Muskegon Sun

When Ryan Akers started his journey at Patrick Henry College (PHC), he was in awe of the beauty of the Virginia campus. Having been homeschooled all his student life, it was the first time he had stepped into a bricks-and-mortar school.

“I definitely experienced syllabus shock with the different professors and their different assignments,” Akers told the Muskegon Sun. “It was unusual. I'd never been in that environment where there was an actual physical school building.”

After graduating in 2008, Akers joined the Marine Corps and currently works as a state trooper in Michigan. The married father of four also teaches part-time at a home school academy.

“The best part of my job in law enforcement is the opportunity to help others and make a difference in just one person's life one investigation at a time. It's what gives me the most satisfaction,” he said. “The best part of teaching middle school-age children is being able to make a difference in a student’s life one book at a time by making books come alive and enjoyable for them.”

Two of Akers' school-age children are currently homeschooled, including his daughter who starts 4th grade in the fall.

“It's not necessarily the best choice for everyone, whether for economic reasons or maybe parents don't come from a certain background, but my wife and I both came from a home school family,” Akers said in an interview. “We met at Patrick Henry College and it was a natural choice for our children. We grew up doing it and we are very familiar with it. We understand it.”

Founded in 2000, PHC is the brainchild of Michael Farris, a constitutional attorney and homeschool pioneer, and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

Although PCH is not only a place for college students who were homeschooled, 78% of its current student population were homeschooled, according to the PCH website.

“Dr. Farris and many of the professors who taught there, especially in the early days, were very patriotic and very focused on doing what they could to better our country,” Akers said. “A strong sense of patriotism and civic duty contributed to my motivation to serve in the Marine Corps.”

With the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of parents said school closures have made them more likely to consider homeschooling in the future, according to a recent study by Outschool, a marketplace of online classes for students ages 3-18. More than 60% of parents said they feel uncomfortable sending their children back to school without a coronavirus vaccine.

Fortunately, Akers and his family have not been adversely impacted by the pandemic.

“There's always work for law enforcement to do and so my job has remained steady,” he said. “That’s not always good for some people but it has maintained employment for me and my family for which I am very grateful.”