Education: Free and Compulsory - Liberty.me

Education: Free and Compulsory

Tags: Library_Education

Jeffrey Tucker March 9, 2014 at 8:56 pm

Education: Free and Compulsory

Murray Rothbard explained the significance of home schooling before it was fashionable. He goes over the history and argues that the ideal educational is private tutorial. I wonder if he is fully right about this, since, after all, one of the main criticisms of home schooling is the reduced opportunities for socialization. I’ve never taken that criticism seriously but it does remain true that there is a strong market demand for group-based schooling, even within the homeschool community.

Kick off the discussion! Questions, comments, observations or elaborations? Either reply here or create a new discussion using the tag Library_Education

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Enrique April 13, 2014 at 9:29 pm

Homeschooling should be the preferable method of instructions for children; however, there seems to be the illusory concept of homeschooling not being a contributor to socialization and all the skills that come with it. There are several obvious flaws with our educational system: its standardized grade-based evaluation system, its cookie-cutter instruction methods, and its atrocious student-teacher ration which could amount to 1:20 in some of the best-case scenarios. These flaws have been recognized by some parents in communities across our nation and they have started homeschooling social activities with their neighbors which could include sporting events, field trips, music reading, instrument instruction, etc. Additionally, cooperative homeschooling is an alternative for parents who required their children to attend instruction in places other than their household. This is a great opportunity for children to interact with other children their age and adults other than their parents. Homeschooling does not have to be the environment in which a child is segregated and separated from the real world, but the environment in which home-based values, study techniques, and the most personalized instruction is provided to that child who will become a contributor to society and its economy.

I am the father of 2, soon to be 3 children, and my oldest, age 4, has been homeschooled since age 2. Now that she is growing up, she is showing, in my opinion, a unimaginable elevated level of social abilities (a social and jolly bee). We are thinking of moving her to a cooperative homeschooling environment where she can display all her attributes and enhance those abilities by interacting with other kids and adults she may or may not be too familiar with.

Thanks, Jeffrey, for this thread! Let’s keep the comments and suggestions coming in.

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  B.K. Marcus April 14, 2014 at 1:22 pm
  
  Hi, Enrique. How did you begin homeschooling with a 2yo? Our homeschooled son will be 8 this summer. I remember feeling like we were already homeschooling him when he was a baby, but we weren’t really doing anything different from other families whose kids would end up in a more traditional schooling environment.
  
  There’s a way in which almost all babies and toddlers are homeschooled.
  
  We are semi-structured in our approach, and we started more formal lessons when our boy was about 5yo, but I would imagine it’s hard for an unschooler to see any dividing line of before and after homeschooling began — or maybe even ended: does unschooling ever end?
  
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  Enrique April 14, 2014 at 9:50 pm
  
  You are right, Marcus. A child begins their schooling at a very young age and we, as parents, may not have all the tools that our children required to have their full capabilities exploited but we do the best we can and we also need to be willing to learn along with our kids. At least, that is what I have realized in our experience with our 2 daughters.
  
  It will all depend on the child and their preferences, for no child is the same as the other. You can see this even in identical twins. In my case, my first-born daughter began with hand signals and gestures that are part of the American Sign Language; then, we moved to flashcards to expand her attention span; and after that, we gave her crayons, finger paint, and paper so she could explore all things she could do. We have realized now that this strict schooling at home is not enough for her, for the same reason I mentioned before (she is a very social person). My second daughter seems to be a more hands-on child, hence we have decided to give her the toys before the signs and flashcards and she seems to like it and remain focused on the tasks at hand.
  
  I guess the bottom line is that the state does not have to control the manner in which our children are educated. We see the atrocities of the state on a daily basis and, personally, I do not think that indoctrination is the same as education. Having the TSA make videos meant for kids in which they are encouraged to consent to unconstitutional searches is indoctrination, not education. Having the president urge congress to expand the scope of government by making pre-school education mandatory and part of the indoctrination agenda is beyond reasonable. I do not subscribe to these mandates. Unfortunately, we are all part of it.
  
  What do you think?
  
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Michael Shallberg December 4, 2014 at 1:08 am

I went through public schooling. I am certainly very awkward socially and have a hard time talking to people not my age, and even my age. I can’t truly think of something I was taught that I really use. I also am annoyed by all the living skills I was not taught. So, my children will not just be homeschooled, but unschooled. They will be given freedom to pursue any interest and I will help them with that. I will not force them to learn things on some time-scale. I will not force them to learn things that don’t matter. They will be actively involved with daily social habits, and they will learn the actual things that I do to make things work. I will give them all the opportunities I can, and will listen to all their ideas. I will help them, not distract them from the path they choose. My children will most likely be able to socialize on a broader scale than I, because I am including them in real life.

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Anonymous December 4, 2014 at 1:57 pm

My bosses kid is 4 and hasnt started school yet. He can accurately describe all the workings of a multimillion dollar farm and enjoys questioning everything I do.

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Aubrey Leigh December 4, 2014 at 2:34 pm

I think the criticism of “reduced socialization” comes from people who look at home schooling in a very one dimensional way. I also believe it’s a criticism that is used by parents who put their children in traditional schooling but are jealous of those parents who are able to homeschool.

As far as those who look at home schooling one dimensionally, I don’t think they’re taking into account the fact that these children have the same opportunities to interact with their neighborhood peers outside of school as those who attend traditional schools.

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Zeroth Position December 4, 2014 at 10:09 pm

Rothbard’s book on the subject is a bit short and contains some weak arguments, but it is a good introduction to the anti-public school viewpoint.

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