With school about to commence around the country, in two to four weeks, a friend mentioned that her granddaughter has been home-schooled for her whole academic career. She is currently in her 9th year, yet, by all indications, she is academically on par with most high school seniors.
Curiously, when the young lady sought to visit the local high, the principal was intentionally obstructive. What, pondered the grandmother, could the principal want to hide? How confronting might a one-hour visit be?
Maybe what he has to hide is classrooms filled with posters and charts designed to indoctrinate children to accept far Leftist views. He might wish to conceal indications of acceptance of “The 1619 Project,” a rainbow flag, and demeaning references to Donald Trump, white males, or Conservatives. In seconds, perhaps, an objective visitor could see the degree to which classrooms have become indoctrination centers.
He might wish to hide beleaguered teachers, belligerent students, and class room decorum in the gutter. Who knows?
A Biden-inspired Revolution
Is the principal’s reluctance to the visit related to the sharp decline in public school enrollment? Nationally, a growing private school enrollment accounts for nearly 14% of the decrease in public school enrollment, while the increase in home-schooling accounts for 26%.
With Biden’s installation as POTUS, the home-schooling movement has accelerated. COVID-19 played a part at first, but not much of late. In the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 school years home-schooling enrollment has risen by 30% and counting. The movement away from public schooling is burgeoning.
In my state of North Carolina, 23% of all kindergarten through 12th-grade students are enrolled in either a charter school or private school, or study at home, and the percentage increase in these three options is 84% over the last 11 years. Why? Parents want to determine the best educational options for their own children.
If home-schooled students, in the aggregate, were ranked as a school district in North Carolina, they would be the most populous. Moreover, although the population of school-age students in North Carolina increased from 2012 to 2022, the percentage of students who attend public schools declined 4.2%.
Effective on Many Fronts
Home-schooling, when handled well, is both effective and efficient. Most of the 6-hour day that students spend in traditional school is consumed by activities other than essential learning. Role calls, lunch breaks, walking the halls, and other nonessential classroom activities add up.
Students in a classroom spend less than three hours a day on direct learning. In 4 hours or less, a properly taught home-schooler covers vastly more ground per day than traditional school students do.
No Shortage of Learning Aids
Organizations abound that provide a wealth of learning materials – there is no shortage of aids. And, parents get to choose the textbooks and materials, and hence the curricula. Thus, wokester publishers and authors cannot impose their twisted views on unsuspecting parents, a routine occurrence in public schools.
The propaganda has gotten worse. Some school districts dispense books claiming that Donald Trump was at the center of a Russian collusion conspiracy to win the presidency. This nonsense has been thoroughly disproven. Yet, it is this kind of pseudo-historical crap that has invaded our schools.
English and other core subjects have been tainted by blatant propaganda, while teachers must take sensitivity classes, to ensure that they’re “fit” for the program. The long-buried founder and dictator of Red China, Mao, must be smiling in his grave.
Missing Out on Social Activities?
Over the years, concern was voiced that home-schooled children would miss social activities and interaction with other students which is vital to being part of a culture and a community. However, this concern is unfounded.
Home-schooled children join the scouts, ballet, soccer leagues, Little League, etc., as well as attend after-school functions in some school districts. Because home-schooling is effective compared to school, children have more hours to pursue hobbies, physical fitness, and group activities.
If the Left could figure out how to ban home-schooling in school district after school district, they would. They understand that these will be children that they cannot indoctrinate. These children will not become their little Leftist soldiers in the long-term destruction of America.
Our Saving Grace
Long-term, home-schooled children will be the saving grace of America. They have not been gaslighted by the Left and will be better able to serve as leaders, opinion makers, parents, and everything that contributes to a vibrant society.