Will President Obama have a Negative Effect on Homeschooling?

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

05 Nov 2008 08:10 AM

As a homeschooler in a Bible belt state, I know that Presidential Elect Barack Obama had no bigger opposition than the homeschooling community. I have the email inbox to prove it. Sure, I ran into a few homeschoolers here and there who were for Obama, but the vast majority felt that he would be bad for the institution of homeschooling.

Reasons homeschoolers gave for voting against Presidential Elect Barack Obama are that he is for early childhood education, sex education in schools, and was not the candidate that a good Christian would vote for. (Yes, people said this to my face without blinking.)

Regardless of your reasons for choosing the presidential candidate that did not win the election, I want to urge homeschoolers to stay engaged in the political process. I believe neither candidate would have done a disservice to homeschooling, nor would have done much to improve it either. Homeschooling is just not something on Obama or McCain's radar.

Still, as homeschoolers we should know that we do have a friend in the White House. After all, even Obama spent some years of his life homeschooling... at least part time anyway. During the years that he lived in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather, his mother woke him early each morning to teach him his English and grammar lessons at home. For this reason, I believe that he has a unique window into the homes of many homeschooling families.

If that is not enough to give you a modicum of comfort, I encourage you keep your eyes and ears open and to be aware of all things homeschooling. If a bill is introduced that would harm homeschooling, make a personal effort to fight it. If you believe you can do something to further or protect homeschooling in your own community, pick up the mantle and work for the good of all homeschoolers.

I say all this to say, I realize that many homeschoolers are very unhappy about the results of the election, but they are what they are. We have new president and as American Citizens we must respect that the people have spoken and that the majority has won. If you have taken advantage of this presidential election and spent the time teaching your kids about the election process, some of the most important lessons you can teach are right now. The election is over, we accept, adapt, and move forward.

Families.com Forum discussing the election results

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Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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b_deal (15) 05 Nov 2008 09:11 AM

I'd agree that during the campaign, home schooling was not on either candidate's radar screen. However, it shortly could/will be.

- For McCain, it might have breezed through on the periphery of his line of sight, possibly related to his running mate's decision to "home school" her daughter. Still, I cannot possibly predict how a McCain administration would affect home schooling, and we will never know.

- For Obama, I predict that home schooling *will* come across his radar screen, after public school proponents complain loudly enough that not every child has yet been indoctrinated into their pro-Choice and pro-Homosexual agenda. I hope that I am wrong about this.

lavatea (3386) 05 Nov 2008 09:30 AM

I have to wonder if they will complain loud enough, too. They definitely have an agenda. If you believe your children shouldn't be taught these things, you're ignorant and a bigot. But perhaps Obama will be so busy with other things that this won't come up.