I am the parent of two sons, both of whom I have home schooled. We had specific reasons for choosing home schooling. My older son, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, was bullied repeatedly in his public school. Despite many meetings with the school administration, they were unwilling to address the issue and in fact, blamed my son when he responded with anger toward the bullies. At the time we lived in a small community with no other options, so I decided to home school him myself. His life immediately changed for the better. In addition to having him in a safer, more loving environment, we were able to effectively address many of his academic deficits. After a year, we moved to a larger city where he enrolled in a private school which specialized in helping kids with learning disabilities.
My younger son was diagnosed with ADD. As he entered middle school, it became a struggle for him to keep up with a full day of school, several hours of homework, involvement in soccer and basketball, and his greatest passion, playing the piano. The pressure and demands on his time were so heavy that he finally asked me if he could be home schooled. Home schooling gave him the ability to excel academically as well as pursue sports and music without sacrificing the time to just be a kid and relax.
My children are both in college now and doing very well. When I look back on our home schooling experience, I recognize that it benefited our family in so many ways, including some that I did not expect. We grew closer as a family, and both of my sons have a maturity and strong sense of confidence that so many of their peers lack. I am so thankful that I had the freedom and opportunity to address my children's needs.
Because of the way the home schooling benefited my family, I strongly believe that the right of parents to home school should not be infringed upon. With great concern I have been following news reports about Germany's repression of home schooling. The Home School Legal Defense Association has also been monitoring this situation and has been active in advocating for less governmental restrictions on home schooling in my home state of Nevada. Because of their record of fine work, I am disappointed by their endorsement of Mike Huckabee for president. Huckabee supported and signed into law H.B. 1724 while Governor of Arkansas. Had this law been in force in my community when I made the decision to home school, it would have directly affected my freedom to withdraw my son from the intolerable situation that he was in at his public school.
My children will have their own families some day, and I want them to have the same opportunity to home school their children, should they choose to do so. Ron Paul respects the individual needs and constitutional rights of families who decide to teach their children at home. His track record of integrity reassures me that, were he to become president, my children would not face restrictions on their freedom to raise their own children as they see fit. This is one of many, many reasons that my husband and I support Ron Paul's bid for the presidency and why we are actively campaigning on his behalf. We strongly encourage all home schooling parents to do the same.
December 14, 2007
