An Unexpected Choice: Why We Traded the Public School for Homeschooling
My initial reaction to the nudging I sensed in my heart—that God wanted us to give homeschooling a fair evaluation—was unequivocal: "No way, God." But the more I struggled against it, the more I sensed his answer: "Just look into it."
Resigned, I started doing research. I knew two other people who homeschooled, and when I called one to ask questions, she responded, "I should warn you—everyone I speak to about homeschooling ends up being convinced to try it."
And so it was for us, after a process of opening up to the idea as I learned more about it. We're nearly three years in, and while I would not want to mislead anyone about the challenges of homeschooling, the workload involved, and the never-ending questions ("Are we doing enough? Are we doing too much?"), I've been pleased by a number of unexpected results.
My boys have become close to one another by virtue of being each others' most constant playmates, but they are also comfortable interacting with a wide variety of ages, children to adults. They can spend time on tasks and topics that interest them whether it's typical for the age or not, such as my 9-year-old, who is working on the 20th page of his latest fantasy masterpiece, or my 6-year-old, who is intent on learning to type so he can write his own stories one day. We can spend a Sunday evening staying up late serving meals in our church's soup kitchen because we aren't forced to get up early Monday morning. My kids have also developed a better understanding of what it means to live out one's calling by going to Chicago to see their classical pianist-dad perform at a weekday noontime concert on Michigan Avenue, or to support their mom as she gives a talk to an auditorium full of Moody Bible Institute collegians.
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Becki
We homeschool and won't have it any other way. My daughter is a computer class at our local college and has to write a paper on Homeschooling and electronics. How it helps or hurts. Does anyone have a story they would like to share? randallboggess@integrity.com. Thank you.
Dan
Years ago the school district told my brother and sister-in-law their preschool child needed to be in special education - something about being developmentally delayed. My brother fumed, called the school district to complain and demanded to see the test. The school district, conveniently, had lost the test. That convinced them to homeschool their two boys. The "special ed" son scored a 31 on the ACT and graduated from La Tourneau College about 3 years ago. Now I have spent a career in the public schools as a teacher and administrator, and I sent my own children through the public schools. And if I had to do it all over again, I would homeschool them - without a moment's hesitation. Parents in this day and age should not entrust their impressionable children to a rabidly secularistic institution and expect any good to come of it.
Helen Lee
John, you raise a great question. But in our family's case, I'm not trying to shield my kids from human fallibility such as in the examples you raise. I'm not trying to "escape" the so-called evils of public school, although I know there are many in the Christian homeschooling community motivated in that way. In our case, I'm simply trying to be obedient to a calling (not of my own choosing initially!). I'm not trying to make a blanket statement that all Christians should homeschool. Some of us will be called to seek the welfare of our local schools. Some will feel called to homeschool, to private school, or to some combination of all these depending on their child/children. And while there is no biblical mandate to choose a particular school context, church is different. Church is intended to be the place in which we live out the gospel of grace in how we treat each other, demonstrating compassion and extending forgiveness even to the image-centered pastor or sex-crazed high schoolers
Rob
John, you make some good points for the reasons to home church. I think it is better for families to worship together and not split children into their own services. The family can discuss the service at home. Church should not be about entertainment nor is it a more individualized experience. It's a time for the church community to get together, receive the sacraments and worship God in a special way.
John
Should some parents, also, home-church their kids? Almost every church I've been to has had red flags, i.e., the image-centered senior pastor, the conflict-ridden choir director, the sex-obsessed high school students, etc. Would it be better for the parents to pull their kids from churches and teach their kids at homes on Sundays, as well?
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