In a country that prides itself on its personal liberties, it is tempting to con

stantly advocate for increased individual freedom with the belief that people sh
ould be allowed to do whatever they want with their lives and families, so long
as they are only hurting themselves. The argument is that it is not fair to dic
tate control over each other's lives. The flaw in this philosophy is that not e
ducating children will not only hurt them, but will hurt those around them. Thi
s is unacceptable. When we educate our children, we are also safeguarding their
ability to contribute to society
Intentionally avoiding education significantly decreases the probability of the
child becoming a productive member of society. Especially in the United States,
the global economy is moving towares a service-based, technology centered econom
y. Consider one of the great innnovators of our day - Steve Jobs and Apple. Th
e world would be without a life-changing technology - the iPhone - if Mrs. Jobs
had kept her son home from school. The result of this job climate is that witho
ut technical skills and intelligence it is extremely difficult for the uneducate
d child-turned-adult to take part in a productive society. This will lead to in
creased unemployment and a weakening of the society in which they live.
Furthermore, there have been several studies that indicate that poor education c
orrelates with propensity for crime. In communities like inner-city Boston, the
re are programs to bus children out to suburban school systems with higher stand
ards of education; the goal of these programs is to educate these youths and dis
courage them from participating in the high crime rate of the inner city. In th
is way, uneducating children is extremely irresponsible as it can harm others; b
ecause of this education should be required for children
Finally, an important point to recognize is the non-intrusiveness of the require
ment. Public education is free. Homeschooling is ostensibly free except for th
e textbooks and other materials that the parent must supply. Education occupies
the child for a large portion of the day, freeing the parent to go to work or s
ocialize with their friends. It is a simple measure that allows the community t
o develop its members and assets. Intentionally foregoing these benefits withou
t any better alternative is as much a hindrance to the other members of society
as it is to the child. It is a matter of improving the child and the community
and protecting both from the dangers of ignorance and crime. The community that
protects our personal freedom requires, almost paradoxically, that we provide c
ertain contributions and requirements (such as compulsory basic education) to en
able the commmunity to fluorish.