Home Education — Lessons To Be Learned

As a “movement” home education was “jump-started” by John Holt in the 70s.
John Holt’s Conversion to Home Education https://gaither.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/john-holts-conversion-to-home-education/

I’ve been involved from that time. But, I learned early on in my half-century of parent involvement to stay under the radar.  WHY?  Because the moment any breakthrough appears for the parent (CONSUMER) side the system (PRODUCER) side immediately goes into containment-mode.  Parents as consumers are seen, and treated, as a hostile enemy.  Producer-capture of the industry continues.  To this day, the control is overwhelming. Parents have been nearly totally seduced and coerced into compliance and complicity into a one-size-fits-all monopoly model of schooling.

Long story.  With the link above you will see how I wrote about the movement for Canadian educators and about the predatory state and how Holt expressed fear of creeping fascism (see comments).

Thus, when I saw how a government (in PEI) actually responded to parents’ interests in educating their children and removed a restrictive obstacle, I rejoiced.  Please see form mandating a teacher advisor: http://www.hslda.ca/assets/images/member/provincial_pics_and_forms/PEI-Intent_to_Homeschool_Notice.pdf

NOTE:  That provision is now lifted not only for the Amish but also for any other parents undertaking home education. Please consider what such an advisor entails — 1) difficulty in obtaining such educator who is unfettered from union or other constraints; 2) an advisor whose mindset is undoubtedly influenced by 120 semester hours in a government teacher training program.

Seeing that educators are even now raising the alarm that PEI’s responsiveness to its constituency is a sell-out to privatization simply illustrates how the producer side raises fears when it sees any leakage from its self-serving domain. Their radar has now sounded the alarm !

BTW:  That “Homeschooling in Canada” Report Paul Bennett references is worth reading.  But without having to go into all 68 pages here are some choice “signals” that will be noted by those threatened by consumer voices.

- “The four western provinces and Quebec have the most extensive, recent, and detailed provision for home schooling. British Columbia should be noted for its newer policy in Distributed Learning and Saskatchewan for its especially extensive proactive consideration of home schooling.” pg 32

- “Although Prince Edward Island has updated its regulation, arguably it has done so because it is routine to do so, and not because of a proactive shift towards home schooling.” (Strange. This, 2015 Report seems unaware that proactive activity was involved on behalf of the Amish community intending to settle in PEI.) pg 32

- In Saskatchewan, parents’ voices and communal action combined with a new ethos of responsiveness in the province and focus on student achievement have resulted in district boards offering increasing amounts for homeschooled students within their jurisdictions. Parents, for example, who register their children in the largest school board in the province are eligible to receive up to $1,000 per home-schooled student. pg 22

A question was asked:  Does the PEI concession to Amish education open the door for greater freedom of choice in education for others?  YES, it does.  The restrictive clause was not only removed but the discussion engendered has been educational and enlightening.  We now know that that particular clause was designed as a deliberate disincentive to home educate.  We know that proactive lobbying helps sway progress, as in PEI and Sask, for example. .  And we know that there is such a thing as “a new ethos of responsiveness” in government (as in Sask).  Let’s hope that this discussion launches more efforts to loosen the producer-side’s suffocating stranglehold on widening education choices in Canada.

Thanks for bringing this matter forward, Paul   There’s lessons to be learned if we pay attention.