10 objections to homeschooling
1)It's hard.
So is running a marathon and people do that. You may have heard any number of quotes that go something like, "Most things in life worth doing, aren't easy.", except they sound better and are more inspiring. The point is that just because something is a challenge is no reason to avoid it, even if you happen to be an American.
2)I don't like ill fitting jeans or jumpers.
Neither do I. I have done a lot of research on homeschooling and have found that there is no requirement about what kind of clothes can be worn. Even those of us with jumper avoidance should note that jumpers may actually be coming back into style. There is nothing any of us can do about that.
3) I won't have time to clean my house.
This is true. You will have to choose between having a messy house or training your children to help keep it clean. Either option will be painful.
4) I'm not qualified.
Can you read? I assume you are reading this, so you are qualified. The fact is that you were assigned the task of training your children when God gave them to you. Teaching is not rocket science. When it comes to your child you know them best. You don't have to know the answer to their every question, you just have to enjoy the adventure of discovery together as you point them in the right direction. In every area you lack, there are a myriad of resources available to help you. Homeschooling does not mean you alone have to teach your child everything, Al Gore made the internet to help you.
5) My kids need the social experience.
Have you ever hung out with 25 kindergardeners? It's not an experience I would call socially edifying. If you are looking to teach children how to interact only in a fishbowl surround by peers of their identical age rather than the entire world around them, then I see your point.
6) I'm lazy.
You may have heard a saying, "children learn by example" I think this is true. If you really want your children to succeed in life and learn to live up to their potential..... shouldn't you? If God is calling you to stretch yourself and work hard isn't that exactly what you hope your children will do. I can say this honestly because this one area has had me on the floor crying weary tears to God. Discipline does not come easy to me. Yet I see God pruning so he can grow good fruit. It's worth the pain and the tears to see the good he can grow.
7) I don't want to grind my own flour, own goats or compete in competitions involving robots or legos.
Don't worry, you will.
8) My spouse is not supportive.
This one, you win. You will never make it as a homeschooling parent if you are not on the same page as your spouse. It is not easy to do and you will need the encouragement of someone who sees the value in what you are investing your days in. If you find yourself in this situation my best and only recommendation is to pray that you and your spouse will come to a common mind for your child's education.
9) We won't be normal.
Normal in our society is a place I don't want to go. Normal is premarital sex, STDs, divorce, broken families, depression, anxiety, materialism, and the list goes on. As Christians we are called to be a bit abnormal because we are Aliens here. Our citizenship is in heaven. The world waits for the sons of God to be revealed, it's not waiting for another photo copy of a socially acceptable image - it's waiting for the real deal - sons and daughters of the king to rise up into the glory for which they were created.
10) I don't want to be around my kids all day.
This is precisely why I homeschool. One of my main goals in parenting is to train up children that I will enjoy being around. Maybe this is selfish. But it's not just that. The Bible speaks of training up a child in the way he should go. I think the way children should go is a way that values others, speaks kindly, offers hope, protects the weak, seeks justice, embraces mercy and forgiveness, thinks of others before themselves, works hard, rises to challenges, and is generous. The school environment does teach kids a lot of things, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it can never compare to the iron sharpening iron process that happens in both me and my children when we are stuck together around the kitchen table.
So is running a marathon and people do that. You may have heard any number of quotes that go something like, "Most things in life worth doing, aren't easy.", except they sound better and are more inspiring. The point is that just because something is a challenge is no reason to avoid it, even if you happen to be an American.
2)I don't like ill fitting jeans or jumpers.
Neither do I. I have done a lot of research on homeschooling and have found that there is no requirement about what kind of clothes can be worn. Even those of us with jumper avoidance should note that jumpers may actually be coming back into style. There is nothing any of us can do about that.
3) I won't have time to clean my house.
This is true. You will have to choose between having a messy house or training your children to help keep it clean. Either option will be painful.
4) I'm not qualified.
Can you read? I assume you are reading this, so you are qualified. The fact is that you were assigned the task of training your children when God gave them to you. Teaching is not rocket science. When it comes to your child you know them best. You don't have to know the answer to their every question, you just have to enjoy the adventure of discovery together as you point them in the right direction. In every area you lack, there are a myriad of resources available to help you. Homeschooling does not mean you alone have to teach your child everything, Al Gore made the internet to help you.
5) My kids need the social experience.
Have you ever hung out with 25 kindergardeners? It's not an experience I would call socially edifying. If you are looking to teach children how to interact only in a fishbowl surround by peers of their identical age rather than the entire world around them, then I see your point.
6) I'm lazy.
You may have heard a saying, "children learn by example" I think this is true. If you really want your children to succeed in life and learn to live up to their potential..... shouldn't you? If God is calling you to stretch yourself and work hard isn't that exactly what you hope your children will do. I can say this honestly because this one area has had me on the floor crying weary tears to God. Discipline does not come easy to me. Yet I see God pruning so he can grow good fruit. It's worth the pain and the tears to see the good he can grow.
7) I don't want to grind my own flour, own goats or compete in competitions involving robots or legos.
Don't worry, you will.
8) My spouse is not supportive.
This one, you win. You will never make it as a homeschooling parent if you are not on the same page as your spouse. It is not easy to do and you will need the encouragement of someone who sees the value in what you are investing your days in. If you find yourself in this situation my best and only recommendation is to pray that you and your spouse will come to a common mind for your child's education.
9) We won't be normal.
Normal in our society is a place I don't want to go. Normal is premarital sex, STDs, divorce, broken families, depression, anxiety, materialism, and the list goes on. As Christians we are called to be a bit abnormal because we are Aliens here. Our citizenship is in heaven. The world waits for the sons of God to be revealed, it's not waiting for another photo copy of a socially acceptable image - it's waiting for the real deal - sons and daughters of the king to rise up into the glory for which they were created.
10) I don't want to be around my kids all day.
This is precisely why I homeschool. One of my main goals in parenting is to train up children that I will enjoy being around. Maybe this is selfish. But it's not just that. The Bible speaks of training up a child in the way he should go. I think the way children should go is a way that values others, speaks kindly, offers hope, protects the weak, seeks justice, embraces mercy and forgiveness, thinks of others before themselves, works hard, rises to challenges, and is generous. The school environment does teach kids a lot of things, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it can never compare to the iron sharpening iron process that happens in both me and my children when we are stuck together around the kitchen table.
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