Homeschooling: The Old Way That Still Works

Let’s start with a simple truth we’ve forgotten: parents educated their children long before the government built a building. For most of history, kids learned at the kitchen table, at church, on the farm, or as an apprentice. Compulsory, one-size-fits-all schooling is the new idea. Parents teaching their own children is the old idea—and in many cases, the better one.

Why homeschool works

Homeschooling gives a child what a bureaucracy can’t: time, attention, and standards.

• If a student struggles, you slow down today, not next year.

• If a student is ready to move, you move.

• You shape character and habits along with math and history.

You don’t need a stack of mandates to do that. You need a plan, a kitchen table, and parents who care.

“But what about results?”

Look at what actually happens to homeschoolers when they reach college and the workplace. Study after study finds they perform as well or better than public-school graduates on academics. Many post higher first-year GPAs, keep that edge through senior year, and graduate at higher rates. Employers regularly praise their maturity and work ethic. Are there exceptions? Of course. But the overall picture is solid: a well-run home education holds its own—and often wins.

“What about socialization?”

This is the laziest objection I heard in the Legislature. Homeschoolers play sports, join 4-H, work part-time, serve in church, and talk with adults every day. That’s real socialization—across ages, not just a hallway of kids the same age repeating the same lines.

Mississippi gets this right

Mississippi’s homeschool law is simple and respectful. Families file a short notice each year and get to work. No maze of paperwork. No permission slip from Jackson. And support is everywhere—co-ops, church schools, tutoring pods, online and classical curricula. If a student wants AP calculus, welding, or both, you can build that path without begging for approval.

The comparison that matters

The public system measures success by inputs—dollars, buildings, headcount. Families measure success by outputs—what a child actually knows and who they become. That’s the difference. Taxpayers can pour more money into a system forever and never fix a bad fit for a single child. Parents can fix that in one decision.

Why homeschool is often the best way

• It fits the child, not the system. Pacing, curriculum, and expectations match the student, not a statewide average.

• It guards values. Families can teach virtue, faith, and work ethic alongside academics—no apologies.

• It’s efficient. One focused hour at the table can beat three hours of classroom drift.

• It builds adults. Responsibility, self-direction, and real conversation with adults aren’t “extras”—they’re the point.

A Mississippi plan that respects parents

If we want more kids to thrive, we should stop treating homeschoolers like a side note and start treating parents like partners.

1. Protect homeschool freedom. Keep the law simple. Every new mandate punishes the families who are actually doing the work.

2. Let funding follow the student. Education Savings Accounts should work for homeschoolers, not just systems.

3. Open doors to dual enrollment and apprenticeships. A 17-year-old should finish with a transcript and marketable skills or college credits.

Homeschooling isn’t anti-school. It’s pro-child. It trusts the people who love that child most—the parents—to make the decisions and carry the load. Mississippi should keep backing those parents, not systems, and let every family choose the path that gets their child ready for life.