Taught Mother Tongue and the Rise of Compulsory Education

The colonizing effects of compulsory education have been understood for centuries. Ivan Illich often noted how, in 1492, when Antonio de Nebrija published the first grammar of the Spanish language, he also outlined the path for how the rich and powerful can dominate cultural change:

For him [PF: Illich], modern corporate culture begins when a people's vernacular speech, learned within the family and the community, is transformed into a standardized mother tongue taught in schools. The first person in Europe to begin this process was Antonio Nebrija. At the same time that Columbus sailed to America, Nebrija reduced the multiplicity of oral traditons on the Castillian peninsula into standard Spanish, first with a grammar and later a dicitonary.

It is also noted that Nebrija, “dedicated it [PF: his book on grammar] to Isabella I of Castille, the catholic queen. When the book was presented to her, she asked: "Why would I want a work like this, I already know the language?" he answered: "Majesty, the language is the instrument of the empire".

Ivan Illich taught that this lesson is emblematic for many issues modern society faces and it is one he and I often discussed regarding efforts to dismiss or regulate unschooling and other forms of vernacular learning. Manish Jain, a learning activist with Shikshantar Andolan and co-founder of Swaraj University, has written a stirring response to India’s attempt to implement systemic education reform through the Right to Education Act.

The sacred role of parents and community in the child’s learning process has been reduced to their becoming mere chowkidars of the school, as benevolent Big Brother aka the State aka India, Inc. takes monopoly control over the very meaning of education and development.

Thus, we as an extended family, have chosen unschooling as the best form of holistic education for our daughter, Kanku. There are many reasons behind this but after several years of research and experience, we have come to believe that schooling stifles creativity, curiousity, compassion, collaboration, self-initiative, activism, entrepreneurial spirit, wisdom, and self-discipline in children. It fills them with fear, stress, false inferiority/superiority, and vicious competition. Unschooling differs from homeschooling and other forms of alternative schooling in several ways. It does not follow any prescribed government curriculum, norms, or textbook. The topics of study come from life itself and from the naturally unfolding questions, interests and needs of each individual child. Exams are not limited to pieces of paper but rather come from everyday practical challenges that emerge in the community as well as one’s own honest self-assessment. The parents’ role is not as know-it-all teachers but as honest co-learners who are committed to continuously unlearning and uplearning with their children. There is a strong commitment to building healthy and sustainable communities and accessing diverse community knowledge systems. Rather than remaining wedded to an abstract notion of a unipolar, hyper-competitive ‘mainstream’ (driven by the values of the global industrial-military economy), unschooling seeks to validate the profound reality of many streams, many dreams and many alternatives.

When Sweden banned homeschooling earlier this summer, the government claimed homeschooling is unnecessary since the state provides a "comprehensive and objective" education. It isn’t hard to see how other governments seeking to outlaw diversity can implement this logic and India, the world’s largest democracy, now faces this challenge.

At the end of his article Jain outlines four policy concerns that any country could implement so a “dialog on widening the meaning of education and creating many more positive options for the diverse children around the country” can begin. I hope you will read Jain’s article by clicking on the quoted material above and consider his policy ideas.



Sweden Bans Homeschooling: What would Pippi Longstocking say?

Educational Freedom Takes Another Hit: Sweden makes homeschooling illegal

Our homeschooling friends in Sweden have suffered a major blow: On June 22, 2010 the Swedish Parliament effectively wiped-out the ability of families to choose homeschooling except under “exceptional circumstances.” Swedish homeschoolers explain why this is so bad on their website:

The writing on homeschooling in the new law is basically the same as in the old law. The law requires a fully satisfactory alternative to school and that the authorities can look into the homeschooling. However, the new law adds a third requirement: "there must be exceptional circumstances". Lawyers have told us that “exceptional circumstances” in a Swedish juridical context means as close to a definite "no" as you can get, regardless of the circumstances.

Also in the motivational text of the law, which explains how the new law on homeschooling is to be interpreted, the following can be read:

"Current school conventions make it clear that the education in school shall be comprehensive and objective, and thereby be created so that all pupils can participate, no matter what religious or philosophical views the pupil or its legal guardian/s may have. In accordance with this it is the opinion of the Government that there is no need of a law to make possible homeschooling based on the religious of philosophical views of the family."

Page 523 in Prop. 2009/10:165 (Swedish Government proposition)

So with the stroke of a pen we see how one’s religious and philosophical views are viewed as subjective baggage that government bureaucrats can dictate to be discarded and left at the door of government schooling. I’m surprised that Swedish alternative schools didn’t kick up more of a fuss about how this law will affect them, but my understanding is that they, too, are of recent vintage in Sweden and therefore are not that well established as a political or social force.

My contacts in Sweden have indicated they will probably move to Great Britain next year, which recently dodged it's own bullet to educational freedom (see my earlier entries re. The Badman Report), when the law takes effect, so they can continue homeschooling in accordance to their religious and philosophical beliefs. Swedish homeschoolers note that their government hates bad publicity and hope that an international outcry might shame the government into repealing or not enforcing the law.

The fierce independence and unconventional philosophical views of Pippi Longstocking, one of Sweden's most famous fictional characters and an autodidact, certainly seem diminished in light of this law. Indeed, a modern-day Pippi would have to flee to a country with more educational and personal freedom than Sweden in order to have her adventures now. Perhaps we should encourage all homeschoolers to boycott travel and goods from Sweden until they allow families the educational freedom to raise and teach their children in accordance with their religious and philosophical views?

Visit Sweden To Help Homeschoolers There

Swedish homeschoolers are asking for support and help to keep homeschooling legal there. In particular, Jenny Lantz, one of the organizers I've been in touch with, has asked that the following letter be shared with American homeschoolers. I hope some who read it will be able to fly to Sweden and stand in solidarity with them. I am not able to attend in person, but I hope to make a virtual appearance via Skype to help rally the troops. Here is the letter:

Dear homeschoolers in America!

As you may already know, the Swedish Government is suggesting a school law that would effectively ban legal homeschooling in Sweden with increased penalties, including prison, creating a German-like homeschooling situation in Sweden. The current Swedish centre-right government is going in the opposite direction from the rest of the world where home education is growing. This is a dangerous development for all homeschooloers in Europe, as Sweden is often held as an example of the perfected social  state.

The Swedish Association for Home Education (Rohus) wants to stop this law. That possibility may only be four members of parliament away.  But we need your help. The Swedish Parliament will discuss the proposed law on June 21 and the vote will be made on June 22. We want to make those two days an international manifestation for the right to home school and also make it the start of a European Network of Home Education, which can bring the issue to a European level.

Swedish home educators are seasoned after years of struggle with today's permissive but extremely restricted-as-implemented school law. We go to court, fight fines and go in exile now and then. During the last year the Rohus board has lobbied for home education at the National Parliament level.  Politicians who meet with us get a whole different view of home education.
 
If we do not manage to stop the law in June, we believe we need to approach the European level, which requires us to form a network with other European Home Education Associations. If we win we still want to support this effort to make homeschooling permitted throughout the European Union, which is the best safe guard for all of us.

Please respond to our invitation if you can. We are working to find youth hostel-type living situations in Stockholm during June 20-23, so that you can help us meet our Members of Parliament with flyers, speeches and personal meetings throughout the two days and help form the European Network for Home Education.

Rohus is a politically and religiously unaffiliated organization, formed two years ago  when we realized political struggle was necessary; see our English  homepage:
http://www.rohus.nu/?English_information

Contact Jenny Lantz, adminstrative manager  for practical details about joining us in Sweden: jenny@rohus.nu or contact Jonas  Himmelstrand, President: jonas@rohus.nu

Warm regards

Jenny  Lantz, Rohus 

Letter to the Swedish Parliament regarding Homeschooling

At the request of homeschoolers in Sweden, who are facing an outright ban on homeschooling in their country, I sent the following letter of support on Monday, 5/10/10.

To the Swedish Parliament regarding proposed changes to homeschooling legislation.

I have been asked by my fellow homeschoolers in Sweden to write to you as a concerned educator who has studied, written about and participated in homeschooling for over 29 years as a father of three daughters and as publisher of Growing Without Schooling magazine.

The one-size-fits-all model of education that is delivered through government schools is quickly becoming a thing of the past as free market education options, such as vouchers, for-profit schools, distance learning and, especially, home schools continue to gain ground worldwide as citizens seek more individualized educations for their children.[i] Indeed, Per Unckel, a Governor of Stockholm and former Minister of Education, explained the need for allowing educational options for Swedish citizens to an American reporter in 2009: "Education is so important that you can’t just leave it to one producer. Because we know from monopoly systems that they do not fulfill all wishes."[ii] The legislation you are considering, Chapter 24 Paragraph 23 of the proposed new Swedish school law, will create such a monopoly by outlawing homeschooling except under “exceptional circumstances.” I urge you to vote against this change to Swedish law in order to preserve a family’s right to choose from a variety of educational offerings, including private and home schools. The state should not have a monopoly on education, either of schools or methods. To reduce educational choice for Swedish citizens to a mandatory selection of pre-packaged commodities presented by the government is hardly a real choice.

Not all children flourish in state schools, which is one reason why Sweden became a world-leader in free market education by introducing education vouchers in 1992. This decision raised controversy due to concerns that educational choice might result in increased social segregation, particularly regarding homeschoolers. However, research and history has shown that allowing different social groups to control the education of their children does not necessarily result in increased segregation and that tolerance for pluralism is a necessary component of democratic societies.

Dr. Christian Beck has studied homeschooling and social integration in Norway and concludes:

 “…among home educators who are registered and monitored, home-based education also appears to produce well-socialized students. The greatest difficulties with regard to social integration have to do with unregistered home educators.”[iii]

Making homeschooling illegal, or extremely difficult to do, will result in more families becoming unregistered home educators in Sweden or, as is currently happening in Germany, it will result in families seeking political asylum in countries that permit homeschooling. The bad publicity, complex court cases, and educational rigidity that will flow from banning homeschooling in Sweden can easily be overcome if the government and schools cooperate with families in their efforts to be involved in their children’s education rather than prosecute them for doing so.

The homeschooling movement is quite small in Sweden and it is likely to remain small. Indeed, even in countries such as the United States, that has seen considerable growth in homeschooling in recent years, it only represents 3% of the total school-age population. Homeschooling is also not a permanent condition for many families; one researcher claims that only 15% of secular homeschoolers and 48% of religious homeschoolers continue to homeschool in the United States after 6 years, and there have been no serious difficulties with homeschooled students who matriculate into schools.[iv]

 There are many more pressing educational matters before Swedish schools than homeschooling. For instance, on any given day in Sweden there are far more students who are truant from school than there are homeschoolers being educated. Wouldn’t the energy and money being spent to restrict families who want to help their children learn at home and in their communities be put to better use by focusing those efforts on truant students who are literally running away from school? 

The examples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Spain, Australia, and other western democracies that have growing homeschooling populations prove that the state does not need a universal curriculum administered through state schools to create good citizens. It is widely noted that homeschooled citizens who enter into adult work or college are equally or more engaged in political, sports, entertainment, scientific, and social endeavors when compared to their schooled counterparts.[v]

The popular American author and teacher John Holt, who supported homeschooling after many years as a teacher in private schools and universities, addressed the Minnesota State Legislature when they were considering restricting homeschooling in 1980; the legislature decided not to pass the law. Holt ended his testimony with words that also apply to Swedish homeschooling:

The legislature can affirm the right of parents to teach their own children, while continuing to exercise its constitutional right to assure that all children are being taught… There are and will remain large and legitimate differences of opinion, among experts and nonexperts alike, on the subjects that should be taught to children, on the materials to be used, and on the ways in which this teaching and learning are to be evaluated. Only by allowing and supporting a wide range of education practices can we encourage the diversity of experience from which we can learn to educate our children more effectively, and it is the intent of this legislature to allow and encourage such variety.^[vi]

Please vote against the law to change Chapter 24 Paragraph 23. It will not only ban homeschooling, but also severely restrict educational opportunities and personal freedoms for anyone who does not flourish in the conventional education system.

Sincerely,

Patrick Farenga
President, Holt Associates Inc.

Author, Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling (Perseus, 2003)

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[i] Brian Ray, Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling, Broadman and Holman, TN, 2002

[ii] http://www.examiner.com/x-1393-Education-Improvement-Examiner~y2009m3d20-Should-Obama-look-to-Swedens-successful-school-voucher-program

[iii] Home Education and Social Integration by Dr. Christian Beck. Critical Social Studies, No. 2, 2008. Retrieved on May 5, 2010 from 

http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/outlines/article/view/1973/1763

[iv] Isenberg, E.J. (2007) “What have we learned about homeschooling?” Peabody Journal of Education 82, 387-409.

[v] Scholarly articles on the topic include Home Schooling for Individuals' Gain and Society's Common Good. Brian D. Ray, Peabody Journal of Education, 1532-7930, Volume 75, Issue 1, 2000, Pages 272 – 293; Knowles, J. Gary, & Muchmore, James A. (1995). Yep! We're grown-up home-school kids—and we’re doing just fine, thank you. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 4(1), 35-56; Jones, Paul and Gloeckner, Gene (2004). A study of admission officers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards homeschool students. Journal of College Admission, Special Homeschool Issue 185, 12 -21.

[vi] Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling (Perseus, 2003), p. 221