| Although the history of homeschooling can be | | | | Raymond Moore for example, a devout Christian |
| traced back for many hundreds of years, and | | | | and ex-missionary, voiced the concerns of many |
| you will often here Aristotle quoted as being the | | | | parents about the lack of spiritual and moral |
| father of homeschooling for his efforts in tutoring | | | | guidance being given by our public schools and |
| Alexander the Great, it was not really until the | | | | about the growing level of violence. Moore |
| second half of the twentieth century that | | | | proposed that parents should take control over |
| homeschooling as we know it today was born. | | | | the education of their children and should focus |
| During the 1960s people began to speak out | | | | not simply upon academic achievement, but |
| openly about the problems of the public school | | | | should also upon ensuring that their children are |
| system and three people in particular were heard | | | | taught the values which they will need if they are |
| above the crowd. | | | | to be productive and valued members of our |
| The first was an Ivy League graduate who had | | | | society. |
| sought to change the system from the inside but, | | | | There was also a third extremely influential voice |
| when he discovered that this a case of bashing | | | | raised at this time. Ayn Rand, a novelist and |
| his head against a brick wall, he began what was | | | | philosopher, did not speak or write specifically on |
| to become a twenty year period during which he | | | | the subject of homeschooling at any length but |
| wrote extensively on the subject of education in | | | | gave birth to the modern libertarian movement. |
| general and homeschooling in particular. | | | | Out of this movement a political party was born |
| John Holt was perhaps the most influential voice in | | | | which, amongst other things, opposes a state |
| those early days and his many books, starting | | | | sponsored education system and espouses an |
| with 'How Children Fail' in 1964, are still in print and | | | | education system which focuses on the child as |
| are widely read today. Proposing a system which | | | | an individual and seeks to develop that child's |
| moved away from the authoritarian attitude of | | | | innate creativity. |
| the public schools and the importance of curricula | | | | These three voices together, while stemming |
| and schedules, John Holt focused his attention on | | | | from very different philosophies, were all singing |
| the innate curiosity of the child and sought to | | | | from the same hymn book and gave birth to the |
| structure learning around the interests and talents | | | | idea behind modern homeschooling. This is s simple |
| of each individual child. | | | | idea which places the intellectual and moral |
| But John Holt was not a lone voice and others | | | | development of our children at the center of |
| too made a valuable contribution to the debate. | | | | modern education. |