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| at the Memphis zoo feeding the parakeets. |
Education is one of biggest privileges we get to enjoy here in America and I want to do it right. I want to make sure my kids will get taught not only what is right ,but also the best way for that child. based on there abilities and strengths.
Some kids need more hands on learning and others don't every child learns differently and each one can learn more if they learn the basics the way they can understand the best. Instead of all being taught the same way.
Here are the 5 main reasons I am planning on homeschooling my future kids.
1.) Facts and truth. As a Christian I realize that schools teach a lot of untruth and a non biblical principles, evolution, its against the rules to pray at school to acknowledge Him as God etc... I want my child to have a firm foundation and unclouded understanding of what is true and a biblical base for their education.
2.) Influence. There is a reason why the bible says to choose your friends wisely. As a kid (thinking kindergarten, 1st -4th grade) all your focused on is having friends and a good time. I want my kids in the early years to learn how to choose friends under my supervision just so I can observe and make sure that there isn't something we need to discuss about another child's behavior towards them or the way my child behaves toward others. I realize you cannot watch them 24/7,but keeping an eye on them and see how interact with kids and how other interact with them is important to me. On other note I also have noticed more and more disrespect to authority in private Christian schools and public schools. Its very unsettling how kids and teens have zero respect for those in authorities, each other and themselves even and that is something that very much starts in the home, but also is effected by your friends influence during your early years and even throughout young teen years.
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| learning/watching pumpkin carving skills. |
I will say though that I have noticed families that send their kids to school get along well, but more often then not they do not get along nor have a good family structure.
4.) Flexibility. Homeschooling gives you enormous amount of flexibility. I probably would of never gotten into photography and blogging if I wasn't homeschooled. It gives you flexibility to add in extra activities certain times of the day, gives you flexibility if your in highschool for work, do college and highschool at the same time or finish highschool early and pursue a degree before your 18.
You can learn so much more with this flexibility to go and do things.
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| Making our yearly stock of applesauce (we eat a lot of applesauce throughout the year. Everyone helps one way or another.) |
I could go on and on about reasons I would homeschool that are equally important (I should of made this a 10 instead of 5.) But those were the 5 main reasons on why I will homeschool my future kids.
If you were thinking of homeschooling or not homeschooling I hope this gives you some insight on the subject.
Homeschooling is a very complex issue.
ReplyDeleteThere are those who make the home an intense training ground for, say medical, education. The child is exposed to anatomical charts and models from birth. Dinner table talk is centered around biology and chemistry. The intent is to raise a prodigy who will excel in the outside world.
Then there are parents who control all social and religious interactions of their children. They cloister them from alternative viewpoints and promote an extreme intolerence. They are taught to dispise diversity of opinion. Too often they are raised to be racists in the image of their parents. The intent? Perhaps to raise an army of culteral warriors. Certainly to raise adults who will obey external authority. Who will hate all the right people and vote the right way.
Let me address your points as you made them.
1) Secular schools do not teach religion. They do respect a student's religion and promote tolerance of diverse religious viewpoints. Of course you can pray in school. You just can't demand that others pray with you. If your faith requires some special space, perhaps to keep from causing a disruption of classes, it's very often provided. So, if necessary, you can bring a prayer mat, incense candles, or whatever, and practice your private ritual in some designated space.
2) Schools aren't playgrounds. Eyes forward. Listen to the teacher. You won't get significant influence from other kids. Sure, you'll see and hear things that aren't exactly uplifting. But you also get the benefit of actual, certified educators. That's not to be taken lightly. It's very difficult work and requires proper training. Anyone can teach. But it takes a proper education to teach effectively.
3) Yes, family is precious. But children love their parents and siblings because of what happens in the home, not outside it. You should be aware that there are homeschool tragedies, that no environment is immune. From an exteranl viewpoint (mine), the thought of controlling a child so thoroughly, particularly a young girl, is profoundly troubling. It opens the door to terrible abuse.
4) and 5) The flexibility you speak of sounds like a lack of mental discipline. The discipline you speak of sounds like control. Our Creator endowed each of us with free will. We can sin. And we can learn from our trangressions. If steel is never subjected to fire, how is it tempered? We need to face thw world head on. To test ourselves in small ways when we are very young and gather our courage and our resolve as we grow.
Blythe, you may have a wonderful family. Your parents may be the very model of good parenting. But what might you have been and what might you yet accomplish had you been sent to good schools? I'm not saying that you can't be a great wife and mother. I'm thinking about ambitions you might have had in the larger world and accomplishments you might have achieved there.
I speak mainly from experience. I have a siblings had something done to him by the neighbor kid when they were younger cause they weren't being supervised. I'm just saying you never know and as for me being more controlling then disciplining I know we learn from mistakes extra I just want to be the one to explain why it's wrong and have hem face the consequences myself. I do realize they'll be something like vbs and I won't be there,but I want to train my kids and not send them to school majority of the day for the majority of the year and not really know what's happening. I have heard some terrible things kids in school or day care have done and teachers cannot proper ly discipline the child. If they set a child in time out for example the child can get up because the teacher are not allowed to make them sit ther
DeleteIs it beyond your imagination that there might be people like you, good people, teaching in public schools? I assure you there are such teachers. I'm afraid you've been told stories to reinforce false notions. Blythe, honoring and loving and respecting your parents is always good. Obeying their every word can sometimes be wrong. Don't quote me Paul's letters. I worry about those who hold the words of the disciple above those of the Lord.
DeleteWoe to the man who's own ambitions are not exceeded in his children!
Oh,I know families that have wonderful respecting children that went to school,but I'm looking at the majority not just the ones are good or the the only ones that aren't good. Homeschooling with my parents guidance has taught me to be an independent thinker and my parents and I don't see eye to eye on every single little thing. They taught me to follow God,His plans for me and some of my personal convictions are not the same as theirs. My parents have also showed me how as lord willing a parent in the future to take a step back and let your child learn from their mistakes.
DeleteHello. Homeschool graduate here. Eighteen years old. Conservative "Tea-Partyer".
DeleteI'd like to refute your first comment, if I may. My first thought was to correct your misspellings, but I realize that's part of the benefit of your, quote: "actual, certified educators."
Before I begin on your points, there is some truth to your second paragraph. Specifically, "Perhaps to raise an army of cultural warriors." Yes, Homeschoolers want to raise cultural warriors. Warriors who strive for truth, justice, and the values of the Bible, which, incidentally, ARE American values. This can be seen in any number of writings by the founding fathers if you would like me to find them. They were very prolific. And yes, we were raised to vote the right way. To support those who support the values that will uphold and cultivate a more Godly society.
1) Secular schools do in fact teach religion. I have heard first hand accounts of how friends of mine have had to study Islamic beliefs in depth, and write about them, while the chapter on Christianity was passed over with little more than a few derisive comments. Freedom of religion IS upheld, for all but the Christians. I can find several instances of Christian valedictorians having their speeches censored or thrown out for innocuous mentions of God or Jesus. Freedom of religion is freedom to share your religion, also tied to free speech. These are American values. They are not being upheld in schools.
2) No one can spend eight hours a day, five days a week, nine months out of the year surrounded by the same people and NOT be strongly influenced by them. You wish to argue with this point by saying that if everyone would just pay attention and not goof off, you wouldn't have a problem. Or as much of one. The fact is, you will never get a mass of teenagers to never ever goof off. And the fact that you consider the influence of a hundred plus hormonal, immature teenagers from who knows how many different backgrounds, with the peer pressure to change the course of your child's life a small price for supposed professional teaching is quite disturbing. Now, I won't attack the teachers of public schools. They have incredibly difficult jobs. Because they have to teach each student, whom they have no control over, to the best of their abilities. Let's say one teacher has a class of thirty students. That's a 30/1 ratio. On the homeschool front, one couple may have five children. That's a 2.5/1 ratio. Much better for the child, as the parent (who is already knows their own child) is able to analyze the student's learning style and implement a suitable strategy. Furthermore, a college degree in education is not required to homeschool. That is a common misconception. There are hundreds of options for homeschool curriculums that require very little from the parents, or use an "actual, qualified educator" to teach the child at home in one form or another.
3) Homeschool tragedies are well publicized. Let's consider why: Because they are so rare. Because the resistance to homeschooling has so few handholds, they see one opportunity to criticize and they hang onto it like a rabid dog. Consider how many children are in foster care because of abusive situations. 99.99% of these children are public schooled.
DeleteBesides that, if we shift to a Biblical worldview, we see that it says in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
There is no Biblical model for every parent to send their children away to be raised by someone else, for that is essentially what happens when a child is public schooled. Refer back to time spent in school, add in homework time, and sleep and see how much time that leaves for parents to raise their children.
4) and 5) The flexibility that sounds like lack of mental discipline to you is precisely what adults are faced with every day. The flexibility to do what they want, or lack of mental discipline to do what they should. Why shouldn't we be raised to combat and control these urges at a young age? In your words, "If steel is never subjected to fire, how is it tempered?"
Young children need to be controlled. An uncontrolled child is a bane to those around him and a danger to himself. A child that won't obey his parents will run out in the road and not come when he's called. He will do what he wants, with no guidance. This will lead to his sin nature running wild. He will become an arrogant, self-absorbed jerk. And as that is the way he was trained up, he will not depart from it, apart from the intervention of Jesus' saving grace.
The Creator did give us free will, but a single sin will separate us from Him, as he is Holy. He sacrificed his only Son to pay for those sins, so that we could be in his presence, because he loved us. To say that we should sin to learn from our transgressions is throwing his sacrifice back in his face. Like saying, "Yes, I know it's wrong. Just put it on my tab, Jesus."
We do need to gather our courage and resolve as small children, but it should be done in a safe environment at home, not exposed to the storms of life. Just as you would not go out in a blizzard and then put your coat on, you would prepare inside and then go out, so homeschoolers are prepared for life before being thrown into the fray.
Hi Blythe, just found your blog through Ajax. ;)
Deletenfkb001 I have been homeschooled most of my life. I did go to public school for several years though. Just as we may have been fed some bits of wrong information about public schooling, you may have heard some wrong things about homeschooling.
I find it a blessing that I can interact with my siblings and parents during the school day. I don't have to listen to the bad language that pollutes our schools. And I can hang out with the people who will uplift me.
There is this quote I love from Downton Abbey: "I don't believe in types, I believe in people." No one's the same. There are good public schoolers and there are good homeschoolers. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the devil. We as Christians should not be fighting but building each other up. :)
Trinity, I've just today seen your 5 point response. I did not ignore you. But, as you have said, dear Blythe has endured this row in her parlor quite long enough. Your remarks are respectable though. I've no doubt that homeschooling serves some children well.
DeleteBrooke, again I apologize for not noticing your remarks. I appreciate that you've had a good experience with homeschooling. You've made your argument both concise and strong. In particular, your last point is an excellent one.
nfkb001 Thank you. I've been trying a lot lately to avoid fallacy in my thinking and logic, and your comment is great encouragement.
DeleteI'm homeschooling my future kids too, and I think you summed up these points that I believe wonderfully. Blessings! :)
ReplyDelete♥ sami
Blythe, loved this article. I am a homeschool graduate and every time I see other kids, I am proud of that. We have the best educations, the best social skills, the highest standards of Christian and American values, and the best work ethic. As they say, it ain't bragging if it's true.
ReplyDeleteI hope you never become sick. I wish you and yours good health. I also hope that, if you do need a doctor, he wasn't homeschooled.
DeleteI rather imagine the engineers who designed your truck, it's engine, it's radio etc etc, weren't homeschooled either. It seems that many of those things that make your life possible are the products of those with sense enough to know better. Fancy that!
Here's a strange thought. Maybe they aren't so susceptible to far-right propaganda either. Perhaps, and I'm going out on a limb here, they don't believe the teachings of the Lord are compatible with the ravings of Ayn Rand. Some of them may even believe that a society is measured by how it treats "the least of these", those seen as lesser in the eyes of men, the poor, those despised for their color or religion, the sick ... well you get the idea. They might put the words of my Lord above those of His disciples. They night even think that the rich cannot be Christians and that camels can't pass through the eye of a needle.
"Christian and American values"? I don't think you know the meaning of those words.
I don't appreciate the rudeness in this comment. Asking questions to gain perspective on someone's thoughts and say what you think on a subject is one thing,but to tell some one they don't know what they are thinking or are wrong I don't accept and the next time I may not publish such a comment. On a side note I know of people that were homeschooled all the way and are excellent doctors sure their are many public schooled that are good dr. as well. Homeschooling to me is more then just education it's also raising a responsible well rounded respectable adult which is easy and more effective when homeschooling,not saying kids that go to public or private schools can't have such adults graduate from them. Plus look at your history.
DeleteJames Madison
Woodrow Wilson
Leonardo da Vinci
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Wright Brothers
Robert E. Lee
Stonewall Jackson
Charles Dickens
Beatrix Potter
Louis Armstrong
Whoopi Goldberg
Benjamin Franklin
Winston Churchill
Albert Einstein
I think you get the idea all of them were homeschooled. And I am not saying homeschooling. Is for everyone. There are some people God didn't call and to be frank some people just can't teach and their child would learn nothing.
Yes, it was a rude comment. Perhaps I shouldn't have made it here. But Ajax is a big boy and I thought he ought to know better than say that kind of garbage, lest he find himself in an awkward situation one day.
DeleteYour list is interesting. It's quite true that all on the list had academic problems and were self-taught to some extent. However, a number had extensive formal education. James Madison attended the College of New Jersey, now called Princeton University. Woodrow Wilson attended Johns Hopkins University. Winston Churchill, the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Einstein, the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School now known as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Most puzzling of the names is Benjamin Franklin. I say so because he believed that free libraries and free public education were essential to maintain liberty. He left large bequests at his death intended to fund public education in Philadelphia and Boston.
My apologies to you, Blythe for being rude on your blog. Of course you have the right to pursue the course you think best for yourself and your children.
Thanks Blythe! nfkb001 Glad you think so highly of my intelligence. I appreciate that. Anytime you would like to take an ITBS/CAT/ACT/SAT and compare scores, I will be more than glad to do so.
Deletenfkb001, I believe there is some confusion here. Most homeschoolers are only homeschooled up through high school, then attend a college of their choice. Homeschooled doctors did not receive their medical education from their parents. Some do choose to use programs like CollegePlus, which is online study, and I suppose, therefore homeschooling.
DeleteMr Cochrane, I had no intention of faulting the mind you've been given. I've known intelligent people who've willingly allowed themselves to be deceived. It's so much easier to accept a stereotypical lifestyle, the politics and attitudes that go along with it, than to make the independent choices that are required of faith. But in what way does a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other make sense? Who would my Lord kill? He died begging for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him.
DeleteThere isn't any shame in being "country folk". The shame comes in serving earthly masters. I wish you could more clearly see how the philosophies you follow fail both your proper faith and your own best interests. I confess I get upset about that. Hence my rude tone.
Trinity, you're absolutely right. You can take a path that includes GED., SAT and (possibly) an entrance exam. Homeschooling isn't (always) an education death sentence. But it can make things much harder. To me, the problem is less about HOW you're learning and more about WHY you're isolated from the general population.
DeleteFor the record, I had a very unconventional education myself. I hated elementary school and attended less than half the time. Somehow I still had excellent grades. I essentially ignored the 6th grade and ran afoul of school administrators. After extensive testing, I was allowed to attend college at 13. I'm certain you don't want to know the rest. People in general seem disgusted with my academic history. Suffice to say I'm a mathematician. I have a spare degree in physics -- I'm not sure why. Folks will tell you I'm widely despised for my work, my opinions and my apparently loathsome attitude.
I looked at your blog. Kudos! You are quite a character!
Congratulations! That's an impressive academic record. However, may I point out that as a mathematician with a degree in physics, your experience is not in education nor the social ramifications of homeschooling. If you were to encounter a large number of homeschoolers, I believe you would find that they are, on the whole, well socialized, intelligent, polite group with a sense of humor. I believe you are making judgements without having a large enough sample size. I could pick out public schooled dropouts and condemn the entire system based on just those students, but that would be stupid of me, because it doesn't indicate the effectiveness of the system, or lack thereof, on a larger scale.
DeleteFurthermore, I ask you to please research how far homeschoolers fall behind their public schooled peers. I just googled "homeschoolers average SAT scores". The very first article, by the Washington Times, talks about how well homeschoolers do on the SAT and similar tests. Further down, (skipping sites that are obviously pro-homeschool) I saw yet another article about how homeschoolers regularly score above the average public schooler.
Finally, we are not sequestered from the general public. We do not spend all day, every day, holed up in our homes. There are many homeschool associations and groups that get together regularly and have many attendees. Speaking from personal experience, the majority of my friends I made through my church. And I have many. Because of the nature of homeschooling, we have many more opportunities to experience things hands-on, which has been shown to one of the most effective methods of teaching. Beyond that, our experiences force us to interact with those both above and below our peer level, leading to *increased* social skills, as we are able to communicate on a variety of levels, which is something I believe most public schoolers lack.
Thank you for checking out my blog. :) I do attempt to be one of God's "peculiar people", though I'm certainly still working on which kinds of peculiar He's leading me to embrace.
Trinity, I have no doubt you have many friends. You seem to have great personality. But I think it's always a good idea to expose yourself to viewpoints different from your own. It's important to develop tolerance for the unshakable faiths of others. It's also necessary to hear the warning of those who fear you're being led down a dark path.
DeleteThe quirkiness is great. It's the locked and loaded part that worries me. I wonder how someone with such a bright spark and charming personality can love an instrument of death.
BTW, you do know that the Washington Times was Moon's private right-wing propaganda outlet, don't you? A few years ago life he decided that my Lord had been a failure and ordered the churches he led to turn their crosses upside down. Moon imagined himself the replacement of the Nazarene, uniting all churches and governments as one and that he would live forever. He's dead now.
May I point out that no one can be both completely tolerant and stand for their faith. At some point they will collide, and they must make a choice. As long as God gives me strength, I will stand for my faith every time. May I also point out that for you to be truly tolerant, you must tolerant my own intolerance. If you do not, you only tolerant that which you wish to tolerant, which doesn't make you tolerant at all. Just something to ponder.
DeleteI see it as an instrument to defend life. However, that is off the topic of homeschooling. If you would like to discuss my standing on this further, I can provide you with contact information so we can continue this conversation.
I did not know that. You must know, though, that the beliefs and actions of the owner do not affect the validity of the facts. If that particular media outlet is offensive to you, I urge you to continue your research elsewhere, as the truth will remain the truth, no matter where it is located.
If you have no further questions or criticisms about homeschooling, I think I will sign off on this discussion with a hearty thanks to Ms. Blythe for being a gracious host. :)
Whoops! A whole mess of typos up there in the first paragraph. My bad. I meant to say, "May I also point out that for you to be truly tolerant, you must tolerate my own intolerance. If you do not, you only tolerate that which you wish to tolerate, which doesn't make you tolerant at all.
DeleteTolerance and faith are never in conflict. The reason is simple and the very same as that which makes your "intolerant of intolerance" an absurdity. It is simply this - No one's faith should be conditional on the actions of another. That is to say, if you follow my Lord, there is no one for you to punish.
DeleteYou seem to me a nice person, Trinity. Don't get the idea that because I think you're wrong in this matter that I dislike you. Think of what my Lord said to his disciples when he sent them out into dangerous places. He told them to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. You have no proper need of a gun.
Blythe, my experience elsewhere has given me more than enough reason to be astonished and very grateful to you. You've been remarkably tolerant and respectful of views different from your own. You've earned my respect and thanks. - Ray
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