Now, remember, I’m not a crack pot or a wingnut. I am a Bible-believing, self-consciously Reformed dude. I make significant efforts to keep the “fun” in fundamentalism. Further, I’m a postmillennial happy guy. I know Christ is King, that he’s Ruler of the Kings of Earth, and that he’s building his kingdom, against which nothing can stand, not even death. I’m the poster child for a Christocentric optimism. Finally, I’m not into conspiracy theories (except for the murder of JFK, but that’s a different post). I don’t even listen to Glenn Beck. So, that ought to give the reader some notion of where I’m coming from. The reason I mention these happy little ditties about myself is that I intend to answer Kris Kord’s question below. Whenever anyone turns down “free” money, one must needs defend one’s own sanity. Also, I don’t want anyone to think that the strategies and machinations of Satan will undue what Christ is doing in and through his church.
Okee dokee, so the question is why I think it’s a bad idea for Christian home schoolers to take government money for their home schooling enterprises. I’ve not studied this out, but I’ll give a brief assessment of the situation as I see it below. I’m interested in what some of my home schooling friends think about this, so I expect to hear a Holler, Yelp, Groan, and Rain Call from some folks on this. Here goes…
There are usually three reasons given by Christian home-schooling parents why it’s okay to take this money. First, it’s free money. Second, it’s money we’ve already paid out in taxes, so why not recoup some of it? Third, even though there are restrictions on how we may use the money, there are plenty of viable non-religious uses for the money.
I’ll take these in turn. First, ain’t no free nuthin, especially from the state. We shouldn’t be so naive as to think this money’s just being given away. Something’s being purchased with it. Are you willing to take that deal without knowing what you are or will be giving up for it? Second, it is tax money. Some people call this tax money toward social engineering. Some call it wealth redistribution. Some call it stealing. If you think that sort of thing is good, then this (standing alone) is a substantial reason to take the money. If, however, you’re like me and think that the government should not be taxing for education (especially lower education), then you need to refuse the benefit or your appeals for less government are empty. Not even to mention that you’ve lost any moral high ground in the contest. “I don’t want to be taxed for this and that, but I don’t have any problem taking the benefit.” Not a very impressive position. Third, do you think that the restrictions and strings will increase or decrease? Don’t you think that “free” money is meant for eventual control and undermining of everything home schooling is geared to protect? This moves me into a brief assessment of what I think is going on.
Modern ideologues (statists, sexual deviants and perverts, egalitarians, collectivists, whatnot) attempt to train and control children, and the system of government-funded and government-controlled education is their preferred tool. Now, the idol of the state cannot actually control our children, as the state is not God. So while those that trust in the state are idolaters and will not achieve their final aims, they can certainly still achieve mitigated forms of their aims, and that through education. Ideas bear fruit. Ideas have consequences. The ideas that are taught to children will influence them and will, indeed, bear fruit in their lives. Most (if not all) home-schooling parents recognize that ideas (not to mention the context of education) will influence their children and prefer to provide that influence themselves. Thus, home schooling and thorough-going Christian schools are the two educational mainstays against the ideologues that have hijacked the modern educational system, especially the government one.
What weapons or tactics, then, do the ideologues have against Christian schools and home schooling? They seem to break down into two categories: direct and indirect. Direct opposition comes in the form of outlawing everything but government schools. We see this direct opposition in various places around the world, but it’s ineffectual here (so far) in these United States. In the U.S., indirect tactics seem to be more fruitful, especially economic ones. Since home schoolers have already given up the benefit of a “free” education down the block at the multi-, multi-million dollar government school, enemies of Christ and of freedom know that they can’t just set up shop and get all the kids, they’ll need to be a little more devious and cunning. What if they offered “free” money to home schoolers with just minimal strings? That way they could keep track of home schoolers and, eventually, increase the strings. For we all know that “free” extra money today will be budgeted money tomorrow. Once home schoolers begin to depend on that government money, then they’ll have much greater control over that segment of the population that is one of the greatest threats (if not the greatest threat) to their education dominance. Personally, I can’t think of a more ingenious way to undermine home schooling than to buy it out with tax-payer money. They can buy their way in and Christian home schooler will *willingly let them do it.*
Some very important questions to answer before you take any “free” money: What’s being purchased with that money, and who’s buying it? Rest assured that something’s being bought by someone. What are you paying for “free” money? Or, better, what are you willing to pay for “free” money?
Yeah, not really sure I buy the moral high ground argument. We don’t take the money, but, for the moment at least, I feel like we can afford to pay for extracarricular activities. In my opinion, my bad feeling about starting down the slippery slope to gov’t control over my kids education outweighs the benefit of taking the money.
However, if someone were convinced the only way they could homeschool is with that money, then I would tell them to take the money.
I think getting our kids out of the classroom and peer-based socialization is on the Mt. Rushmore of homeschooling, the other faces being the superiority of tutorial-style education, the ability to integrate a Biblical worldview into eduction and curriculum choice, and the efficiency of the homeschool model. Of course, since that’s the first time I’ve ever even thought of what my homeschooling Mt. Rushmore would be, I reserve my right to change my mind.
I’ve thought a lot about this. I don’t take the money because I would prefer gov’t completely out of my schooling. But do I envision the rest of the world “rising to the task” if gov’t schools are all closed down? Not remotely. I think that gov’t schools may be the solution for a fallen world, but I haven’t thought through this opinion enough to discuss it more deeply than that.
It’s a tough one, I think.
You must be a fan of Hillsdale College? 🙂
#1. I don’t think that the swimming lessons I would be purchasing at the YMCA is government indoctrination of my child, unless you count indoctrinating him to get to the side of the pool without dying.
#2. From what I understand, here in California, you can use that money for ANY curriculum you choose to buy, use it for 3 years and then, you return it to the system, thus it is their property.
#3. Each child in the public school system is allotted something like $5000.00-$7,000 a year for their education- is it naieve (i can never spell that word) to think that b/c the tax dollars are not paying that money for my child and a teacher’s salary, they are giving me a portion of that money instead?
#4. Why don’t we, as parents, fight for a school voucher system? A dollar amount is attached to each child- say $5000.00. Schools are all working like a BUSINESS… in that each school caters to a different population. Baptist, Anglican, Buddhist.. one with an emphasis in the sciences, one with an emphasis on the arts.. etc. They range in focus… either way, the schools ONLY stay open if parents decide to send their kids there. I’m assuming there are still standardized tests for each grade level, but at least my children would be getting the faith based education I pray they may someday have.
Thanks for the thoughts, Amy from Cali (since there are now two Amy Hs commenting!).
#1 – I don’t think ALL teaching is indoctrination, but I do think that modern indoctrination always includes teaching and is almost always through the government school system.
#2 – WA and CA appear to be quite different. As I understand it, in WA, money’s given, there are restrictions on what can be purchased (nothing religious or religion-based), weekly contact is made between a state education person and the child, and in the end any curriculum is yours to keep.
#3 – I don’t understand what you meant here.
#4 – I think a voucher system is far better than our current government system. I, however, am opposed to government education of my children, even as I am to taking $$$ from other people to education my kids (and vice versa).
The problem I see, Cali Amy, is that home schooling is a major island of resistance to government monopolization of education, and that resistance is being weakened by well intentioned home-schooling parents that don’t see that they’re being bought for a couple thousand dollars a year.
I have a ton of thoughts about this subject. However, like some of the most complex yet base choices Mike and I have made this one is difficult for me to articulate. Also, I am not nearly so clever as my husband to come up with rad analogies. But I can bring some practical thoughts to the discussion.
I am in the thick of it. In September I will have a Kind, 2nd, and 4th grader (all boys). A preschooler and a toddler will also be vying for my attention. I am 100% committed to this calling but I am also wise to fact that it is going to be difficult. The counsel that I get is going to be very important. Receiving the monies from the parent partnership programs requires you to be in contact with their “professionals” for “advice, support, and checks/balances.” I can only imagine what this government trained teacher is going to tell me when I explain the difficulties of teaching algebra while nursing a baby. Or when I ask what I should do about a boy who is refusing to diligently do the work he dislikes. I could go on forever with examples. My point is that I am going to need the council of the Word, my husband and Godly men and women who will encourage me that I am homeschooling not because I can but because I should. Who will encourage me to spank for the character issues because those are way more important than the academic ones. Someone to say that if God blesses us with more children he will make a way for me to school my children and it will be a blessing for the older ones too –even if they have to read their books beside the changing table.
Practical point #2. When I am making curriculum choices one has to admit that it will be difficult to not be swayed by choices that are “free” rather than choices that promote our worldview. In addition, I may choose to do extra outside the home things because they are free that I might not have chosen when it was our money being spent.
We have seen this in our cub scouts group. It is a homeschool group and since the beginning it has been parent-lead. Now we are struggling with families who come because of parent partnership money and just want to drop off their kids and leave them to someone else’s care. It is mentality that is different. Homeschool families in the past have been all about keeping the activities parent lead.
Anyway, that is enough for now. I do have 5 kids to care for!
In the town we live in private homeschooling has almost entirely been killed off by “Home Friendly” public school outreach.
Parents should know that when you enroll your kids in these public money programs your kids are not home schoolers. They are now public school children. The state has the same interest in them as they do the brick and mortar public school children.
We have never taken government money (unless you count the library use.) to home school our children. My husband is a contractor and we have always lived on one income in an area that isn’t exactly cheap. Some years have been very hard financially. Sometimes it can be tempting to think “Man, it would be nice to get a new computer or something.” I mean with the number of kids we have we could practically get rich off of allotments!
But I just don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t want them checking on my kids all the time. I don’t want the flow of tax payers dollars to give them the feeling they have an open door to check up on what we teach our kids.
On the whole, I’d rather have freedom than educational goodies. I was thinking about compiling a post on freebies on the net. I think with a library card and internet you can school for almost free, except probably math.
I’m glad you wrote about this, Tim. Earlier this year, I spent a lot of time hearing from some christian homeschool friends who have enrolled their kids in these programs. They explained how easy it is and how little time it takes to discuss their school week and their childrens’ progress with the homeschool counselor at the public school. The lists they have of what they can now afford for their childrens’ education include everything from printer ink to memberships at the aquarium and everything in between, well except any curriculum with the word “God” in the title.
I brought home the paperwork and read through it all, hoping that Bob might think it was okay.
“The homeschool counselor knows that if they pressure me too much or are in my hair too much, I’m gone… and they(the school district) will lose all that money they are getting from our family’s enrollment in the program,” one mom said.
Right, I thought. We’ll just take their money but we’ll let ’em know where we stand. That should work.
Bob didn’t think it was okay. And we’re not doing it. I have to admit that I was disappointed. After I was done being disappointed, I was kind of ashamed of my greediness. All I had been thinking about were the piano lessons and the art supplies we could maybe buy with this money. There’s a little peek into what’s in my heart right there. Ewww.
And okay, wanting “free” printer ink isn’t necessarily bad, I know… but it was a good wake-up for me to see how I was really thinking about it.
The thoughts expressed here in your post help iron out in my mind they whys of our decision; why we should be aware of the slippery slope of government involvement in our family, why we should so very carefully consider those who have the right to speak into our lives with schooling advice, why it’s not really “free” money.
Another christian homeschool family in my little circle spent the summer making hundreds of filipino dinners, lumpias, if you know what those are, which they then froze and sold to support their family homeschool expenses. Inspiring, huh?
Tim, I’m one of those who takes the money so I’ll add my two-cents-worth. I struggled with this decision, mainly because I believe what you’re saying is true. I don’t want the state involved in my kid’s education.
And at this juncture, they aren’t. The curriculum I buy with state money goes back to Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA) at the end of the year. They bought it, they own it. That’s actually a HUGE help to me, because then I don’t have to worry about finding a buyer for it at the end of the year to finance next year’s books. The state money buys my YMCA membership and homeschool PE class for the boys, which is four hours of PE each week. CVA also pay for piano lessons, zoo entrance fees, and other “Field Trip” type stuff.
As a state entity, they don’t approve the religious curriculums, so I buy those on my own and teach them, anyway. My CVA advisor is fine with that. My kids are not enrolled full-time at CVA, so I don’t get the full rates that other parents get. I’ve also got my youngest enrolled at the local public school for art class. Yes, the art teacher gets to indoctrinate him for 30 minutes at a shot, but I’m hopeful that the teaching my son receives at home makes him wise enough to ignore any garbage the art teacher might toss in to her lesson.
I like my CVA advisor. She NEVER speaks directly to my kids (it’s always in e-mails through me), and she’s provided excellent advice in the past regarding teaching aids, alternative methods, and other local resources that I wouldn’t have ever known about. Without CVA money, we wouldn’t have some of the resources we now have access to (like YMCA), so I don’t feel guilty about using the money. At this point, I’m happy with the arrangement. If, as you predict, CVA is working toward a bigger involvement sometime in the future, I’m free to drop out of the program. And I definitely will if things start getting hinky.
Good post, Tim!
Thanks for the perspective, Sonja. You current situation with the CVA and the art class smacks of a reasonable rationale… something I’ve come to expect from you.