviction vs. preference.”
It was conviction that provoked those “radical” 80’s era parents to brave the taunts of their contemporaries and families. It was conviction that drove them to develop escape plans for their children should the truant officer come knocking. It was conviction that caused them to lie awake at night wondering if they would end up in jail tomorrow for doing what they believed God was commanding them to do today. It was the overpowering conviction and the unyielding belief that they were under the compulsion of the Almighty to take control of their children’s training and Please turn to next page “socialization.” Christ was the center of their education and family discipleship was the reward of being outcast and alone against the monolith of government schooling.
And here we are 25 years later.
One of the most remarkable testimonies uncovered at the THEA meeting was the fact that many of the new board members had never even read the laws concerning their rights; rights that other members had stood before the state legislature and defended. Ironically, the same shift we decry in our national government, the systematic erosion of our forefathers’ intent to create a nation under God, seems to be happening to us. The conviction to homeschool has slowly turned into a preference to homeschool.
So what? What does that mean? So what if you prefer to homeschool? So what if you don’t know the law… it’s still legal, isn’t it? So what if you don’t know the difference between an LEA and a Category IV school? So what if you don’t know what the Jeter amendment is? Your kid just got kicked out of public school and you can’t afford private school. Your kid just brought the “F” bomb home from 1st grade last week and you can’t afford private school. You want your kid to have a private school teacher-student ratio, but you can’t afford private school. Maybe you don’t even have these issues, you just prefer to homeschool; you have a choice now, it’s legal.
Can you see the difference? Is homeschooling a duty to God or a merely a privilege granted by the state? It’s worth mentioning again that I am the beneficiary of both groups; over a hundred and thirty K-6 graders come to my program on a weekly basis and I have seen the trend first-hand. Perhaps it was preference that prompted us to expand our services. I wonder now if we are unintentionally contributing to a culture of enabling parents to homeschool “just enough.” The trouble is, without knowing what the law says, parents won’t know what “just enough” is.
“Not on my watch” was a popular phrase a few years ago. President Bush assured us that the U.S. would not fall to the grip of terrorism while he was in office and that the democracy protected by law and constitution would not disappear from the face of the earth. Can we say the same thing about homeschooling? Do we not realize that our parental rights hang on the narrowest of margins?
Yes, they do.
One administration change can change everything. And our attention to what is and what is not homeschooling may make the difference in whether we retain this right. Who knows what wild cards we have placed in the deck in Washington, D.C.? But that’s another article.
So what can you do to ensure that your sons and daughters will have the same right to teach your grandchildren at home? Of course, the number one answer is pray. Pray hard. We need to appeal to the great Lawgiver that we will be faithful to the freedom He has granted us; not just to the human statute but to the spirit that wrote on the hearts of those homeschool pioneers who stood up to the Department of Education and 80 years of government control. Then read the law. Post it in your home. Print out the Jeter Amendment.
Also, encourage your homeschooling friends to join the local and state homeschool associations. This is crucial to the future of homeschooling. Let me explain why. When THEA was formed, the founders decided to decentralize the organization through the creation of regional chapters that could meet the needs of the homeschooler at their kitchen table.
By outsourcing the inevitable questions from hundreds of new families to regional representatives, THEA could focus on its core competency: keeping close watch on our rights. Therefore, local chapters are an extension, a hand up, and a hug from THEA. You get both the mind and heart of homeschooling in Tennessee.
Patti and I want you to know that we are praying for all of you as you homeschool. We hope you will join us in preserving this precious liberty that God ordained and the state of Tennessee has provided.
Randy McCoy is president of MTHEA. Reprinted by permission from the March 2009 issue of Jonathan’s Arrow, the newsletter for MTHEA.