One woman wrote to me disappointed that I encourage women to homeschool their children. She had one daughter who ended up being a light in the public school system and did many wonderful things. She loves the Lord deeply and is planning on marrying an amazing Christian man soon. Isn't our God great enough, big enough, and able enough to protect our children?, she asks.
I am not sure I encourage women to homeschool their children as much as I warn about the dangers of public school education. I realize there are many wonderful teachers out there and some children who get through public education with their faith intact.
However, I am not sure God intended for us to send our children into godless institutions for many hours every day. He warned the Israelites about intermingling with their godless neighbors. He tells us bad company corrupts good morals. He commands we not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
If we homeschool our children or put them into Christian schools, what about being a light in the world? I think about the Duggers or the Pearls who both homeschooled or are still homeschooling their children. The children are actively involved in their community, go on various mission trips, and are a light wherever they go.
I just believe that sending your children to public education kindergarten through college is risky. There is nothing more important than your children walking in Truth. Each couple needs to prayerfully seek God's guidance and wisdom on this important issue.
Maybe some of you have no other choice. Maybe the elementary school in your area isn't polluted by society yet. Pray over your children daily and make sure God's Word dwells in them richly.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?
Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
II Corinthians 6:14
Logging you in...
emilylyn 1p · 603 weeks ago
Obviously, there will be some families who have no choice, but to send their children to public school and of course God will protect them and can use that situation for His glory, but that doesn't make it ideal. First, the bible is quite clear that children are fools and their time together should be closely supervised and limited. That's just not going to happen in a public school. More times than not, the values, attitudes, and actions of the other children will be too much for a young Christian child to withstand. They simply have not been trained enough to be able to handle those situations without their parent's guidance. Second, God does not call children to the mission field (which is what public school is). Yes, he does call families to the mission field, but not young children by themselves. Good times us that we ARE salt and light, not go be salt and light. We, as Christians, should radiate God's light throughout our community and we will simply by being active in that community (with our children in tow!). God is so clear that education is the responsibility of the parents and my husband and I feel that there is no way that we could educate our daughter in God's truth with her spending 8+ hours a day away from home where we have little or no control over what and how she's being taught. This is already too long, but I'm so passionate about this subject so I'll end with this: Homeschooling will be a financial sacrifice for our family, but we consider it the best investment in our daughter's eternal salvation and NOTHING is more important than that!
oklahomanicole 30p · 603 weeks ago
My youngest child is age 8 and has started playing on a volleyball team for her age group. There are only six of them. All five girls, other than her, are so disrespectful, mouthy, argumentative, and whiny the entire practice. My daughter comes home from each practice talking about it, about the way that they criticize and laugh at each other when they make mistakes instead of lifting each other up. The coach spends the majority of the time trying to get them to pay attention. I am not saying public school has made them that way. Their parents have obviously raised them that way. I have never seen one of those girls' parents at a practice. We always have someone at the practice for our daughter. If it is not my husband or I, it is one of our adult children or a grandparent. All of those girls do go to public school and they would be my daughter's daily peers if she attended. I cannot hardly stand for her to spend an hour with them, let alone 8 hours of her day. No way!
One might argue that I am sheltering her. Darn right!! She is 8 years old and not strong enough at that age, with peer pressure, a desire to be liked and included, and a natural immaturity, to stand up and be a 'light' in that darkness. She needs our daily protection and guidance and instruction to be able to even recognize that their behavior is wrong.
I am so thankful for the freedom and privilege to be able to keep my children home with me. Sure, there are pros and cons to both homeschooling and public schooling (and private schooling, for that matter) .. and don't even start on the issue of socialization; my daughter is well-socialized. But nothing makes me happier than having a child who has been raised to recognize bad behavior and to know that it's wrong.
Linda · 603 weeks ago
Sara · 603 weeks ago
Sonia Parsons · 603 weeks ago
Emily · 603 weeks ago
ayearinskirts 66p · 603 weeks ago
Christina · 603 weeks ago
Homeschooling isn't about hiding or controlling your children. Honestly, where the rubber meets the road for me is that idea that if I give my children over to public schooling for 9 hrs or so a day (the reality given transportation and actual school time), I am not the one raising my children. The school gets all their best hours, I get them when they are a tired mess and get to do little more than feed them, bathe them and send them off to bed, that is if I don't have to spend an hour or two of the little time that is left to us, helping with homework.
There is just no way you can instill your values and counteract the worldly things they are being taught in just a few hours a week. I wish I could be blind to that fact, or at least reason it away, but I can't.
ayearinskirts 66p · 603 weeks ago
Christel Bassett · 603 weeks ago
As an elementary student there was CCD, where the Catholic students were able to leave school for the afternoon to go to a church related function. Most of the kids did it for the candy bar they got if they went to it, and to get out of school. I had a couple friends who went to that. My dad wouldn't let me go. I also remember there was a student in school who didn't celebrate Halloween because it was against her religion, but that's all she said about it. She never came to school on the day of the Halloween party. Now I know there were actual Christan students in my school... but I didn't know until after I was a Christian and was then deemed approachable by them.
I was blessed in high school to spend a lot of time with one of my English/Literature teachers as I was editor of the yearbook. I spent a lot of time after school with her one year trying to get things finished up. She really had become a mentor/mother figure to me over the span of a couple years, and I trusted her. The power went out one day while we were working so she took me out to eat at a pizza place in town. It was there she brought up the topic of Christianity, and since she was an adult I highly respected and even loved by that point (as she had been a mentor for a couple of years and was supportive of me with the rough family situation I lived in). She ended up giving me a bible and inviting me to church, and helping to lead me to Christ during my senior year of high school. I'm so grateful for the influence she and her husband had in my life!
However despite the fact that I had one great teacher, there is no way I will be putting my child into a public school. I believe the bible instructs parents to train their own children and be role models for their own children. I believe if my husband and I were to put our child in a public school we would be going against the bible's teaching.
For Christians who want to be a light in a public school system, send adults in there! Get Christian teachers (people who don't have children at home to teach, that is) in the schools. You may not be able to stand at the front of the classroom and talk about Jesus, but you will get to be able to be role models and mentors in children's lives, and if you can invest enough, I am certain opportunities will arise.
Adrienne · 603 weeks ago
Mrs. P · 603 weeks ago
1. After being homeschooled for so many years and being naturally shy and fearful, I was terrified to go to college. I actually ended up not going partially out of fear and partially because I wanted to be a homemaker and didn't need a degree anyway. Not going to college is the one decision I have regretted most in my life and I'll probably never stop regretting it. If my children are born with the same natural shyness and fear of man that I struggle with, I'm afraid that being homeschooled will only make it harder for them to go out into the world when they grow up. Going to public high school will prepare them to be away from home and on their own.
2. I want to homeschool in the early years because I feel like those are the years that children are indoctrinated with worldly views in a very subtle way that is hard for parents to combat. I know I was completely indoctrinated with feminism and environmentalism in elementary school without my parents even realizing it. And at that age, it's harder to get your kids to tell you what they're being indoctrinated with. If the teacher reads a book to class about two men who get married and make a family with two daddies, my kid might just tell me "today we read a book about two guys" and I'll never know he/she was being taught about gay marriage. I want to build a strong foundation while they're young and actually listen to what I say.
3. We live in an area with really great public schools. I'm not too terribly concerned about sending my child into the dark abyss of high school, because here it's not quite that bad. And if my child is a fairly mature Christian by the time they reach high school, I think they would be prepared to deal with public school (if our kids aren't strong believers by that time, we might not send them to public school). Once they go to college, they're going to be bombarded with even more worldly stuff and I won't be there to help them. Keeping them sheltered from that all their lives and then sending them into the thick of it when they turn 18 doesn't seem like the best way to prepare them.
4. Socialization. Okay, I admit there are MANY homeschoolers who are completely normal and socialized. But I have to tell you, when I was a homeschooler I knew LOTS of kids who were very awkward, weird and childish. I knew high school boys who thought girls were icky and had cooties. Their parents probably thought they were perfectly normal, but they couldn't see the forest for the trees if you ask me.
LBM · 603 weeks ago
Tiffany · 603 weeks ago
Amy · 602 weeks ago
@MmePamplemousse · 602 weeks ago
Laura · 601 weeks ago
Homeschooling does not guarantee your children will grow up to walk in truth. My parents raised 6 children, and homeschooled all of us for all or nearly all of our schooling. They were (are) very devout and devoted parents. We used the Bill Gothard materials, as well as a good dose of BJU and PCC material.
The two oldest (myself in that group), "turned out" ok and are still Chrisitans, although we have both struggled mightily with our faith.
The two middle kids have both left the faith and are involved in drugs and the occult.
The two youngest were raised in a more grace-filled, less legalistic home and church, and they both (so far) are doing well spiritually and personally.
Partially because of these circumstances in my family, my husband and I have chosen to put our four children in public school. There are no guarantees in raising children.
Public school does not doom children to becoming atheists. Homeschooling does not guarantee your kids will all love Jesus as adults.
Please don't offer or imply false promises to parents who chose to homeschool. My parents believed the lies and it ruined a third of their kids.
One more thing: it is offensive to use the Pearls as a model of a good family when their teachings have lead to the abuse and death of children. Their kids may have turned out ok,, but their teaching is graceless and abusive.