The Importance of the Availability of Public School

I am fortunate to be capable of and willing to homeschool my child. But not every family is like mine.

The world is made up of a vast diversity of different types of people and families. There are many different types of parents and different types of children. Choice is good, and the more choices we have, the better the lives we can craft for ourselves.

I think sometimes people forget to appreciate this. They forget that the choice that is best for themselves is not the best choice for everyone else. Sometimes they even demonize or look down upon those who do not agree with their world view.

(ahem.)

But diversity is a good thing. I personally believe that if everyone on the planet held identical lifestyles, views, opinions, beliefs etc., the world would not be as rich and wonderful. In fact in my opinion, civilization would quickly fall apart if everyone had to do everything exactly the same way. For one thing, when people hold different viewpoints, these different ideas have a way of balancing each other out and keep things from becoming too extreme one way or the other.

I do not wish to be a judgmental person. For example, I do not wish to say that homeschooling parents are better parents than non-homeschooling parents. (That would be silly - one of my children is homeschooled, one is not, and one graduated from public school. Nor do I wish to say that people who follow a specific path are better than people who are better suited to a different path. I feel that when people are judgmental, it says more about them than the people they are judging. I guess that IS judgmental.

One of the miracles of life is that some kids turn into competent adults even though they have parents who do not take advantage of the opportunity to be the best parent they can be. Either they are incapable of being great parents or they choose not to. But it doesn't always turn out that way. Some kids are damaged by their homes and communities and it creates a negative cycle that repeats with their children. When it doesn't turn out well for these kids it doesn't turn out well for the rest of us either. I'm not talking about socioeconomic class. Some of the wealthiest people put the least effort into parenting. Some parents simply should not homeschool their children, and hopefully they are wise enough to realize that. Not all parents are honest with themselves about their own limitations, but hopefully most are capable of judging what is best for their children and families.

Where does this leave the kids? None of this is their fault - and every child deserves the best. I believe in parental rights but I also believe that every child deserves an education of the best quality, whether it's home, charter, private or public school.

This is why, while I support the rights of homeschooling families, I also support the availability of pre-K AND a top-notch public education for all children. If parents and kids want to opt out and homeschool, fine. But kids shouldn't be penalized because their parents can't or shouldn't homeschool.