My Thoughts for 2011- Part One

There are zillions of thoughts going through my head about this year and what it will bring for our family. I'll be sharing a few of them with you through a series of posts. To start off, Jackson turns five in March. (Wow- I have to take a deep breath just to type that.) A part of me is a wee-bit sad that my baby is getting to be such a big boy, but I'm very excited about what new experiences this will bring him and our family. Also, Kindergarten is just around the corner. I have been prayerfully considering homeschooling for my children for a few years now. Actually, the thought of it crossed my mind many many times before I ever had children of my own. And I have saved information dating back to 8/10/07. I have dug into my bible looking for a clear answer. Josh and I have spent time in prayer and have had many talks about whether or not this is something that would be best for our children and our family. After all of this we have decided that I should continue to stay home and should home school. This may be for a year or for always. We will follow as the Lord leads us in this direction. I realize home school is NOT for everyone and will possibly be looked down upon and or not completely understood, maybe even among family and friends, but ultimately our goal is to please our Father in heaven and do as God leads us to do. I want to go into much more detail and share with you the major reasons why we are choosing to home school. Also, the later post will address a few more reasons, but we'll get to that sometime in the near future. (Please Note: These are our personal convictions for our family situation and it in no way reflects what we think others should do with their families. Every family has different needs and circumstances and certainly should do what they feel is best for themselves. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to which ever route you choose.)

First, I know we will only have our children for a short time and I feel it is our responsibility as parents to nurture, train, instruct, discipline, and educated them. (Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.)While they are children, spiritual training is in our hands and to me is even more important than academics. (please know that I take academics very very seriously and in no way am I undermining the importance of a great education.) Having said this, I also know spiritual growth does not just happen. It is only achieved through intentional efforts. When I ask myself if I should home school, I have to ask which route of education best accomplishes my goals for my children. Since spiritual and personal growth are at the top of the list, we feel the best way to accomplish our goals is through home school.

Second, I really have a problem handing my child over to virtual strangers for the majority of their waking time and having them influenced by peers whom I know nothing about. Proverbs 4:23 comes to mind."Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Just the other day a neighbor girl was telling us how much she and her friend gets teased on the school bus, being called names and cussed at. The punishment is separation on the bus, yet it is still happening. I feel Jackson is still at a very young and tender age. I know it is my responsibility to guard Jackson and Jordan's precious little hearts as much as possible until they are equipped to do so themselves. At home, my children will be less likely to have their beliefs ridiculed, mocked, and contradicted before they are fully prepared to join in the battle. In society, children are exposed to a lot of anti-Christian ways. Also, morals in our society are on the decline. Children are exposed at younger and younger ages, to sex education and many other things that I don't think is appropriate at the young ages they are being taught, not to mention I completely disagree with some of it. They may be told that homosexuality is simply an "alternative lifestyle," that abortion is acceptable, and sex before marriage is normal and healthy. That can completely set a child on a path of destruction. This may not happen in kindergarten, but soon there after. I recently found out about a little girl who is ten years old who goes to a small country school who has been watching porn videos and material on the internet for over six months, both at a friends house and her own home. How does this happen? What does this mean for this little girls future? Who influenced her, friends, family, maybe both? T.V. Who knows, but my heart is breaking for her. I'm sure this is very far from being an isolated case. It is very likely children will adopt the values of those they are around the most. It is so important that they are able to absorb as much of what the Scriptures say as possible. With all that being said, I personally know several VERY Godly teachers and I realize there are many many more moral and Godly teachers and staff in the public school system. Many of them I would be proud to call my child's teacher, but the problem is their hands are tied in so many areas. In general, I feel children are more exposed to more non-christian views and attitudes. It just seems to me like it really would confuse some young children to be around students, etc., that use profanity, don't believe in God, and have wavering morals. I want my children to have a biblical worldview rather than a secular one.

Third, Academically, children who are home schooled tend to do much better than their peers. Even the most Godly, caring teacher who has the best interest of her students at heart is still restricted by what she can do and say and is only able to touch so many kids. (which many do a great job of spreading their love around to many)But, really they only have some many hours in a day. In a lot of schools, the teacher to student ratio's are pretty high. I can give Jackson and Jordan one on one attention and encouragement in any areas they are struggling and help them to learn more in areas they are thriving and enjoying.

A concern I have addressed and the biggest argument I have found against homeschooling is socialization. This is an obvious concern to me because I understand the need for being able to be "normal" and function in society, so I decided to take this a step further. I took some time to think about what exactly is socialization? To me, the gist of socialization is being able to interact with other people in appropriate ways. I went ahead and looked up the definition and this is what I got:

The process whereby a child learns to get along with and to behave similarly to other people in the group, largely through imitation as well as group pressure.

This verse immediately comes to mind. Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." After really pondering this definition and reading my bible, I honestly don't want my child to be socialized in that way. Falling into peer pressure is usually not a good thing. I think I will home school and get our "socialization" through church, play dates, sports, story times at library, family outings and/or field trips, parties, other family members/friends, even home school groups. I think there really are plenty of ways to learn to interact in society with out truly being "socialized." My goal is for my children to learn to interact and communicate well with all ages and types of people in a loving and effective way. I know we can achieve this and still do our schooling at home. :o)

This is by no means an exhaustive list of why we are choosing to home school, but in closing my children's spiritual growth, character, socialization, and education is something I take very seriously. I am excited to see where the Lord takes us on this journey. I'm excited about what I have learned already and all that I will be learning as we continue through this next year. I encourage anyone who has had the thought of home school to pop in their head, to at least do some research on what it is all about. There is loads of information available. A good place to start is by doing an internet search on reasons to home school.