top of page
Search

A Response to "Some People Cannot Homeschool"




When discussing homeschooling, a response that is often provided is that "some people can't homeschool", which is a defense of the existence and the continued financial support of the public school system, as it operates today. This response (or similar ones) attempts to assert the idea that the public school system is a necessity: that public education is the only way that some single parents and impoverished families may have access to an education for their kids, and that they otherwise wouldn't have such access to an education without the public school system. These are all fallacies and we break them down below.



How to Fix the Public School System


There's no way to fix the public school system as it exists today, except through a radical reconstruction of its entire architecture: its funding structure, its goals, its management, the training of its personnel, and its curriculum. To do so, it will be necessary to go back to basics: what should public education be designed to do in the first place?


It should provide for the absolute basics of teaching students to read, write, do arithmetic, some basics of the history of the founding of the United States, focusing on the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the founding of the country, and the importance of laws and civics, and would include physical fitness -- only.


... and nothing beyond this.


An ideal public school system would be designed to end within 3 to 4 total hours of classroom time per day, would have no homework assignments at all (emphasizing in-class learning), and would end at 6th grade. By making these changes, the costs would be greatly reduced and all of the current management and budgeting problems would be resolved, resulting in a signficant economic return to the communities that the public school system is currently impoverishing. The public school system would be made fiscally responsible.


Moreover, a student leaving the school system would graduate with a diploma that has meaning: "I (as a student) can read, write, and do math proficiently at a six grade level, I understand the basic laws and history of the founding of the United States, and I am an physically fit person; I am able to be employed or engage in training for the lowest common denominator of employment of any job." But more to the point, "I am prepared for further education or training." Any further training or education would be provided by non-federal, local programs or businesses.


What Can Families do Right Now?


The immediate response to what is proposed above, is what can families do right now?


If you live in a community where two parents must work full time to make ends meet...


Answer: get a job elsewhere. Quit your job and move there.


The fact of the matter is that by continuing to live in that community that costs so much $$$ to live -- requires both parents to work to stay afloat, (whether it is East LA or San Francisco), you should just go elsewhere. Vote with your feet and your money, and don't give more money to corrupt politicians (California and New York being the worst offenders). The United States is a vast country and there are so many places to live and a huge variation in the cost living. Do you think that living in Alaska costs a lot? They actually pay people to live there. Or how about rural Massachussets, if you live in Boston? Or Grass Valley or Shasta, if you live in the Bay Area. Granted, most places will not pay people to live there like Alaska does, but the cost living across the United States varies by as much as 67% to up to 200% (depending on which places you compare). Have you ever heard of homesteading (where a family provides entirely for themselves)? Yep, people do that even today. Now, we're not necessarily suggesting something dramatic: perhaps you just need to move out of the inner city to a rural suburb? During the Covid pandemic, many people did just that: they got creative and figured out to make a life for themselves outside of the techno-metropolis they were currently living in.


Realistically speaking, we ask this rhetorical question: what's the point in living in a crime infested, run-down, economically deprived inner city, like Oakland or LA? And if you're living paycheck to paycheck, you have nothing to lose by packing up your bags and going elsewhere. Sure, it might be hard in the beginning, but your future and your children's future is at stake.


Budgeting


Second, do some stringent budgeting. Do you really need a $200 cell phone data plan? What about those 5 internet video streaming services? Do you ever need to use Doordash? You'd be surprised by how much money the average family wastes on entertainments and eating out. And if you really scruntize your expenses and your lifestyle choices, and the reasons for those choices, you'll likely discover that all those conveniences you pay for may just be the result of working two (or more) jobs. In our world, many things are actually free -- but you're paying for the instant-on always available convenience, which you only "need" (in quotes) because you're too tired to do other things. So make a real budget, cut out your expenses, stop using those credit cards, and really scrutinize the choices you're making on a daily basis.


Homeschooling Can be Done on a Shoestring Budget

The fact is that homeschooling is inherently budget friendly when considering the options for education. Private schools and preschools have tuition. Public school is paid with tax dollars and is not "free" as described above.



If you're a single parent and not tied down...


Do all of the above and more. There are so many creative ways to earn a living today, whether at home or in an office, its entirely possible and feasible to work a part-time job and then devote at least 3 hours a day to homeschool. You might have change careers: so make a plan and do it! You might have to move: great! You might have to budget: do that anyways. Or do all of these things. Why? Your future and your children's future is at stake. And even if you don't succeed, you'll still free up a huge portion of your time so that you can effectively homeschool your children (if not from a legal perspective, but in spirit), even if they are still in the public school.


If you're divorced and you have to stay local...


This is tough one. You may be legally tied down or have to work at a full-time employment to pay alimony or child support. You're going to have to get really really creative if you're in this situation and there may not be a short-term solution. You can get help from others. But we will say this: there are options for you. We just can't get too much into a personal plan in this blog, as whatever plan you formulate is going to have to be specific to the circumstances you are in. And again -- even if you don't succeed in finding a way to homeschool -- you'll still free up a huge portion of your time so that you will be effectively homeschool your children, even if they are still in the public school.


Do not *choose* to use the public school system 


From what we've written above, it should be clear that for most families, sending your kids to a public school is a choice and not really a compulsion. We've walked through a variety of options in this article, but the truth of the matter is this: if you insist upon sending your kids to a public despite your misgivings about the terrible things that may happen to your child, you are likely making this decision for selfish reasons. You may be protecting your Faux Dink Lifestyle (see About the faux DINK culture.) or you aren't willing to prioritize your children's future over your personal lifestyle in some respect (see Prioritizing and lifestyle changes.may be necessary to make homeschooling possible.).


In any case, make the right choice, the moral choice: the choice that you can defend when someday you will stand before God and can say “I did the right thing." Don't be that person who will stand before God and be judged while saying, "I sacrificed by children's future so that I could have my daily Starbucks Cofffee" or "I needed to see that <boring TV show> for the 3rd time."


We are veteran homeschoolers. We invite you to browse our website for more articles about school choice related issues, navigating the homeschool world, limiting screen time for your family and more.

This site is not monetized. support our website by sharing and following us on facebook.







Comments

bottom of page