I was invited to a podcast interview recently, and although a scheduling conflict kept me from participating, the host left me with a thought-provoking question: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, how does school choice tie into and exemplify what the founding of America means in terms of freedom, liberty, life, etc.?
As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we should take the time to examine what it means to really be a free people. If the people are the ultimate authority, then parents – not bureaucracies – carry the first responsibility for raising and education children.
Today, parents are reclaiming these first principle rights by directing the education of their children through school choice.
As a mom, wife, and small business owner who started Res Novae Academy – which is Latin for “new things” – I think about this issue a lot. When I chose our school’s name, I did so because I was doing something new and innovative, and at the time, I didn’t fully appreciate how closely its name reflected the first principle of school choice.
Back then, I didn’t see myself as part of a movement or a revolution, nor did I set out to be a trailblazer or someone who would break down walls. I still don’t see myself as that person. Rather, I’m a wife who enjoys slow Saturday mornings drinking coffee with my husband and a mom who wants something better for future generations.
And I’ve realized lately that such is likely exactly how our American founders felt when they looked at a system that no longer served free people.
Thousands of parents are doing the same thing today. We look at an education system that no longer fully serves our children and communities. In many ways, the system has grown to be such a behemoth that it simply cannot provide what families want: quality education according to the needs of the student.
America’s founders never imagined that one educational model could meet the needs of every child. Families, churches, towns, and even local communities took the primary responsibility for educating children. This education often took place in one-room schoolhouses, church schools, or at home. Yet now we’ve moved from small, family-driven community education into something over which we the people have very little control.
We often translate “E Pluribus Unum” as “Out of Many, One.” Too often we mistake this for uniformity. Yet our American tradition is not uniformity. It is local responsibility, parental authority, and diverse institutions working together to educate the next generation.
The founders understood that the founding of America was something different and that unity didn’t require sameness. Instead, unity requires shared principles, morals and values.
America has always been strongest when free people were allowed to build different churches, businesses, newspapers, charities, and communities while remaining one nation. Education should be no different. A homeschooling family, a classical academy, a microschool, a Montessori program, a STEM academy, or a school serving children with learning differences – all can stand side by side to provide the diversity in education we desperately need. This doesn’t weaken America; rather, it reflects and strengthens America.
School choice isn’t a replay of 1776, but it is rooted in the same enduring principles. It begins with the belief that government exists to protect the rights of families, including the right to responsibly direct the education of their children.
In his Farewell Address, George Washington urged the nation to promote institutions “for the general diffusion of knowledge.” As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, perhaps the greatest way we can honor that vision is not by insisting every child follow one educational path, but by preserving the freedom that allows families to choose the education best suited for them. Liberty has always depended upon an educated people, and America’s strength has always come from trusting free citizens to build, innovate and lead.
Jennifer Ludy is a veteran homeschool mom, a microschool owner in Jefferson County, an education advocate, and a curriculum developer serving Alabama’s non-public school sector.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
