By Lars Bauer
The opinions expressed here are of the author only.
In August 2025, Senior Contributor John Quick made meaningful observations about the posture of homeschooling in small town Nikiski, asking in his column’s title “Can someone like homeschooling and public school?”
My family and I appreciated and agreed with his sentiment of two worlds coexisting but noted Mr. Quick did not have a laser-focus on whom that question needs to be asked of. As an Alaskan military family currently homeschooling outside the state, we can confidently clarify the answer. We can also herald the arrival of what is to happen should our communities fail to constantly pay attention to the ever-growing conflict over educational and parental freedom being waged outside our towns and our state.
I am going to use the term “government school” instead of “public school” because it is more precise. “Public school” is not quite “public.” Unless one lives in a one-school town, families are zoned to a specific district, meaning the public is often denied entry except to the school they are told to go to. Moreover, unless they are enrolled in that school, the public is denied all opportunity for programs at that or any government school except via policy.
Our own children have attended all types of government, private, and home-schooling environments, both state-side and abroad. They have lived in far off and wonderous places and have experienced interactions with people and concepts that most people on earth never will. Just as unique are the challenges and setbacks they face. Most military families report frequent moves and quasi-nomadic lifestyles. The loss of continuity in steadfast relationships and community are the larger trade-offs for gaining these world experiences.
Today that community for us is not Nikiski, nor any other small town, U.S.A in red state America where the home/government-school environments could ever be mutually feasible. It is a place where the state mandates frequent reports and work samples from homeschooling parents or else face criminal charges and Child Protective Services notifications. A place where school districts deny and gate-keep all opportunity for children in sports, ROTC, and academic programs merely because families will not enroll in their system. In certain states and countries where we have lived, lucky homeschooling families are left alone to educate how they wish; while in others they are arrested and their children taken.
That is why we know the answer to the question of who. Who needs to answer, “Can we like both?” The same group who would stand in the way of people’s freedom to both. Not only are government school system heads and their union/political arms the ones who need to answer this question, but they also need to affirm their support of both. They alone owe the answer. Alaskan parents take note: unless you demand this daily from lawmakers, irrespective of your current educational setting, places like Nikiski are not immune from what is happening outside. Mr. Quick is able to frame his question without adversaries identified. We should all be so fortunate.
Lars Bauer is an Active Duty Field Grade officer. He and his wife are lifelong Alaskans currently homeschooling their children through years of deployments and operational tours around the world. His expressed views are personal and do not represent his respective service branch or the Department of War.
Public schools in Alaska is a jungle of problems and some of society’s problems can become cancers of problems for children and families, if the family does not stay tuned into that change in the schools system of management and teaching. If this author is homeschooling, then your family is better off and won’t suffer some of the school problems other children will have to deal with. Some of these problems are life threatening to the student and family values. Good article.