“I was a public school teacher for two years, then I left that world and started private tutoring on the side. I met homeschoolers and got an idea of what that looked like. When my oldest child entered Kindergarten, we chose to homeschool her. I now homeschool all four of my kids.
When I started private tutoring, I noticed that homeschoolers had a lot more freedom, and with that came independent responsibility. They knew how to do grown-up things without being told how to do them. There were opportunities for them to do things during the day that weren’t the same for public schoolers. My husband was traveling as an electrician at the time, and we chose to homeschool them so we could have the freedom to do what we wanted for our kids.
I was public schooled as a kid, and I lived under constant stress to get all of the work done and get all of the hours I needed to play sports. That stress hurt my desire to learn. I remember when school became just about passing a test or getting a good grade. I didn’t want my kids to experience that.
When we saw how homeschoolers lived differently, we knew our kids would be under a lot less stress. I’ve seen the benefits of that. They play well together, we don’t have a lot of tears about schoolwork, and they like to read and love to learn. Learning itself is the reward, not necessarily the grade they get.
I saw the controversy about the EFA program when it rolled out. I debated for a year over whether to participate. Public schoolers and homeschoolers had concerns. One day, I found a phone number and called it, laying out my questions and concerns. The person was so good at answering my questions and making sure my fears were put to rest. We decided to try the program out. Only one of my four kids qualified, because he’s in the first grade and was diagnosed with a learning disability, and my other three are not-so-patiently waiting for their turn. They’re super excited.
I was afraid when I first signed up. There’s so much misinformation out there. But I remember getting my first deposit, and I cried. It was amazing to get funds and buy curriculum—to get extra science and STEM activities that would help my son. And to get the therapy tools that his therapist wanted him to have.
We live in the country and have limited access to the Internet. In the spring, EFA funds will help us purchase necessary equipment to access the Internet. It’s been a huge benefit for us, for sure.
We’re a single-income middle class family. It’s no lie that things are tight. My husband works his tail off to provide for us, but there are things my kids didn’t receive because we just don’t have the money. The fact that I was able to buy curriculum and school supplies for my child and not take away from our grocery money was a huge blessing.
But the fact that I was able to get him extra… I can’t tell you what that means. It’s a huge blessing. My other three kids are waiting for their turn; they want to take the art and music classes that we wouldn’t be able to afford without the EFA program.
We took a field trip to the state capitol, and I met the wife of one of the policymakers who worked on this. I was able to tell her thank you. As a homeschooler, we have community, but sometimes as parents, we feel isolated. Does anyone see us? Do they support us? What are their opinions of us? This feels like we got a stamp of approval. It was like policymakers were saying, ‘We see you. We support you. We understand why you’re doing this, and we care for you.’ That support is a huge blessing.
I saw a headline not too long ago that read, ‘Your Tax Dollars are being used to pay for Rich People’s Kids to take Horseback Riding Lessons.’ As a taxpayer and participant of the EFA program, it made me angry for a few reasons.
Every child in Arkansas is eligible for tax dollars to receive an education. If our children were in the public school, they would be receiving tax dollars to get an education. They would be taking photography classes, art classes, performing in plays, playing football and basketball, etc, all on the taxpayers dime. I get frustrated when people seem to believe that my child doesn’t deserve the same funds to receive an education just because we have chosen to educate differently.
We aren’t receiving 100 percent of what it would cost if our child was in public school. We are costing the government less money than your average homeschooler, and I don’t think people realize how incredibly crowded schools would be if all of us homeschooling families decided to put our kids in our local schools.
As someone who used to be a public school teacher, I know it would overwhelm the system. We need options for education to give each child their best chance at receiving the best care and attention.
Headlines like this hurt the waiting children who are not wealthy…my other three children are waiting for their chance. There are great, individualized opportunities for my children to succeed that would not be possible without the support of the EFA funds. I have so many friends who have children who are patiently waiting for their chance.
My biggest fear is that people will hate this program and work to shut it down. Then all of these children who are waiting for their chance will have to face the reality that this chance isn’t coming. I cry thinking about it because there are so many waiting and hopeful kids right now.
What homeschooling shows—and what the government is seeing—is that not every child is the same. EFA funds give us the opportunity to teach each individual child, no matter the setting. I think we’ll see lots of benefits from that.”
Paula Bean
Arkansas mom of four, former public school teacher, and education freedom success story