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Oct. 5, 2006 - Homeschooling 101, Philippine Edition - Part 1
Homeschooling 101, Philippine Edition
This is the first of a three-part series of entries taken from the hand-out given during a “Homeschooling 101” Seminar held by the MILK Ministry of Christ's Commission Fellowship-Alabang last June 4, 2005. To the ladies of MILK, I hope you don't mind my posting this here so that others may benefit from this information.
Background
Before 1900, homeschooling was the most common and accepted mode of education. It is a tried and tested, highly effective tutorial form of education. A number of outstanding and renowned men and women, including 10 presidents of the United States, statesmen, inventors, missionaries, authosrs, and scientists were educated at home.
With the advent of the public schools and compulsory education, homeschooling nearly died out. However, since the 1970s, there has been a revival of homeschooling in the U.S., from the desire of parents to train their children in the ways of the Lord, to build their child's character, and to give them quality academic education. At the same time, parents want to protect their children from the potentially negative influences of peers, and a school environment and system that are not within their control. Today, approximately two million children are homeschooled in the United States. There are no estimates of the number of homeschooled children in the Philippines.
Why Homeschool?
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be in your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up...”
These verses imply that we teach our children to know and love God all the time. Homeschool allows parents to follow this biblical command and assume the responsibility of teaching their children at home --- a responsibility that cannot be delegated to schools or to the church.
Children educated at home reap many benefits from the home atmosphere. The parents can make spiritual training a priority by teaching Bible content and Christian character everyday, something which is not done in many of the schools today. The foundation of moral excellence can be built by ensuring that it is the Biblical standard that is being taught to children. Sending your children to a teacher you do not know increases the risk of your children being exposed to values that are not biblical.
Harold Sala writes in his book, “Raising Godly Kids”,
“The world's greatest mission field is not the vast continent of Africa, nor the highlands of Papua New Guinea nor the jungles of South Africa – as needy as those places are...The greated mission field today is the hearts of our children. Today, forces more sinister than jungle vipers and more devastating than medicine-resistant malaria are making bids for our children. Our children are both our greatest challenge and our greatest mission field.
For a long while we parents have depended on others to do what we alone can do...We have expected our offspring to absorb whatever is necessary to succeed in life, and we have paid for it – tuition for education, music lessons, karate and sports. We have given them computers, TVs, eighteen-speed bicycles, basketballs, and the latest digital audio equipment. But we have often neglected the personal element of parental love and the deeper lessons of what life is about, including the spiritual. (Sala, p. 15-16)
In his article “Skipping School” published in Hour Detroit (June 7, 2004), p. 25, Michael Betzold writes that:
- Surveys show that children who are homeschooled do better on achievement tests and generally outperform their peers academically.
- Studies of homeschooled families have shown that children score between the 70th and 80th percentile on standardized achievement tests.
- Research also shows that homeschooled kids are more self-confident than their peers.
- Homeschooled students can get through the lessons faster with a parent available for help than if they are competing with two dozen other students for their teacher's attention.
Because instruction time is much less in comparison to traditional schools, children have the benefit of pursuing other interests that will enhance and build their total person. They can do other activities such as sports, music, cooking, painting and the like. In addition, students can go on their own and at their own pace so that more subject matter can be covered especially if the students are well-motivated. Because the children do not spend time travelling, there is more time available to do other interests.
Families are also able to save money since there is no need to spend on transportation, uniforms and extra food.
In addition to the benefits of a good moral foundation and a more effective method of teaching, children also experience health benefits, because meals and exercise can be controlled by the parent, and care given to nutrition and good health habits throughout the day. Children are also not as tired from long travel periods and shorter sleeping time. (To be continued) |
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