Seth at Contend Earnestly has begun an interesting and somewhat spirited discussion on Christian homeschooling. While he obviously has some reservations regarding homeschooling, he is gracious in his thoughts and I probably agree with him more than I disagree with him. Mostly because I agree wholeheartedly with his main point:
What I really want people to be asking and really challenging themselves with is “Why am I homeschooling?” If it does not start with the glory of God and the mission that he has put your family in, I believe you will start living in some sort of idolatry. . .It must start with Jesus and work down from there. Your first question for your family must be, “We want to glorify God in all we do” the second question always flows from this, “How do we accomplish this?”
How can we accomplish this? Why do we homeschool? Maybe it is because another official school year is gone, but it seems to be a popular question as both SpunkyHomeSchool and A Dad First have asked the same question in varying ways.
Do we homeschool so our children will be well-socialized?
Thankfully, Seth identifies the whole “homeschoolers are social misfits” stereotype as a misconception. Misconception number one, in fact. But one comment in his explanation bothered me a little.
What we don’t want to do is set up our kids to be like he is from Leave it to Beaver in a King of the Hill world.
Like Beaver? No, not exactly.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
We aren’t here to be like idealized views of childhood portrayed in 50’s sitcoms, nor to be like 90’s caricatures. We are here to be more Christlike. Seth, too, makes the point that Christians who are truly Christlike may have a difficult time “fitting in.” But I’ll go a step further.
‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. John 15:20
I totally agree that we need to teach our children how to interact in the world. How to defend their faith graciously and with compassion. How to be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves.” But we aren’t exactly supposed to become like the world in order to do so.
Do we homeschool so our children will be safe?
He writes on physical safety, but is that the only kind of safety we as Christians need to be concerned about? Actually, this touches on my core disagreement with what Seth writes. He seems to be going forth from the presumption that the children themselves are Christian, with a Christian worldview, seeking to give glory to God in what they do. Being born into a Christian family, however, is no guarantee of becoming Christian. Nor is being raised by a Christian family.
In the meantime, we are instructed to teach them HIs ways, here a little there a little, as we rise up and as we walk and as we lie down. The Christian walk is an ongoing conversation, an ongoing model. Until our children have themselves chosen this walk, I do believe that we need to be concerned about how to keep them “safe.”
Do we homeschool so our children will be taught only what we approve of?
If so, I am not doing a very good job. But for me it isn’t about control, anyway. It is about influence and having the opportunity to show my children how to live through a daily model. It is about being there when they have questions. It is about living and learning and growing as a family. Primarily, it is about taking what we read in the bible and trying to apply it to our family and our lives in real and concrete ways.
It most certainly is not about sheltering them, but about helping them build a foundation so that they can withstand the storms of life in Christ rather than under our protective wing.
Do we homeschool to give our children a better education?
Yes, actually, we do. But I look at education as something much broader. From the Latin educare meaning “to bring up, rear, educate,” it includes, but goes well beyond, the subjects normally taught in school. I think it is easy for those outside Christ to misunderstand when we talk about spiritual matters as more important than academics. I strive for excellence in academics because it is to His glory, not for the academics themselves.
Final Thoughts
Yes, I have some, too. I actually agree with Seth’s final thoughts. They were, more or less, my opening thoughts. But I would like to broaden the challenge. Every family should question why they are choosing the educational paths their family is on. I am not one to say everyone should homeschool, nor that homeschooling is the only way a Christian parent can educate their child. But I would like to see all parents become more intentional in how they choose to educate their children. To, in effect, actually choose a form of education based on the ends they wish to achieve.
So why do you educate your children the way you do?
This is why I homeschool: Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these other things (socialization, safety education, etc.) will be added to you. (my paraphrase.)
Excellent post…
we were actually having this vary conversation with a few people contemplating home schooling.
I like your paraphrase, Christy.
We homeschool our 3 girls…why? Several reasons, but I love the question..socialization. “Are you afraid your children won’t be socialized by not going to a regular school”? Answer: That is ONE of the very reasons WE DO HOMESCHOOL! Does it make sense that your children in a brick and mortar school ONLY be socialized by their PEER group? As it stands w/ my homeschool children, they not only can relate to their peer group but also other age groups as well! Are my girls made to feel inferior to the “popular” group in school? NO, my girls have MORE CONFIDENCE and SELF AWARENESS that they NEVER would experience in a Brick and Mortar school.
The bus rides only I could probably just go on and on about, I had to ride them, it was HORRIBLE!!
But I am giving my girls a chance I never had! My oldest girl did go to a b&m school in the beginning. As a result, she was teased because of her glasses, her hair, her friends. She couldn’t concentrate in the classroom because the trouble kids were too busy throwing the desks around, she ended falling behind in Math. She was intimidated by the “group” in her grade. After we began homeschooling she confided this to me and I could completely relate…wow, it only took her a couple of years to figure it out, I was out of high school before I did!! LOL!
I feel very blessed to be able to give my girls the opportunity to understand, grow and build themselves into the person they can become, the person they want to be, not who “they” want you to become.
Very, very true, ohvamom!
This has been very much on my mind since we became homeschoolers about 18 months ago, so much so that I’m conducting a survey on the topic!
My family approaches homeschooling from a secular perspective, and one of the things I like best about homeschooling is that our community contains people of all religious and political beliefs. It has been wonderful for my boys, and my husband and I, to become friends with people whose beliefs and worldview differ from our own; for the first time in our lives, I feel like we are experiencing true socialization.
Thanks for this post, very much.
So glad you wrote this post! Good questions! And good answers, too! I’ve also hoped to write a post about “why” parents may wish to choose to home educate their own children. Because, once they realize “why” they’re considering “home education,” then they will see more clearly “how” to go about doing it.
We’ve never considered ourselves to be the “true” teachers of our children. We’ve always asked God to override and enhance, add to and perfect, our efforts, because His wisdom, actions, plans and goals for our children are so much higher than ours. And His knowledge and understanding are infinite. ;o)
Thank you for writing this post on your blog!
I’m inspired and very encouraged by what you shared!
God bless you in all you do for His Glory!
Kathy
Dana.
Although we disagree on certain points, I find those to be small in comparison to our agreements. I very much appreciated this post and the respect you have for my thoughts on God’s glory.
Also, I am slanted towards public schooling only for my family and not others.
I just wanted to thank you for being balanced, putting forth a respectful reply that I pray all those who disagree with me would read.
So, I say thank you.
You are someone I would continue a conversation with being your heart’s concern for God’s glory seem to be supreme.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Seth
When Dana (and Seth) refer to “people” and “every family” I can’t tell if it sounds inclusive but actually y’all are thinking only of all the Christians as being “everybody” for this conversation?
It’s a discussion on a Christian blog and the very first line starts with “If you’re a Christian”. So the whole presumption is that it’s a conversation by Christians, for Christians, and about Christians.
The focus is on Christians/Christian homeschooling. But regardless of faith, I do believe that we would all be better off if we took education seriously enough to analyze the choices we make and why we’re making them.
And anyone is always free to share why they homeschoolaround here.
I was asking hoping not to get exactly the retort I just got from CW — pardon the question.
No need to pardon yourself. I had to reread the entry because I didn’t recall saying “everybody.” It is hard enough to speak for all of a group let along all of everyone.
But I do believe strongly that we should be more intentional about what we do and how we educate our children.
**If it does not start with the glory of God and the mission that he has put your family in, I believe you will start living in some sort of idolatry** It is quotes like this that just turn me off to the whole Christian homeschooling identity. And yes, I realize this was an article by Christians, for Christaina and about Christians. BUT…
I am a Christian. I do homeschool. I do not homeschool for religious reasons–not one single religious reason. But I like the question! It is one I have asked myself many times to make sure that I am doing this for a reason, a real reason and not a whim.
I homeschool because it is what is best for this child of mine, because it is where my thinking and feelings are in regards to education at this point in my life. I homeschool because I have become very disappointed with the schools, as I have become very disappointed with many aspects of modern day society. I homeschool because it is what fits my son’s temperament best, it’s what address his insatiable curiosity and thirst for information and knowledge and experiences. I homeschool because it I can give my son more than the schools can currently give him and I can care for him in a way that they cannot. I homeschool because I can see where my other children where allowed to fall through the cracks; and I homeschool because I can.
There are so many reasons, but many of them did not come to me until after I began homeschooling, and even more so after we returned to private and then public school. The initial reason was simply to give him more than the public schools would offer and to allow him the freedom to be a child doing what children love to do–engaging life to the fullest.
I only read it as saying that we should start with God first and then choose our course accordingly.
It isn’t much different than asking what the real goal is and then choosing an educational plan that meats those goals.
When I read it, I immediately connected it to families I have run across who think that homeschooling will somehow “save” their families, that their children will be inoculated against the evils of the world. And seem to blame good parents for their children walking away from the faith or having other difficulties. That is what I read in “idolatry” I guess because I immediately recalled examples.
We, too, have developed more and deeper reasons since beginning homeschooling.
I am a Christian and I homeschool. I do not homeschool for Christian reasons. I don’t do it to protect her from the evils of the world. It is just me and her and I HS her because I want the best for her.
She was in PS for 2 years, K-1 and she was bored silly. She was in a “Talented and Gifted Program” once a week for 30 minutes. She finished her work in 10 minutes and spent the rest of the time helping her classmates with theirs.
There are no boundaries when you HS, no one to tell you that you can’t do something. Anything is possible. I feel so strongly about HSing. I hear people all the time in PS complaining about different issues; I NEVER hear any of my HSing friends complain. They love it!
And I have a 9 year old who sews, bakes, reads, pretends, performs, makes movies, watches old movies, has puppet shows, writes a newspaper. Would she still be able to do all of this in PS? Who knows, maybe after her 8 hour day and 2 hours of homework.
Homeschooling is, without a doubt, the best thing I have ever done. She is thriving, she is confident, she is happy, life is good.
I wrote this in my blog a couple of weeks ago:
Yes, I could send her to school,
And from 8:00-3:00 have no clue…
How many times she laughed,
How many times she learned,
How many times she questioned,
How many times she understood,
How many times she wanted more information,
How many times she bounced in her chair from excitement,
How many times she was proud of something she did.
I could send her to school and she could get her exercise and sunshine,
In 20 minute doses, if…she had on the right shoes, and no one misbehaved and everyone was quiet.
I could send her to school
And let her eat the processed high fat, low nutrition fare they feed millions of children a day,
if she had enough time to eat and didn’t talk too loud and if no one grabbed her food.
Or…..
I could homeschool her.
K