Comments on: A Bit of Political Advice to Home Educators

By: Craig Smith

Craig Smith — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:30:52 +0000

Gidday Ingrid,

This money thing is always a bit prickly. While I have known folks who have refused to accept the home education allowance, even though to date there have been no strings attached at all apart from signing the statutory declaration, and even though I do accept the current home education allowance from the MoE, I am opposed to asking for more money for a couple of reasons. First, it is not the state’s job to educate the populace. Compulsory schooling has been the most disastrous blow against the nuclear family by central government in the entire history of NZ. Asking them for more money validates the assumption that the state DOES and SHOULD educate the populace. It further allows state agents within the schooling system to assume we are asking them to fund us for doing their job. It is not their job…it is my job as a parent. Second, while not yet true in relation to the home education allowance, it is a principle that wherever government money goes, government regulations and controls inevitably follow. So, basically, I’m against the idea.

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:45:22 +0000

Hi there Craig,
Thank you so much for your advice and hard work regarding the homeschooling community. You have been involved in this environment for so many years and have lots of experience we can draw from. Thus i trust your judgement on this one. I have another question to ask though…. IF the reviews will no longer take place and it means that they can save some money….does it mean we could possibly get a larger share than our $750.00 per year from the ministry? I think each child is allocated $5,ooo.oo per year, wouldn’t it be great if we could see more funds come to us? Perhaps this is asking too much too soon and we might have to stay schtumm on that for a while too.

Kind regards and thanks,

By: Adrian

Adrian — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:01:16 +0000

Right as usual Craig. Its wonderful news about reviews and sad to say but true, we (homeschooler) have enemies within the horde that are most interested in producing political correct clones, so we should keep it on the QT.

By: Craig Smith

Craig Smith — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:02:41 +0000

Gidday Anne,

Thanks so much for your comments. I actually agree with everything you say! I too advise folks from over seas that the ERO no longer reviews us. To those I trust I respond as you do, that the ERO clearly trusts our decisions and see us as no problem. Just in NZ, I know there are some who would use this as the ammo they need to express their hate. Sadly, I’ve met and dealt with too many such, even some who were home educators, as I mention in the article. I’m more than happy to tell people…I’m just not going to write a press release about it and tell the world how wonderful it is to be free, and isn’t it affirming that ERO are going to leave us alone? That is likely to attract unwated attention from our foes.

By: anne

anne — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:29:31 +0000

Thank you for all you do. However, I must disagree respectfully with th advice not to talk about the cessation of ERO reviews. For one thing, I will not live in fear. For another, it is yet one more advertisment for New Zealand. Already I have friends in England and some parts of America who are considering moving to NZ as it seems a better place to raise their homeschooled family. This would be further encouragement for them – or for those who are fighting the Draconian new laws in England. And lastly I feel it is a great endorsement from the state for homeschooling. They consider us so low risk, they can leave us to our freedom. They trust our decisions. I now know what I’ll be saying to the next person who questions my educational choice.