Note from the author
I realize homeschooling is not an option for every family and I also realize that there are a few families that have been blessed with the opportunity to have their children be apart of a wonderful private Christian church school with many of the same benefits of homeschooling. I am not underestimating how wonderful church schools can be nor am I slamming those who have no option except public school.
If you wish to homeschool your children or have them apart of a good Christian school but do not have the opportunity, do not feel guilty or underprivileged. God has grace and strength for every situation when we are living for Him.
Many a Christian child has succeeded wonderfully in a public school environment with God’s strength and grace and yours can too!
On the other hand, if you are fully cabable of homeschooling your child (or sending them to a good private Christian church school) and you have not considered the option, please reconsider!
You are really missing out and so is your child!
Lastly, if you are a teacher or public school worker of any kind, Praise God!
Our public schools need good, Godly, Christian influences in these dark times. If there were more people like you, we would not be facing the current schooling crisis of which we are currently in today.
Thank you for your burden!
Why Homeschool?
Last year, many parents found themselves plunged into the scary, dark world of “unprepared” homeschool. For some, the experience opened a door of future opportunity, while others looked on in horror at the thought of returning to homeschool ever again.
First of all, anything unprepared for often turns into chaos.
No one, myself included, was really prepared for the lifestyle changes that the ‘2020’ pandemic brought upon us. Homeschool itself cannot adequately be judged by this unjust opportunity.
If last year turned you against, once a option, of homeschool , please reconsider!!
Homeschooling, when done right, is a great honor and can produce amazing success in your children, along with many extra benefits.
Why Do I Believe So Wholeheartedly In Homeschooling?
SAFTEY
Safety is just one of the reasons I count the opportunity of homeschooling a true honor and blessing.
You may be surprised by some of these public school facts listed below.
*financesonline.com did a survey and discovered these troubling facts of public schools.link here for see full article
During 2017, students 12-18 experienced 827,000 non fatal victimizations at school
(Bureau of Justice, 2018)
More then 3,434 threats and acts of violence happened in the k4 American schools during the 2018-2019 school year
(Educators school safety network 2019)
In 2018, juveniles accounted for 19.7 arson arrest . 60% of these arrest were of children under the age of 15
( FBI 2019)
85% of all violent incidents at schools during the school year 2018-2019 was done by students
(Educators School Safety Network 2019)
In the year of 2019 schools seen a total of 45 school shootings , averaging nearly one school shooting per week
(CNN, 2019)
During the 2019 report by NCES, only 21% of public schools had a security personal present at least once a week.
(NCES, 2019)
63% of teachers strongly oppose to receiving special training to carry a gun in school.
(Gallup, 2018)
Schools reported the three lacking factors they believe have effected the school crime rate in a negative way.
1.Inadequate funding ( 36%)
2.Lack of alternative programs for disruptive students (34%)
3.District policies on disciplining special
education (19%)
Violence can happen anywhere but it is a scary thought that many of our schools are not well equipped to handle these dangerous situations and adequately protect our children.
School Systems may blame these problems on lack of programs, funding and policies. While some of these resources may need attention, the biggest factor is the lack of God in our schools. Anytime you leave God out, sinful problems will increasingly occur.
Being able to provide a safe haven and refuge through homeschool is an amazing opportunity and should never be taken lightly.
My second reason for homeschooling is due to the concern of..
What Is Being Taught To Children In Public Schools.
FALSE TEACHINGS
Many of these lies listed below are taught as truth in our public school systems.
Let us compare these worldly point of views to the biblical, truthful point of view.
Remember, if God’s Word is truth, (and it always is) then anything contradicting God’s word, is false.
–LIES OF THE WORLD-
The world says pursue the highest career,
God says pursue His will first .
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all of these things shall be added unto you. Matt 6:33 (KJV)
The world says perfection is best,
God says your best (for Him) IS perfect.
As for God, His way is perfect …
2 Sam 22:31 (KJV)
God is my strength and power: and He maketh my way perfect. 2 Sam 22:33 (KJV)
The world says seek honor and be proud of your accomplishments.
God says be humble and He will exalt you in due time.
Humble yourselves therefore under the might hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6 (KJV)
The world says earthly possessions will make you happy,
God says earthly things will pass away.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matt 24:35 (KJV)
The world says “be you”!
God says “be His”.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Cor 6:17-18 (KJV)
The world says you are who you feel like you are.
God says you are who He made you, in His image and His likeness.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.. Gen 1:26 (KJV)
The world says you are a accident, not needed or noticed.
God says you have a purpose .
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23
The world says to better yourself,
God says better others.
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. 2 Cor 12:15 (KJV)
The world says be your own boss,
God says be submissive to authority.
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another.. 1Peter 5:5 (KJV)
The world says you have one life, live it to its fullest!
God says you have two, prepare for the second here in the first.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3 (KJV)
The world says love yourself,
God says love your neighbor as yourself.
..Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matt 19:19 (KJV)
The world says when you die, it’s over.
God says when you die, eternity has just begun.
What exactly are my kids missing by Homeschooling?
Many people worry about what their kids might miss if they homeschool. I, myself, am so grateful full for the many things my children DO “miss”.
I’m so glad you asked!
So many times the world wants to point out the friends , interaction, sports, extra cariculars, and socializing that your child may be deprived from while home schooling. Many of these things are just myths if homeschooling is done properly.
In reality, a few things children are really missing by homeschooling are ..
1.Early Sinful introductions
2.Bullying
3.Lack of Physical protection
4.Lack of security
5.Loneliness or rejections when he or she
“don’t fit in” with the sinful actions and
ideas put forth
6.Lack of ‘one on one’ education in
needed subjects
7.The ability to work at their capable pace
8.The emittance of Christ in his or her
daily learning
9.False teachings and ideas that do not
align with God’s word
10.Lack of traditional standards and
morals.
11.Bad influences
If you don’t believe these things are present in much of today’s public school system, I suggest you do your own research.
Here are just a few articles posted by CBN news (Christian Broadcast Network) that may open your eyes to “behind the scenes” of many school systems.
These links will also be listed at bottom of my post.
I highly recommend reading them and searching for news outlets, like CBN, that provide the conservative side of things.
Racism in school?
Teachers required to refer to child’s preference of gender as pronouns.
Scotland 4 year old children can decide gender without parents consent , teachers are not required to inform parents.
It don’t stop at high school, well known college votes in new lead chaplain, an atheist
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2021/august/harvard-rsquo-s-new-lead-chaplain-is-atheist
Now The Choice Is Yours
I’m not saying your child will become one of the many statistics I have given if you do not homeschool . God can keep and protect anyone .
But the question is, do you really want to put your child through that kind of challenge durring this vital influencual time of their hearts and lives?
We are to be molded in the image of God.
A child’s mind is influenced more now then anytime of its entire life.
I want to do everything within my power to ward away evil while I can. To protect, shield, and teach their heart to be molded like Christ. If my child spends x percent of it’s time at school each week, I must ask myself
“who is teaching my child?” and “what are they teaching him?”
Each person and child will have their time to stand for God. I want to make sure my child is well equipped for when his time comes. It is my Responsibility to prepare, and train him.
Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
God personally chose you and your spouse to raise and rear your child . He did not give this great responsibility to your best friend, to the school system, the day care, not even to your own mother.
Although family members and other people may have great influence in your child’s life, God ultimately laid this great wonderful privilege & responsibility on you as the parent.
But never fear! He not only gave you the task, He also promises to equip you for the task IF YOU LET HIM guide you in every step!
-In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)
It is vital that we stand up and take our duty serious!
We must pray about what school and which curriculum our children will go through. We must research, greatly consider and carefully choose each step and year of this great process called “school”, that will influence so many years of our child’s life.
Rumors about homeschooling.
As mentioned earlier, many parents face the fears of homeschool rumors.
Rumors like..
-My child will be lonely
-My child will sacrifice his or her education
-My child will lack caricular activities or
lessons
-My child will be socially challenged
-My child will be deprived
-My child will appear weird or out of place
-My child will be unprepared for the real world
These are just a few of the common homeschool rumors and questions I have faced as a homeschool graduate.
First of all, you must realize that only you can make sure these statements stay indeed, RUMORS.
It is true, if homeschool is done incorrectly, it can result in many bad experiences including those listed above.
What matters most, is that IT DOES NOT HAVE TO but only you, as the parent, can make sure it doesn’t and that is by homeschooling the right way .
How Do I Homeschool The “Right” Way
There are many “right ways” to do something.
It’s not about the perfect curriculum or the daily start time. Families can live on different schedules, schooling from different curriculums, living in different countries, and still “do it right”.
Schooling” right” is not a bed of roses and should never be looked at as “a schooling short cut” or “an easy way out”. If this is your mentality, you are probably on the wrong path.
You must realizeyou get out of something what you put into it.
1.PLAN
Homeschooling takes a lot of planning. Do your research ahead of time. It’s never to early to look into curriculum content, save accordingly , plan for a school space etc.
Once you begin making these decisions, it is time to begin preparations. Preperation may include things like, but not limited to..
•Fixing up your school space
•Saving for supplies and curriculum
•Research your state laws such as
schooling days and hrs required, record
keeping, enrollment laws etc.
•Decide on a start date
•Purchase / order school supplies
(Your curriculum should supply some sort
of start list)
•purchase and enroll your child if
applicable in plenty of time to begin on
your start date .
•Set up a tentative daily schedule that
works for your family’s routine.
You can adapt it as needed.
•Set up a record keeping plan
2.Sacrifice
Realizing that homeschooling is a commitment will get you a long way.
As mentioned before, it is not an avenue of escape or a easy way out. If you want to get results from it, you will need to put something into it .
As a homeschool mom, you now have taken place of the teachers, the school system and the principal. You have a great role to fill, you must step up to the task. All the time and effort it will take, ask yourself, is it worth it? If you can truly admit that it’s worth it and whole heartedly commit to the task, then you are half way there.
A right mindset has set the road to many a success.
3.Endure
Now that you’ve prepared and the school year has began it’s time to hold out and ENDURE!
• Face each obstacle together with your
child. The way to finish a school year is
one day at a time.
•Focus on each day. Do your best as the
teacher/supervisor and challenge your
student to do their best.
•Seek help or counsel when needed.
•Talk to other experienced homeschool
parents.
•Take part of or put together a
homeschool group in your church .
•Let your child know first hand they are
not alone.
•Apply online music or extracurricular
classes that they are interested in.
One of the best tips I can give is to encourage and provide the opportunity for church choir, church music envolvment , church activities, youth group functions and church trips.
These should be the center of a Christian child’s social life. If they have a church family strongly established in their life , they will never miss or feel deprived from the social life public school offers.
4.Reap The Benefits
Now that you’re in, began reaping the benefits of homeschooling!
Homeschooling provides the best way possible to personalize your child’s learning experience.
If you see they are struggling in an area, you do not have to wait until they are home to work on the problem, instead, focus on it throughout their daily studies. This will relieve much stress on their end and give you a peace of mind about their learning.
Homeschooling provides flexibility for homes in unusual circumstances. I do not recommend following “ no schedule” in any homeschool setting . I believe, children need the stability of a schedule or routine to encourage the best learning possible.
On the other hand, your schedule may look totally different than mine and that’s okay with homeschool! This is great for family’s in unique situations.
Set a yearly and daily schedule that abides by your state’s guidelines and fits perfectly in your families lifestyle.
The fact that homeschooling allows you to monitor and choose exactly what your child is learning, is a huge benefit .
Watching your child develop mentally, and spiritually is an amazing process and knowing you have a hand in influencing this development is a priceless benefit.
——————————————————-
From my experience
I am in no way a homeschool professional or advisor! I am writing most of this post from a homeschool graduate’s prospective.
I was greatly affected by my homeschool life, in a positive way and want to share my experience and insight for those who were not so privileged and are still considering homeschool for their children.
Don’t let bad experience scare you away. But only consider if you’re truly willing to commit. We don’t need any more past “bad experiences” affecting our children’s education and giving a bad taste to the homeschool world as a whole.
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Happy Homemaking!
Erica,
-A Simpler Life-
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