AHEA President comments for Monday, March 12, 2012 Rally to Support Home Education Freedoms

At the time Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder, of “Little House on the Prairie” fame were developing  the American frontier, some of our great grandparents were doing likewise on the Canadian prairies in the late 1800s. Others of us had our roots in oppressive countries, such as Russia, Poland and the subsequent Soviet Union, where this philosophy of Karl Marx was played out: “The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state expense.”

I don’t know about you, but that’s about enough talk about oppressive governments that promote a serious lack of liberty  hereby all children were to be brought up like widgets in a factory. Let’s go back to early Canada for a breath of fresh air. The time of Laura Ingalls was one of one-room school houses, and home education on the farm and in growing communities. Here our forefathers made Canada and the USA into the envy of the world in terms of economic output and personal freedoms. The literacy rates were high as the emphasis of education was not on social engineering but on the three R’s: reading, writing and arithmetic.

Back then the government did not interfere in education by placing a litmus test, such as the Alberta Human Right Act. Nor should we need, today, this sort of limitation to education that really has nothing to do with academics. History shows that governments change laws for two main reasons: to either take in more money or to enforce more controls. Please consider this carefully concerning (home) education. The government, thanks to high taxation, provides ample funding to education so likely more control is what they are after.

An over-arching area of concern is the proper balancing of the four key realms of government that undergird western civilization: self government, family government, civil government and church government. In many ways the above realms are out of balance. Let’s not allow yet another maladjustment to happen here with the government stepping into the sphere of the family by means of an over-reaching Education Act. Yes, we as families are to respect our church elders and government officials. But I’m here to tell the churches and government that the way to a stronger culture, both in the church and civil realms, is by allowing for strong and free individuals and families.

Now the government officials tell us not to worry. They say it is very unlikely that Section 16 of the proposed Education Act would in any way infringe on parental rights and educational choice. The MLAs seem bound on dismissing the importance of highlighting  the sphere of family government. Notwithstanding our respect and prayers for our MLAs, we are not looking for, nor will be satisfied, with mere verbal promises. Rather, since we live in a culture based on the rule of law, we seek wording in Bill 2 and in
the subsequent Home Education Regulation that favours family freedom.

Thank you, Alberta parents, for your desire to work to ensure personal liberty in the training of your children and grand children. On this note here is a quote from the 1964 US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater: Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice …  [and] moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”  In the defence of liberty we should all aim to do the following:

Promote parental choice in both the method education and curriculum

Put away pride yet fight for freedom with humility and confidence

Pray for political leaders both when you agree and disagree with them

Persist in political action for the cause of limited civil government

Partner with other families and organizations for the cause of liberty

continue Parenting to achieve the fruit of well trained children who are strong in character and cultural impact

Persevere in all of the above for your children and future generations.

In closing I’ll quote from the Old Testament, Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Now, not all look to the Bible as a source of knowledge. Then again, not all look to government education as our key source of knowledge. In a free society, we should be able to choose our key source of knowledge. This explicit and in legal writing “freedom of choice” is what we ask of the politicians we’ve elected in terms of changes to the Education Act. Yes, Romans 13 says we are to pray for those in authority. Realize, though, that in our system of government we have the humble and powerful privilege and authority to vote for those who become our civil servants.

Thank you all for coming out.

 

Ted Tederoff

AHEA President