We have all seen it. A hotshot teenager with a brand-new driver’s license, cruising around in dad’s car. It’s shiny, it’s expensive, but it’s not his. However, it doesn’t take long for that teenager to begin adopting the “my car” language. “Hop in my car,” he says to his giddy friends. Knowing parents chuckle and mentally roll their eyes, thinking, “Yeah, okay, sure, kid.” We all know that the car isn’t “his car” even though he may drive it around. Why? Because he was not gifted it, and he did not pay for it, his parents did.
When teenagers become comfortable with falsely referring to Dad’s car as “my car,” they become less and less interested in the independence of actually owning a car. Why work, save, and spend thousands of dollars for an old hunk of metal strapped to an engine when you could drive around town in a brand-new Tesla?
However, like everything in life, a lack of ownership has implications. The teenager, when making plans with friends, must always ask Dad the embarrassing question, “Can I take the car?” —you’ll notice how children almost never use “my car” language in front of the real owner. So often, the answer is sadly “no.” Dad has places to go, so the car is not free to be used by the teenager.
But if the teenager worked, saved, and spent his money on a car, he would earn his own freedom through real ownership. No more asking Dad to take his car for a drive.
Freedom and Responsibility
Continuing with our analogy, let’s assume that the teenager does finally buy a car. He cruises around in the bliss of freedom, unaccountable to anyone else for the car, free to drive where he chooses. Then the check engine light pops on and . . . oh boy. If he wants to maintain the freedom of driving his car, it is his responsibility to heed the warning signals, diagnose the problem, and be prepared to financially contribute to the solution.
When the teenager commits to freedom by purchasing a car and fulfills the responsibilities of freedom by stewarding it, he lives with the benefits of ownership. How much more beautiful is this than being forced to lie with the “my car” label or begging Dad for the use of his car?
This anecdote, though light-hearted, displays an important reality: funding determines ownership. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that it is better to be free than to be dependent; better to own than to rent; better to buy than to borrow, because ownership impacts how we view ourselves and our role as owners.
This concept matters for every public and private good and service—from automobiles to healthcare, from road servicing to renting first apartments. Education is no exception. Everyone recognizes that schooling costs money, just ask parents or college students. To get an even better idea of how expensive schooling has become, take a look at your annual state budget.
“My Education” Or “Their Education”?
Because funding is necessary, the inevitable question is going to be, “Who should pay for education?”
Think back to our analogy; if the public pays for education, it isn’t fully “my education” because the state is a stakeholder in it. Conversely, if parents pay for education, it is truly theirs to own. So, this question, though it has practical applications, is much deeper than merely a budgeting concern—it is a question of ownership. Should parents or the public, through their government, own the education of children?
Both government schools and independent schools are offered in the American education market. Parents may choose to send their children to private schools or homeschool them using private funds. Alternatively, they can send them to public schools, or participate in publicly funded, state-owned and operated programs like vouchers or ESAs.
Because we hold fast to the values of liberty, personal responsibility, and ownership, we believe that education is the responsibility of the family, with support from fellow believers—not government assistance.
Liberty
Consider the effects on liberty if we outsource ownership of education to the government. Just like the teenager is not free to use the car whenever and however he would like, we are not free to direct or “drive” the education of our children.
Parents of public-school students don’t have a say in school hours, holidays, vacations, or bus routes. Even more significantly, they don’t have the ultimate say in curriculum, teachers, sports teams, coaches, principals, or classmates for their children. The owners determine these things—and if parents want curriculum changes or to go on a family vacation, they have to go to board meetings or the principal’s office or state legislators and ask if they can please borrow the car—er, education.
Personal Responsibility
When parents choose liberty, they have the power to direct their children’s education. But as the great fictional Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
When parents choose freedom—when they refuse government funding and independently educate—they, and no one else, are responsible for the check-engine lights of education. It is true that liberty brings responsibility that can feel like a burden in the moment, but when compared to the benefits of liberty, the weight of responsibility is worth it a thousand times over.
Ownership
We believe that education is the responsibility of the family because we strongly believe in the wonderful and lasting benefits of ownership. Parents who choose liberty and fulfill their responsibilities enter into a realm of ownership where their children are entirely under their loving care. Choices like curriculum, teachers, vacation days, and classmates become entirely theirs to make. But even more important than these practical choices, parents can direct the education of their children’s hearts, souls, minds, and desires without infringement from outside stakeholders.
If you are a parent considering education ownership, remember the story of the teenager. Will you falsely claim ownership over your children’s education when you haven’t actually paid the price yourself? Will you outsource your responsibility to the government, or will you take upon yourself the duty of responsibility? In whatever you decide, remember that with true ownership comes great opportunity.
Helpful Resources
Learn more about how you can choose education independence for your family:
- JOIN the Education Independence Network to receive monthly newsletters and invitations to virtual seminars.
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