Mar. 12, 2007 - Why We Decided to Homeschool
There are a myriad of reasons why families around the world homeschool... religious reasons, academic reasons, social reasons, etc., etc. I have felt led to share why my husband and I made the decision to homeschool, even before we had children. For now, I am only going to share the heart issues, the Biblical reasons, that surround the decision that we have made. For this is the most important.
Above all else, we feel it is our God-given duty and responsibility to teach and train our own children. God’s written Word has quite a bit to say about this responsibility. As parents, we are given stewardship over our children (Psalm 127:3) and are accountable to God. I will answer to my God regarding how my children were raised, not the government or anyone else, since it is my sole responsibility.
In Deuteronomy 6:7, just after we are commanded to love the Lord, with all our heart, soul and might, parents are told to “teach (this command) diligently to your children, and talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.” In Proverbs 6, we are told to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it (the right path)”. And Ephesians 6:4 instructs fathers to “not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” God has given us, as parents, specific instructions. He expects us to spend a very significant amount of time with our children, throughout the course of every day, teaching them and training them.
“Could you not teach and train your children, in the way they should go, and send them to a public or private school?” you ask. Well, sure. However (and that is a BIG but), do I care to spend the majority of the short time I have with my precious children “un-teaching” them what they are being taught in secular institutions? Absolutely not! The Public School system is not teaching truth. It is my job to teach my children truth, to guide their hearts.
Here is some shocking news: "The overwhelming majority of children from evangelical families leave the church within two years after they graduate from high school; only 9 percent of evangelical teens believe that there is any such thing as absolute moral truth; and, our children are being forcibly indoctrinated to believe that homosexual behavior is acceptable.” (Bruce Shortt - The Harsh Truth About Public Schools)
There are many other reasons why we have decided to homeschool our children. I firmly agree with everything expressed in Harvery Bluedorn’s article, Seven Undeniable Truths of Homeschooling - It is a great piece and clearly lays out seven wonderful reasons to homeschool. If just the Biblical evidence is not enough, however, check out the following news stories:
School district: Sixth graders had s*e*x in class
N.Y Teacher Fights Modern-Day ‘Witch Trial’
Freshmen asked to research p*o*r*n online
On the 'sin' of sending kids to public school
This is real-life stuff, folks, and these four articles are only a glimpse at the corruption found in public schools.
Now, I believe that we, as mature Christian adults, are to be salt and light, but we must look at that command in its full context. Jesus says, in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing, but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Our young children are very impressionable. How can we expose them to the world, to the point of saturation, before they are adequately trained to withstand the pressures and temptations, only to be trampled underfoot?
I am not at all insinuating that we will keep our children sheltered completely from those people or situations around us that may not line up with our morals, convictions and beliefs. I am saying, however, that we will not send our young, impressionable children out into the world, (ie public schools) away from our godly parental direction and counsel. I believe our children should be given the opportunity to explore their world, as we steer them towards what is good, holy, just, pure, of good report, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). As long as we are doing our job, as parents, our children's hearts will already be in the process of becoming aligned with our God.
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