Home Schooling: Morality Matters
Virtue Begins at Home
Here’s a difficult topic to discuss - morality. Depending on your religious tradition or worldview, you'll have a different take on what morality even is. But for the sake of discussion, let’s consider a broad, mainstream definition of morality as a social construct — a framework that promotes the good of humanity and the well-being of the group. This view doesn’t necessarily clash with faith-based traditions that believe morality descends from a higher power, but it does reveal the tension at the heart of modern education: who decides what’s right?
In his classic work The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis argued that modern schooling produces what he calls “men without chests.” That is, people whose emotions are not rightly ordered and whose moral compasses have been dulled or confused. And he's absolutely right. There is an absolute imperative among parents not just to educate their children intellectually, but to take up the task of moral formation — of raising children who value truth and virtue.
Virtue Has Left the Classroom
Home education gives families the freedom to prioritise character — to build up virtues like honesty, integrity, self-control, patience, kindness, humility, perseverance and so on. These are not footnotes or fringe benefits; they are the real substance of a meaningful education. But unfortunately, this cultivation of virtue is simply not a feature of the state education system. And part of the problem is that no one in the system can agree on which virtues are worth teaching. If truth is subjective and morality is up for debate, it’s no surprise that character education is left on the cutting room floor.
So it’s worth remembering: the virtues and moral code that matter in your family — the things you hold to be true, good and beautiful — are unlikely to be taught, promoted or even respected in a mainstream school setting. These are deeply personal matters, passed on from one generation to the next, often in ways that are unseen and unspoken — but deeply formative.
All Families Teach Values
Just as your family has preferences about food — what to eat, what not to eat, how to prepare meals — your family also holds particular values that get passed down. In my own family, for example, the core virtues were honesty, loyalty, perseverance (the Aussie battler spirit), and the value of hard work.
But there were also some more curious unspoken rules:
Being outdoors was always more virtuous than being indoors.
Shivering in the cold without a jumper was a sign of strength.
Constant busyness was more commendable than relaxing.
Having no friends and choosing family over socialising was seen as noble.
And living in a single-storey home without “modern luxuries” like a microwave oven was apparently a badge of honour.
These idiosyncrasies might sound amusing — and they are — but they prove the point. Every family has its own moral lens, shaped by culture, tradition, quirks and convictions. And whether intentionally or not, parents transmit those values to their children. If you want to be the one passing down the beliefs and behaviours that matter most to your family, then home schooling is the most effective way to do it.
Because otherwise, for 30 or more hours per week, your child will be educated and influenced by people who do not share those values. And over time, that influence shapes the child far more than most parents expect.
Reclaiming the Moral Ground
Home schooling allows you to restore your role as your child’s moral guide, not just their educational supervisor. You get to be the one who defines what a good life looks like — not a curriculum committee, not a bureaucrat, and not a stranger at the front of the classroom. You get to pass on your family's wisdom, your faith, your culture and your values — all within the safe and loving environment of your home.
And in today’s world, that might just be the most radical — and necessary — form of education there is.
