Homeschooling as a matter of public discussion

The biggest homeschooling news of the past month has, without question, been the reactive mess resulting from the ruling of the California appeals court which said in re. Rachel L. that there was “no Constitutional right to homeschool.” I say reactive very intentionally, and without any intention of sensationalism, for this case truly has acted as a catalyst to the homeschooling debate, fueling an unprecedented amount of coverage and analysis. As Valerie Bonham Moon of Home Education Magazine noted,

…the number of reports is a story in itself. HEM

In the fallout, we see everyone’s fears regarding homeschooling in America. After World Net Daily reported on the ruling, at least 119 blogs offered commentary with titles like:

• Big Brother Lives
• Making Government Indoctrination Compulsory
• Your Child is Not Your Own
• Your Place in the Planned Society

There is a distrust of the state which is particularly noticeable among homeschoolers, stemming from a history of the state proving itself to be untrustworthy. This ruling seemed to evoke all of that tension in a flurry of postings to blogs and forums.

And there was, of course, the other side as well.

The Daily Titan, a campus paper of the University of California at Fullerton, published an editorial leading off with a bit of inflammatory rhetoric:

Homeschooling advocates, headed mainly by Christian zealots, are calling for Gov. Schwarzenegger’s protection of their fundamental right to teach their children to be bigots and idiots. dailytitan.com

Two professors emeriti from Cal Poly Pomona wrote an editorial for the LA Times where they revealed an odd opinion of homeschoolers:

The court’s decision means that home schoolers must be given some substantive instruction in social studies and not simply spend their time watching Fox with its strange assortment of oddballs pontificating on current events. LA Times

And argued for the certification of all homeschool parents. (I have a full rebuttal to this editorial on my blog.)

Email boxes, forums, blogs, radio programs, television programs and newspapers (local, national and even international) have all featured ongoing coverage of this case, something which could likely have far more effect on homeschooling in the United States than this ruling, which has already been vacated as the court readies itself to rehear the case.

People are interested. People who do not normally think about homeschooling. And while many do support greater restrictions on us, few want to see it made totally illegal or isolated solely to those trained in accredited programs, perhaps because Americans still have just enough latent mistrust of government to question an education system dictated entirely by the state. And, because of the interest, newspapers may be more willing than usual to publish an editorial or ask you for an interview if contacted.

Stay informed. Stay involved. And your voice may be heard by more than you imagine. Every challenge can also be an opportunity, and we now have an opportunity like never before to engage the public in discussion about what homeschooling really means to the many families which have chosen this educational option.

If you have never written one, this is a good description of the structure and goals of an editorial.

Dana is a fourth year homeschooling mom to three girls and a boy. In her column, “In the News,” she will be taking a look at homeschoolers who have affected the news and news that affects homeschoolers. Visit her blog, Principled Discovery.