I am always excited to read about others Home-Schooling [1] or “home educating” their children. I am a veteran of home-schooling our four children through high-school (or secondary school, for our international friends). They are all now married with small children of their own, and each have become competent adults with a sober view of the future.
When we started, home education was only a few years legal in my state. Before the birth of our first child, we had already met two families of “renegade home schoolers” who were educating their children at home secretly because they were appalled by the state of our public education locally and could not afford a private school. They shared their passion for their children and for education with us “newlyweds” and in doing so they planted the seed that would later become our own.
Back then, finding good curriculum was a chore! The Internet was young, and finding other home schoolers was serendipitous. Now, everything is online. Quality materials can be found for every learning syle and subject. I am so grateful for the pioneers of home schooling!
I used to tell people that home schooling isn’t for everyone. I have since realized that is no longer relevant for our present cultural atmosphere. Public educational rules in general are restricting teachers and administrators to the point that they are no longer able to teach children the basics or how to be capable adults in society. Much of that belongs to parents anyway. I want to stress that I don’t condemn public education nor those who are employed in that field, but times are-a-changin’. Political dogma, peer influence, poor curriculum choices, and down-right immorality are permeating public schools, even in rural areas. I keep tabs locally on the educational arena and also know several people employed in local schools. They are very troubled by the increasing interference in the classroom.
It is time to re-think who gets to have our children for 6-10 hours, 5-6 days a week, 180 days a year. That is a HEAVY influence on the formation of their person-hood. If you taught your children how to walk, talk, use a toilet, and feed themselves, you can help them learn their ABC’s, 123’s, and rocket science, if necessary! The accumulated knowledge of the world is literally at your fingertips (read: “Internet”). You can now track down any resource you need, or your children need.
Home schooling is the way to make certain your children are prepared for the world they will encounter as adults and protect their minds from stuff you would never share with them until adulthood, but many school districts are putting in the classrooms, in spite of parents’ protests.
Pray and search your hearts, and consider home education now, as a way to protect your children and their future. – KM, in Ohio