I’ve run into many liberals who look down their noses at families who homeschool. The reasons they do so are legion, but one of the top is their perception that homeschool families tend to be religious and right-of-center in their political beliefs. These liberals are outraged that parents would “indoctrinate” their children in a given worldview, as opposed to allowing the kiddos to discover themselves in a public-education setting.
I’ve always suspected, though, that liberals wouldn’t find anything to be outraged about were a majority of homeschool families committed atheists or progressives. Nor would they object to the absolute right of said atheist or progressive parents to impart those beliefs to their children.
I was struck by this dichotomy yet again in response to this article in the Burlington Times-News, featuring pro-choice activist Madison Kimrey. Madison is a 12-year-old who, along with her mother, protested outside the governor’s mansion recently over a pro-life omnibus bill approved by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. McCrory.
As evidenced by her quotes in the newspaper article — and the quality of writing on her blog — it’s obvious that Madison is an intelligent young woman. (Either that, or she has a very good editor-in-mom.) Her parents should be proud.
Ah yes … her parents. Could it be that they are successfully infusing their leftist beliefs into their daughter, and that homeschooling has been an aid in doing so? Rather than “indoctrinate” her, perhaps her parents should send her to a solid private Christian school, where she can be exposed to pro-life arguments and Christian beliefs. Then she can make up her own mind.
Of course, liberals will make no such call. But they routinely do so for conservative Christian homeschoolers.
Even though I disagree with the beliefs espoused by Madison (and no doubt her parents as well), they have the right to impart their own values do their daughter (even if many of us would find those values suspect — for instance, a 12-year-old blogging about her lady parts. Yikes.)
But by the same token, conservative Christian parents have the same right to impart their values to their kids. That’s a principle of fairness and freedom the left does not understand.