Government butts into homeschool

The Florida Department of Education recently awarded $4.8 million in contracts to "K12 Inc. and Connections Academy, two private companies that are supposed to provide home-based, computer-aided public education for as many as 1,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade," according to the Aug. 2 St. Petersburg Times.

This taxpayer-funded government program allows participating families to receive "computers, software, subsidized Internet access and complete curriculum packages aligned with the state's educational standards."

"Faced with a statewide epidemic of crowded classrooms, legislators earlier this year approved launching the K-8 virtual school in a pilot form at a taxpayer cost of $4,800 per student. That's $724 less than the state's average per-pupil expenditure, but $1,300 more than students get for private school vouchers," the Times reported.

On the surface, this may appear as a good thing, but as with all government expansion, one must be careful in setting a precedent and opening doors for intrusion on personal freedom.

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Yes, this is simply a Florida program, but with the growing popularity of William Bennett's K12, the same idea will be considered by states around the country. With that prospect, there are flaws that we must take into account.

First, this is a step by government into involvement in home education, practically the last bastion of free education. Setting such a precedent could in the future allow the state to forcefully set up standards upon homeschoolers who willingly participate in such programs and even those who do not.

Generally, government doesn't outright intrude into the private lives of citizens. It takes small, innocent-looking steps. While William Bennett may have good intentions, he is watering down the real motive behind homeschooling and the real reason it's successful. Instead of fighting for deregulation in education, he is lobbying government to expand its authority by inviting it to have a greater role in homeschooling.

Not only does this push water down the original ideas behind true homeschooling, I am sure that it will water down the curriculums and the education that is taking place. In many states, homeschoolers are being threatened with required curriculums or idiotic government standards. Somehow, I wonder if voluntary government home education programs will eventually turn into required standards and tests.

Despite the possibility of future Big Daddy intrusions, the initial bad ideas of the program are apparent. In particular, there are two fundamentally flawed ideas with the possibility of government subsidized homeschools:

First, government is the problem, not the answer! At the risk of social persecution and possibly a threat from the education bureaucrats, families started the modern-day homeschooling revolution without the help of government handouts, curriculums, or computers – precisely to be free from government involvement. The result has been outstanding scores on standardized tests and a big jump ahead of public education.

Second, the average homeschooled family does not need the help of the government. The essential characteristics of the homeschooling idea is self-motivation and work ethic. No one adopts a good work ethic by relying upon government.

Additionally, it seems as if this K-8 program is based upon the belief that home education is simply done out of convenience. Almost like a public school at home. However, speaking from experience, I know that people do not homeschool for convenience. Moreover, it is very inconvenient to homeschool and requires many sacrifices. Home education works in most cases simply because of independent curriculums and the parental drive to deliver a good education.

I do believe that this program could prove superior to traditional government schooling, simply because it relies upon educational choice.

Yet, it violates the true spirit of home education: Self-motivation, trading work-ethic for government dependency. Homeschooling is not merely another educational option, but a growing group of responsible families who, by and large, are trading the trash of liberal public schooling ideas for real education in America's founding and all areas of schooling.

This is a movement that must not be compromised or watered down.