Homeschooling

I have been intending to write a post about my reasons for homeschooling for some time now. Just yesterday, a blog that I am an avid reader of, had a homeschooling discussion. So while my thoughts are fresh I will put my reasons down on paper (err...I mean, screen).

It seems that there are three groups of people when it comes to homeschooling - those who believe it is the only way, those who believe it is harmful to children, and then those who really have no opinion one way or the other. I do not believe that it is the right way or the only way that a child should be schooled. But I do believe that it is the right way for my family for the time being. I am not dead set in my ways that I would never consider sending my children to school if they asked or if homeschooling wasn't working out, but for now I know that homeschooling is right for our family.

Is it about the education aspect? No, not for us. I believe that the majority of children who go to school get a good education. I do appreciate that homeschooling allows more freedom to tailor the teaching towards the way the student learns or specifically what the student is interested in, and can better monitor when a child is falling behind, but for the most part my reasons for homeschooling are not about the education.

It boils down to the fact that I do not want someone else raising my children. I also do not want my children to be so highly influenced by their peers at such a tender age. While there are children who are able to come into their own and blossom and not succumb to peer pressure in school, it is rare. It happens in site of school, not because of it. The majority of students tend to follow the crowd and go with the flow in order to fit in. A video that a high school student from our local high school posted on YouTube showcases that point exactly. He asked students what they hoped for for their school, or wished, and the majority of the students pointed out that they wished all the students would accept others for who they are, not have the cliques that they do, and stop being so mean. That video highlights exactly why I do not think highly of peer pressure or school situations. Students in group situations like that are mean and controlling. You either fit in or are the outcast, very few fit between those lines.

I do not want to thrust my child out when he/she is still learning about who he/she is to see them being influenced by other children with completely different morals and values. While I am not planning on brainwashing my children to conform to what I believe, I do plan on teaching them my morals and values, as any parent should. They won't be in a bubble and will learn about other's viewpoints and other beliefs around the world, but they will be raised with a Christian upbringing. And when they are old enough they can form their own beliefs and values they are free to do so, but will hopefully have a strong foundation already built. I don't think that learning swear words or what sex is about on the playground is appropriate. I don't think that being made fun of for what you wear or how you look makes you stronger. I don't think that being obsessed with boys at a young age or dating at age 14 is "just being a kid". I don't think that going to wild parties or experimenting with alcohol, drugs, or sex as a teenager is just part of growing up. And children are immersed in this in a school setting. Yes, many children will graduate high school unscathed and a stronger person, but many won't. Do I expect that all homeschoolers turn out as moral and superior human beings? No, but I don't see as many homeschoolers following the "in crowd".

It's been said many times that a child that is homeschooled doesn't know what the real world is about and that you have to be a part of that world to be able to deal with it. Huh? Really? Is the real world all about a room of same-aged peers? I thought the real world was about people of all races, religions, and ages. Homeschoolers tend to be able to interact with people of all ages and feel comfortable talking to an 80 year old woman or a ten year old kid. While public schoolers can also achieve this, I find it more common to see them only wanting to hang out with their friends, otherwise, being stuck at home is "booooooring" and so "uncool". If we truly want to use the anthology above, then would it not be productive to say that we should stick our husbands in a house with beautiful half-dressed women for hours on end, day after day and just totally trust that they are strong enough to avoid the temptation? Or do we realize that the way to help someone stay strong (whether it is our children, our husbands, or ourselves) is to avoid temptation in the first place?!

Are my children going to be isolated and have no public schooled friends? Of course not! Will they be subjected to temptations and certain situations during their growing up years? Certainly. But by the time that they have to face those situations I hope and pray that they will been strong enough in their convictions to say no. And they won't have to think about a whole classroom of peers haggling them if they do say no. I like to think of the anthology of the gardener: Does he plant his little sprouts directly in the ground to deal with the hot sun, strong winds, and pounding rain? Or does he tend them in his greenhouse, introduce them slowly to the weather, and only plant them outdoors when they are strong enough to shoulder the storms?

This is my view of homeschooling and peer pressure. This is why I feel homeschooling is best for us. Do not take it personally thinking that I think everyone else should be homeschooling or that public schooled kids are bad. I know many parents who are confident that their children can be in a school setting and set a good example. I know many parents who think certain things a child or teen does is just their rite of passage into adulthood. And that is okay with me, I think the choice of education and parenting are up to each individual family. This post was not to point out why homeschooling is superior (believe me, I understand that there are very bad examples of homeschoolers out there as well!), but only pointing out my reasons for choosing it for my family. I would be interested in learning your reasoning for choosing the schooling path you did for your children.