Pamela's Place

Nov. 5, 2007

Why we homeschool

Have you ever heard the wonderful Hymn "If gained the world but lost my savior would my life be worth living for a day?"

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

I think this totally applies to the reason why I feel that homeschooling is important for our family. I don't want to take the chance of being wrong. I would rather be more careful than not. I would rather be more careful than sorry in the years to come. Les and I both went to public school. Les's faith was severely weakened by the influence the school had over him even though he was in a VERY strong christian social group at the school. There were still peer pressures and cultural battles there that didn't help things. I seen more in my 12 years of schooling than any child should ever have to be exposed to. I have been exposed to rape in second grade (in a schoolyard) where two young children were forced in a mock rape, I underwent severe teasing and physical abuse even by boys one punched me because I was always first in line and he hated feeling that threat. What does this teasing (even in Christian schools) teach our children? What values does this encourage? Does this teach humility or self-defense? Eye for an eye or a parent protecting their child from childhood abuses that a child doesn't have to go through to have a proper and well-rounded childhood? In my experience it was survival of the fittest. No meekness and humility were present. Those children who had those traits which were far and few between were severely teased and called nerds often undergoing the most abuse.

I woke up this morning and was thinking about the topic. Then a friend came over and gave us a homeschooling magazine that had this topic in it with Bible verses and encouragement for those seeking what they would want to do with their children regarding schooling choices. Then later a dear sister and I were briefly talking about schooling and I thought about how important it may be for me to write down my thoughts and why I feel it's important. These are some of the main reasons I can think of:

1) Teaching our children about the Lord FIRST
2) Keeping my children's hearts
3) Sheltering them (not isolating them) from the world and the childhood interactions that happen without a parent present that are often damaging (even among siblings!) We deal with these daily.
4) They will learn real life lessons that they wouldn't get in a peer oriented environment.
5) I know and care most about their special needs and weaknesses and have more interest in them than anyone else.

I am very concerned about the state of the public school system. In our state it is a requirement in the Public school to teach kindergartner about homosexuality!!! They have a purpose in this type of exposure at such a young age. I am all for loving others and would never propose hatred for anyone! God calls us to love one another and to witness to everyone, even homosexuals but I see no need to tell a kindergartner about that lifestyle unless I want to shock and desensitize. There will be a time when we will bring this up and look into what God thinks of it when the time is right and when our children can internalize things in a godly manner but K is not that age.

I was behind a local high school teacher with my 7 year old daughter at a Barnes and Nobles a few weeks ago. I know she was a teacher because she was talking with her son about the teacher card she just signed up for, etc. She was with her high school son who went on about a homosexual poet that he was studying. Very loudly the teacher went into details about how it's fine and good and how angry it made her that one of the students though it was wrong that the poet was a homosexual. I tried walking a few feet away because I was with my daughter and to engage her mind in something else but it made me think of how this is a high school teacher who is teaching our children about values of what is right and wrong and no matter what I think I am effected by others even when I don't want to be. We all want to be accepted and valued. Of course this is natural but children have such a strong need for that acceptance that more often than not they will give up their own value system if they feel that they are wrong because it's not an acceptable way to think or act. I want my children to know what the Lord thinks of a topic not how good it makes anyone feel or if it's acceptable.

As for Christian schools I've not met one parent, child, or previous student who hasn't expressed to me the VERY same challenges (minus one or two like the above) in their own schooling experience. They tell me that Christian schools are really no different than the public schools. Lust is a problem in these children MUCH earlier so you get the boyfriend/girlfriend thing going on at a young age, so is vanity and teasing then I hear about smoking and drugs and pre-marital sex. Youth start giving their hearts to their friends versus their parents and why wouldn't they? I mean they are spending 7+ hrs a day with these peers whereas they have much less time with their own parents!

In "Homeschool Digest" Vol 17 #4 article "The Best Place To Do Theology" states:

"There is no institution on earth that is better equipped as a place of learning than the simplest Christian home"

I also liked this statement, "The idea that the primary place to learn theology is in high-arched halls of academia did not come from the Bible". "....the primary place for us to learn theology is at our fathers side, at our mothers feet, and in our grandpa's lap"

There is no separation between academics in the 3 R's and theology if all we are doing is for the Lord. If I gained the world but lost the savior would my life be worth living for a day?

There are some wonderful and well-equipped curriculum's out there than have an even better set up than some of the best private schools. There are more options today to homeschool than there have ever been. It's very exciting! There are a lot of presidents and famous people who have been homeschooled by dedicated mothers, not missing anything from lack of "exposure"

I'm not willing to risk the chance of losing their hearts and sending them off into the world unprepared until the Lord releases our children. He will give our family wisdom in when that is. It seems that the home is the best place for teaching to take place despite our weaknesses our children will hopefully one day be thankful for our love and devotion for them and their education and their souls.

Deuteronomy 6:7 "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."