Tom Feeny's Arguments Against Homeschooling

The Homeschooling Debate

When I was in the fifth grade, my mother chose to remove me from the public school system and homeschool me. Many of my family members and teachers at the time, including Ms. Duggar, did not agree with her decision and for good reason. While some families have opted into homeschooling, there are numerous factors that argue against the idea. The reasons range from physical child abuse to social deprivation to the possible compromise of citizenship. When you consider these things, it is easy to see why California declared homeschooling a criminal offense in 2008. Tom Feeny, a Florida politician, published an article in “Human Events”, discussing California’s position on homeschooling. “On February 28, […] the court
declared that all forms of homeschooling by an unaccredited parent violate California state law and that parents possess no constitutional right to homeschool their children. (Feeny 19). Feeny goes on to say that “unaccredited parents could be slapped with criminal sanction.”
Some may believe that homeschooling is a new “trend.” However, homeschooling has been around since colonial times. Tyler Barnett, a graduate of the University of Missouri with a B.A. in English Literature, states that “until Massachusetts passed the first compulsory school attendance law in 1852, homeschooling was the predominant method of teaching children.” In his article titled “The Civil Perils of Homeschooling”, Rob Reich, a political science professor at Stanford, states that “just ten years ago, educating a child at home was illegal in several states. Today, not only is homeschooling legal everywhere, it’s booming (256).” Today, parents in all fifty states have the right to homeschool their children, as they see fit. Some reasons that parents choose to homeschool are dissatisfaction with the public school system (Martin-Chang 195) and religious reasons (Reich 57). Sandra Martin-Chang, a researcher at Concordia University and Mount Allison University says that “dissatisfaction with the public school system is the most prominent factor in the decision to homeschool (195).” When approached with the idea that homeschooling is not as beneficial as it seems, Samantha Lebeda wrote in the Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues that “homeschool moms” argue that they do not want their children exposed to inappropriate behavior that they could possibly emulate (99). They also argue that homeschooling is actually beneficial to their future education at a university. While a study conducted by Michelle Wichers at Southeastern Oklahoma State University showed that “homeschooled students performed as well or better academically as compared to traditional schooled individuals” (Wichers 148), there are many reasons why homeschooling can be detrimental to children.
While California did not uphold the law declaring homeschooling a criminal offense, the question of why the state did it in the first place still stands.
One of the most significant cases of child abuse occurred in California. “A California man who homeschooled his children, engaged in incest at home and fathered at least one of his own grandchildren, and ultimately shot nine of his family members to death in the home (Barnett 343-344).” In Missouri, there have also been multiple cases of child abuse, attributed to homeschooling. When a child is not in public school, it is hard for the state to detect abuse. “Teachers are the number-one reporters of child abuse occurring elsewhere[…]children spend the most time away from parental supervision when they are at school, many teachers receive training to recognize unreported abuse[…]in some situations, children report abuse to their teachers “(Barnett 344). Because of laws in several states, parents do not even have to report that they are homeschooling their children. This makes it even more difficult to detect child abuse in homes. “Due to states’ limited ability to collect data on homeschooled children, no research exists to show precisely how many homeschooled children have been abused overall” (Barnett
345).
While, admittedly, not all homeschooled students are abused, there is sometimes a lack of socialization. According to Samantha Lebeda, “socialization is the process by which individuals learn to establish and maintain relationships with others, become accepted members of society, regulate their own behavior in accordance with society’s codes and standards, and get along with others.” This means that while children are homeschooled, they are being deprived of the ability to develop social skills. Social scientists have discovered that when parents attempt to place the “three spheres” in which children need to be successful (home, school, and peers) into the home alone, it makes socialization “very difficult for kids” (Lebeda 102). Lebeda also states that “ramifications could have lasting effects on the rest of their lives.” Research has also shown that extracurricular participation is associated with leadership as well as academic success.
One of the many drives in favor of homeschooling is being able to custom tailor an education for their children.
However, according to Rob Reich, “total customization also threatens to insulate students from exposure to diverse ideas and people and thereby to shield them from the vibrancy of a pluralistic democracy.” This means that when parents choose to homeschool, they are representing the victory of a consumer mentality within education. This idea compromises citizenship by allowing children to only encounter materials, ideas, and people that their parents have chosen. By doing so, the children will not respect the attitudes or beliefs of others. Homeschooled students also do not share much in common with other students, and therefore they do not have the skills to bind their world together. Also, they must be exposed to the diversity of society so they can live a life of their own. “Customization, and therefore, homeschooling, seem wonderful if we think about education as a consumption item. But schooling, from the time that public schools were founded until today, has served to cultivate democratic citizenship” (Reich 59). Homeschooling does not allow children to explore their world the way it actually is; they are sheltered and only exposed to what their parents
allow.
My homeschooling experience was somewhat of a nightmare. I was not abused, but I did experience lack of socialization and lack of exposure to diversity. I did not have many friends, and I was only exposed to what my mother saw fit. My curriculum was “Christian” based and was generally biased. When I left home in search of the real world, it was complete cultural shock. What I experienced is very similar to what many other homeschoolers experience. Works Cited
Barnett, Tyler. "Pulling Back the Curtains: Undetected Child Abuse and the Need for Increased Regulation of Home Schools in Missouri." B.Y.U. Education and Law Journal (2013): 341-56. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Feeney, Tom. "California Court Declares Homeschooling Is Criminal." Human Events. N.p., 17 Mar. 2008. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Lebeda, Samantha. "Homeschooling: Depriving Children of Social Development?" Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues (2007): 99-104. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Martin-Chang, Sandra. "The Impact of Schooling on Academic Achievement: Evidence from Homeschooled and Traditionally Schooled Students." Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science 43.3 (2011): 195-202. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Reich, Rob. "The Civic Perils of Homeschooling." Educational Leadership April (2002): 56-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Wichers, Michelle. "Homeschooling: Adventitious or Detrimental for Proficiency in Higher Education." Education 122.1 (2000): 145-50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.