Do you want the state to determine what your children will learn and how they will live? In our eight years of homeschooling with Classical ConversationsĀ®, my family has learned how our government works, how to construct well-written papers, how to present arguments well, and how to defend our beliefs. Of course, we’ve all heard the adage that “those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.” The past shows us just how easily freedoms can be lost. Can we expect others to defend and fight for our freedoms? As homeschooling families, what can we do? Political engagement and encouraging others to get involved are crucial so we do not lose our freedoms.
Only the Well-Informed Can Argue Well
All CC families will tell you that you can only argue well if you are well-informed. As a result, we now study the legislative process for our state and pay attention to the new legislation presented. Our family is actively involved in a grassroots movement to bring awareness to the bills that are a potential threat to parental rights, educational freedoms, and religious infringement.
Here is another family’s testimony about how Classical Conversations has prepared them for political engagement.
Use these resources to help your family to be well-informed and politically engaged this election cycle. And encourage others to get involved, too.
Valerie Ward is the Classical Conversations Sales Manager for the Texas Region. As a former college administrator turned homeschool mom who nerds out over learning new things, she is ardent about parental rights, homeschool freedom, and religious freedom. She married her high school sweetheart, now pastor husband, and they run a family farm with chickens, ducks, sheep, pigs, and goats. Her passion is to live as much as possible within the freedom the Lord provides from the land He has given.
Recently, House Bill 4130 was introduced to regulate homeschool families in Oklahoma. Americans must strongly oppose this bill to restrict and regulate families, because its narrative of abuse in homeschools is fabricated. This bill would introduce extreme government overreach into the realm of home education.
Homeschoolers have the fundamental right of autonomy to educate and disciple their children apart from state overreach. A more detailed analysis of this bill is coming, but due to urgency of action, here are some reasons to oppose it:
Children do not belong to the state, but to the parents.
Therefore, the Civil government has no authority or jurisdiction over homeschooling.
The reasons for restricting and regulating homeschooling are baselessly supported, fueled by fear tactics.
If passed, the state will require social security numbers and background checks for the purpose of tracking every home resident.
If passed, parents may be subjected to home inspection visits.
For these reasons, weād like to stand with our friends at HSLDA and oppose Rep. Amanda Swopeās bill.
To join our efforts opposing HB 4130, please contact Rep. Amanda Swope to let her know that you oppose this bill.
Elise DeYoung is a Public Relations and Communications Associate and a Classical Conversations graduate.Ā With CC, she strives to know God and make Him known in all aspects of her life. She is a servant of Christ, an avid reader, and a professional nap-taker. As she continues her journey towards the Celestial City, she is determined to gain wisdom and understanding wherever it can be found. Soli Deo gloria!
As I travel from state to state I find there are two tables of homeschool resources. Those that are total free-market options, and those that are fully or partially taxpayer funded. These resources could be tutoring services, classes, extracurricular activities, sports, fine-arts, and so much more. What I have found remarkably interesting is just like a gluten-free table, free-market options are either spars or plentiful; bland or diverse.
An Illustration From My Gluten-Free Friends
Nearly, every potluck I attend has an accommodating table, based on the reality that a large segment of our population has chosen to abstain from gluten. We know there are a spectrum of reasons. Nearly every gluten-free consumer has some moderate to severe negative consequence they are trying to avoid, and yet others take a proactive approach.
I also bet there are some on the train becauseā¦ well, they get on all trains.
Motivations aside, in my lifetime the potluck scene has completely changed to accommodate this demographic.
Ok, nothing against my anti-glutenomist friendsā¦ If I still have you, follow me with the illustration.
The gluten-free consumer made a decision (forced or voluntary) that altered a major portion of their life. They have their position prior to any potluck. Once there, they are either delighted or depressed with the variety of gluten-free options. The most strict in this demographic choose only from this table. Rarely in their disappointment do they ever compromise and decide to browse the non-gluten free selection. (If you know someone like this who has had accidental gluten contamination, you know why).
To be specific, if there is no cake on the gf table, the consumer does not reluctantly go to the other table to get their cake, they simply go without cake. If this happens enough times, one of two things will probably happen. The friends and family of this individual will have compassion and bake a diet-friendly cake, or the consumer will get frustrated enough to bake their own cake.
How in the world does this intersect with home-schooling?
As we evaluate options on the two tables, we must first step back and evaluate our commitment to the homeschool resource ādiet.ā What are the pros and cons of only consuming free-market options? Are there any consequences to sampling options from the subsidized table if you donāt find what you like in the free-market? Some states provide an āall or nothingā choice. In these states, for those that have chosen to homeschool, no state funded options are available.
Do you know what they DO have? They are serving a feast of quality, diverse, competitive, free-market services. How do they have such options? There you will find a rich legacy of groups and individuals who found a way to make a gf cake ā by that I mean a robust free-market buffet because the consumers in the state required that accommodation. In other circumstances we find that families solved their own dilemmas with conviction and creativity.
In Many States the Free-Market Table is Lacking
If you are in a state like mine, the free-market table is lacking. One reason this is true is due to the fact that the other table is easily accessible. Families discouraged by the free-market are welcome to browse the state-funded options. At first glance, this seems warm and hospitable. Consumers say things like, āI do not have a choice, the option I wanted (or a quality version of this option) was not available on the free-market.
When this is our outlook, do you know what happens to our table? Nothing. It stays sparse and bland.
What will drive change? The options are the following:
(1) Families will set their ādietā and commit to it before they ever attend the potluck,
(2) Families will ONLY chose the bland options,
Or
(3) Families willcreate better options for the next generation.
We all have a choice, and as we all know; all choices yield outcomes.
Lauren Gideon is the Manager of Grassroots Advocacy for Classical Conversations. She co-leads and teaches through an organization committed to raising citizenship IQ on U.S. founding documents. She and her husband homeschool their seven children on their small acreage, where they are enjoying their new adventures in homesteading.
Homeschooling, and our freedom to do so, provides ample opportunity to cultivate the heart of gratitude and love in our families. We can be intentional about forming a heart of thankfulness and gratitude. We can also be intentional about loving deeply and sacrificially.
āThe world about us thinks that love blossoms only when things are pleasant ā¦ if you want a love that grows deep roots in your heart that cannot be swayed by the winds of change or trouble, then the old formula is the best. Time. Sacrifice. Hard work. Inconvenient hours….Homeschooling gives us all a uniquely intense opportunity to fall deeply in love with our children and they with us.ā
Published by Homeschool Freedom November, 2021. Michael is president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom. Farris was also the founding president of Homeschool Legal Defense Association and Patrick Henry College.
Become an active participant in maintaining your homeschool freedoms. Look at your state homeschool organizationās planned Capitol Day. If you donāt see a date or link for your state, bookmark the site and keep checking back as it will be updated as we hear from state more organizations.
Here are homeschooling resources to assist you, or someone you know, with homeschooling in your state. These resources include state homeschooling laws and event information.
Over this Thanksgiving holiday, have you been blessed by spending more time with family? Have you considered homeschooling but are at a loss for how to get started? Do you have friends that donāt want to send their children back to school? Perhaps these resources could help you get started:
