2022 | Not Rated | 1h 40m | Documentary
By most accounts, the year 2020 was pretty traumatic after all we witnessed and experienced, and the widespread overreach in both the public and private sectors that limited our rights. The public was locked down, there was a huge transfer of wealth from average citizens and businesses to global corporations—particularly Big Pharma—and it was a horrible year of loneliness, a year that many have written off as not even existing.
However, there was a silver lining during that tumultuous period. The lockdown inspired many people to embrace their inner entrepreneurs and start their own home-based businesses. And when children of all ages were sent home to continue their studies online, parents got a good look at what they were being taught.
For parents, it was a revelation to realize that many public and private schools are little more than Marxist brainwashing centers, with agendas such as critical race theory (CRT), anti-American revisionist history, and homosexual and transsexual ideologies being aggressively pushed on our youth.
So just like many people began their own home businesses, parents across the country started to homeschool their kids.
Actor and filmmaker Kirk Cameron’s (of “Growing Pains” fame) 2022 documentary, aptly titled “The Homeschool Awakening,” focuses on the many parents who have opted to pull their kids out of public schools and educate them at home.
The film consists of interviews with 17 different families from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds who have chosen to homeschool their kids. There are also interviews on the topic with journalists, former teachers, and others in education.
The film kicks off by showing corporate news clips of the COVID-19 shutdown of schools, as well as interview snippets of fearful parents not knowing what to do when their kids are ordered to go home.
U.S. Education in the Past
Journalist, author, and educator Alex Newman does a great job of giving a historical perspective on schooling in the United States. He talks about how the Pilgrims passed a law called “The Old Deluder Satan Act” in 1647 that emphasized teaching people in the original colonies how to read. In their wisdom, they knew that if people were literate, they’d be able to read the Bible and thus be less likely to be tempted by evil. In other words, they'd develop into good-natured, upstanding citizens with strong faith in God.Newman describes the large role that the church once filled for private academies and other institutions. Essentially, there was a free market for education. However, in the 19th century, the first secretary of education, Horace Mann, began setting up the first public schools in Massachusetts. More and more states started “jumping on the bandwagon,” and public schools began popping up all over the United States.
In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that prayer in public schools was “unconstitutional.” That crucial ruling paved the way for another ruling by the Supreme Court in 1963 that prohibited Bible readings in public schools. “That was a fundamental turning point in the history of the United States, when we officially said to God, ‘You’re not welcome in the education of our children anymore,’” Newman states.
Dispelling Myths
The film goes on to dispel many of the myths and fears that may be preventing some parents from considering homeschooling. One of the biggest falsehoods is that parents aren’t properly qualified to teach their kids. However, as the documentary shows us, parents are not only more invested in their kids since they love them, but they’ve already been teaching their kids for their entire lives. Parents have taught them how to walk, talk, carry themselves, and so on, since birth. Who would be better positioned to teach children than their own parents?One of the things I found brilliant about this documentary is that it doesn’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. On the contrary, it’s highly informative for people who are considering homeschooling, as well as for folks who have already been homeschooling yet want more information and useful tips.
Another facet that viewers should enjoy is that the film not only takes the fear and apprehension out of homeschooling as a healthy alternative to public schooling, but also actively encourages parents to look into it. As more and more parents decide to homeschool their kids, whole communities of like-minded folks have been springing up all over the place.
“The Homeschool Awakening” is an insightful documentary about a movement that is spreading like wildfire. This film is so informative and engaging that it’s the perfect vehicle for educating people on this “awakening.” Please share it with your friends and family members who may not know much about it.
