Home Is a Great Place for School
(10-13-2003)

Dennis Evans works at the University of California, Irvine. He had an opinion piece in USA Today last month titled "Home is no place for school". As a homeschool graduate, I took exception to his claims that parents are not qualified to teach their children and that school is a positive environment for social development.

I contacted Dr. Evans with the following response:

Dear Dr. Evans,

I read with interest your column published in USA Today earlier this month. I should point out that I am a graduate of my parents' home school. I attended public and private schools earlier in my educational career, but my final three years of high school were at home. Perhaps you would be interested to know the outcome of my education.

I scored 1510 on the SAT and 34 on the ACT. I received full scholarship offers from one public and one private university to which I applied for admission. I do not think much of these achievements, for they do not have lasting impact on my life, but some people consider them a measure of success in education. In social matters, I am comfortable around young children, I correspond with my peers, and I visit with elderly folks. I run a publishing and retail business with my parents. Other activities include performing music, writing for a magazine, building websites, and participating in politics.

In your article, you quoted Quintilian. According to Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BC - 29 AD), a student who is fully trained will be like his teacher (from the New Testament writings in the Bible, Luke 6:40). Consider this: If the public schools are doing a good job, then the students they graduate should understand the concepts taught well enough to teach them to someone else. If the government and society do not trust parents to train their own children (using outside help when they think necessary), then what does that say about the quality of the public schools?

Our family has not rejected community. Rather, my parents have given me a broader understanding of community. They have taught me to take seriously my responsibilities to my community and my country. Instead of spending my time primarily with my peers, I spend it with a variety of people and in a variety of pursuits, working to accomplish things that are worthwhile and of lasting value.

One of the best and simplest ways to improve education in America is to remove government involvement. Then parents will have true freedom to train their children effectively. I encourage you to get to know more homeschooled students and see what they have to offer. If you have additional questions for me, please send them by mail or e-mail.

Respectfully yours,
John Notgrass