Clearly, the first two options are coercive and inconsistent with a Libertarian philosophy. However, the third method is also coercive but in a more subtle way. The use of contrived incentives to influence a child's educational choices is an effort to manipulate the child and therefore represents a soft form of coercion. The final method may be the only method that is consistent with a Libertarian philosophy. Persuasion, properly conducted, appeals to the reason of a child.
Successful persuasion convinces a child of the correctness of a particular choice.
Persuasion is not coercive but educational and contributes to the development of a child's reasoning ability. Teachers function as surrogate parents . Thus, a persuasion-based approach to education should also extend to teachers. A teacher can best exercise persuasion through a cooperative alliance with a student. In such an alliance, a student's participation and cooperation in the educational process is essential.