By Legislative Liaison Carolyn Martin

Fear Not, Stand Strong

As the governor continues to declare a state of emergency and public health departments, along with school boards and teachers’ unions, drag us into a dystopian nightmare where school desks are surrounded by Plexiglas, masks are mandatory, classrooms are cleaned constantly, and the potential to shut schools down for days on end relies on just one positive test result, many families are looking to homeschooling as a way out. Fear may be their driving motivation, so it’s important that we bring hope to the situation. 

I admit I am concerned about this newfound interest in what many of us consider a way of life. Afterall, home education is not just about academics. The richness of the journey with all its ups and downs can never be experienced through the kind of “homeschooling” we saw taking place through online Zoom instruction. Remember the first “aha!” moment when your firstborn put together letters with sounds or understood that complex math equation for the first time? We treasure those moments as if they were gold. The parents seeking a way out of the educational nightmare they are facing are only attempting to solve a logistical problem. As we try to lessen their panic, it’s important to point them to a bigger vision.

Not only am I concerned about the watering down of home education, but I am also wondering where this will lead legislatively. In the drive to find ways to lessen the financial burden on families who don’t want to subjugate their children to unhealthy restrictions, will increased burdens be placed on home education in an attempt to get those children back into the government schools? Bibles are being burned in Portland, and recently, the Supreme Court backed Nevada’s health orders restricting church attendance more severely than casinos. Religious liberty is under attack. Will homeschoolers be subjected to scrutiny over what we teach our children? Let us welcome new families to the fold, while we also continue to stand strong on our God-given, unalienable rights to educate our children without government intervention and to live our lives according to our God-given conscience.

As God brings changes, I pray that we will embrace the opportunities to share His goodness through our family’s journey and recognize what needs to be done to ensure others will be able to experience His faithfulness well into the future by working to preserve our freedoms now.

Time to Take Action!

Election season is in full gear. The best way for homeschoolers to advocate for our rights is to start at the beginning by helping like-minded candidates get elected to represent us! If you want to know more about where and how you can help, please contact me ASAP!

Trusting in the mighty power and grace of Jesus,
Carolyn Martin, CHEC Legislative Liaison
carolyn@chec.org

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About the Author: Carolyn Martin

Carolyn Martin serves as CHEC’s Homeschool Legislative Liaison, working for you and other liberty-loving families to protect homeschool freedom, parental rights, and religious liberty at the state capitol. Subscribe to the CHEC blog for Carolyn’s regular updates here, learn more about legal issues in Colorado here, and donate to support Homeschool Freedom here. Contact Carolyn directly at carolyn@chec.org.