Here are a few things to consider if you decide to switch tracks:
1. Homeschooling honours the Biblical model of education.
a. Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
b. Deuteronomy 4:9, "Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren."
c. Ephesians 6:4, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."
d. Also, non-christians should not be teaching your children, “Can the blind lead the blind and will they both not fall into a ditch?”
2. The Home becomes the filter for all other social influences.
a. Parents cognitively remain as allies not antagonists.
b. Media and Peer Pressure are effectively deconstructed.
c. When it is time for our kids to enter another educational environment such as Public High School, College, or University, they already have the personal resources they need to maintain their integrity as Christian thinkers.
d. From article The Challenge Of Cultural Filters by Cindy King, 2008: “The problem with cultural filters is that they often inadvertently lead to cultural prejudice. And cultural prejudice creates two problems; You cannot develop an effective cross-cultural communication; It is not easy to educate someone with strong cultural prejudice.”
3. Homeschooled kids don’t fall into cliques as easily as those who are divided by age/grade/class, and so the older kids are natural mentors for the younger.
Implication: It matters whom your kids hang out with
a. 1 Cor. 15:33, "...Bad company corrupts good character."
b. Prov. 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
c. A Thomas Jefferson Education, pg. 38-39, "It's not a great stretch of the imagination to see how the grouping of children according to birth year can breed envy of those older, contempt for those younger, and alienation from siblings."
4. Personal life goals are formed without undue influence.
a. John Dewey, founder of Public Education, A signer of the Humanist Manifesto, Antagonistic to Christian philosophy of education
b. Phil Fernandes from the Institute of Biblical Defense has this to say about John Dewey: "When you really read Dewey's views of education, he basically wanted to graduate high school students at the point where they could barely read and write so they'd be very easy to manipulate by the government leaders. At the same time they would learn a good trade so they would be productive members of a socialistic society."
5. Self-education is encouraged as a life-long habit. If your kids see you learning they will embrace a continual habit of self-education.
a. From A Thomas Jefferson Education: "Teaching, not education, should be our focus, because great teaching inspires students to educate themselves. Great teaching will solve our educational problems – in public, private, and home schools. Find a great teacher, in any setting, and you will find a group of students diligently, enthusiastically, and effectively educating themselves. Teachers teach and students educate. Students are the only true educators. Historically, every other method of education fails. Education occurs when students get excited about learning and follow through; students do this when they experience great teachers."
6. Homeschooled kids naturally set their own pace by learning things when they are personally ready. This avoids unnecessarily imposed standards.
a. This may be an important factor if your child is:
- cognitively or developmentally delayed
- advanced or "gifted"
7. Homeschooled kids get one-on-one attention, so they don’t fall through the cracks of the System.
a. Lawrence Rudner Interview, 1999: "Homeschooling is one-on-one. There’s the utmost level of parent involvement."
b. Richard Hardy, Learning Without School, “It’s hard to argue with the advantages of one-on-one instruction, of extensive parent involvement, and of a curriculum tailored to every child’s needs. Home schooled children are winning spelling and geography bees and going on to top-notch colleges.”
c. Maralee Mayberry 1989: “Children are individuals and parents should know what their child is capable of....Schools should try harder to teach the children individually and not expect Home schooling everyone to be the same. I wanted my child to have more one-on-one training.”
8. There are more opportunities for life lessons and skills to be developed by everyday life rather than by citing references in a more sterile environment.
a. Math skills learned by cooking, finances
b. Science learned by field trips, activities
c. History by documentaries, museums
d. Geography, Logic learned by games
9. Homeschooled kids excel beyond public school standards.
a. Dr. Jay L. Wile, Homeschooling: The Solution to Our Education Problem, Why Do Homeschoolers Excel?
a. The Love of Learning is not socialized out of them.
b. Learning is generally more interesting for students when the curriculum is tailored directly to them.
c. You can’t beat the teacher/student ratio!
d. Homeschooling teaches independent learning.
e. Homeschooling parents impart by example that education is important.
I hope you found this presentation encouraging. There’s a lot at stake for our kids growing up in this generation. Biblical faith and practice are continually marginalized by our increasingly humanistic, pluralistic, and secularized culture. We can’t expect our churches to undo a week’s worth of ungodly influence in one hour of Sunday School. It’s up to Christian parents to point their kids in the right direction. Homeschooling is a great way to do that.
- Don Boone, OCHEA, 09/19/2011
PS: This was a bit of a break from the norm, but I wasn't sure where else to put this piece.
