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For my family and friends - to answer all those asked and unasked questions about why we are homeschooling our children. This site is a very personal one, but I hope it will give some insights to everyone who reads it, into one family's reasons for homeschooling.
Click on any of the headings below to go directly to that topic, or just scroll through and read from beginning to end!
So why do we home school?
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Since we believe in Jesus, our reasons for home schooling are
linked to our beliefs. However, it is important to note that although there are many Christian home schoolers,
and most curriculum developed specifically for home schools is Biblically based, there are many home schoolers
who do not consider themselves Christians, and who home school for a wide variety of very valid reasons. Some
reasons I know of include the impersonal nature of the school and classroom environment, violence in schools,
higher academic achievement of home schoolers, more natural social experience of
home school, sharing quality time with the children, allowing children to explore learning and their environment at their own pace,
passing on their ideals and beliefs rather than having their children raised with the
government's agenda.... As for our reasons...
Please understand that we do not think our children are better than anyone else's, or that we are better parents than anyone else, or that everyone should be doing what we are doing. It is a personal conviction and calling. We should always seek God's leading for ourselves and our families, apart from what others are doing, and we should draw on His strength to be obedient to His leading. That is what we are seeking to do. We don't have opinions about what choices you should be making about your children's education, because since God has given the responsibility of educating and raising children to the parents, He will be telling you - not us or anyone else - what is the best way to go for your child. Please keep that in mind as you read the following reasons why WE have chosen to home educate:
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God's world is too wonderful and there is too much to learn about it, to spend your childhood learning only the things a curriculum says children your age should be learning, and doing the majority of that learning from a text book within four walls. |
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There are too many wonderful people in the world, with such a wealth of experiences to share, to spend most days of your childhood around only children of your own age. |
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A loving, supportive family is too vital a necessity for the development of a healthy self-esteem and personal confidence, to spend your childhood where adults generally value you according to academic/sporting achievement, and peers are often more likely to tear you down than to build you up. |
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God has created us as individuals, with individual skills, interests, and roles to play in His kingdom. Being able to develop skills at an individual pace, and to pursue personal interests is therefore too important a part of growing into the person God has created you to be, to spend your childhood pursuing a perceived 'norm'. |
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So what IS home schooling?
| So many things to so many people. The word conjures up images of children sitting in a simulated classroom out in the garage or spare room, with the mother giving assignments, marking work, etc. Some use this (or similar) method, usually referred to as 'school at home'. Some would argue that this method does not constitute homeschooling at all. Some refuse to refer to the word 'schooling' regarding the education of their children at home, since it far from resembles school. Some refuse to use the word 'home' regarding the 'family-based' education of their children, since so much of it happens anywhere but in the house.
For us, God has been revealing to me gently that He is perfectly capable of leading us to the learning experiences He wants - not only for the children but for all of us. We have some educational workbooks covering handwriting, reading, spelling, maths and some general stuff. We have a phonics programme (like all good 'fundamentalist Christians'!). They are never forced on the children, but at the times when the oldest (who is currently four) chooses to do some 'bookwork', often sitting on my lap, he gets through a lot, and actually learns something. It's not 'work'. It's fun. That's the way I want it to stay. We go the library every week and borrow about fifteen books, some construction or imaginative toys, games, videos, etc. We read together a lot, and the children both have easy access to books, which they take advantage of many times a day. The library books usually inspire some new interest to be further explored, and there we have our curriculum. I suppose it would be classed as either 'natural learning' or 'eclectic homeschooling', or a 'lifestyle of learning'.
For Example: Over the last week or so, we have done a unit on boats and I didn't even know we were doing it at the time. It just sort of happened. Our son had borrowed a toy ship from the library, and several of the books that week seemed to incorporate boats in them somehow. Then we went for a walk down to the harbour, where we watched a yacht set sail, a kayak beginning its journey, a jetski zooming around, and many moored boats we could examine in more detail. We borrowed some more books from the library - non-fiction boat books, to help me answer some of the many boat questions being fired my way. Through these we learned about the history of boat-building, the development of the propeller and the rudder, the various uses of boats through history, the vocabulary for various parts of a boat, the development of navigation technology, the true nature of piracy, the names and purposes of many types of boats...and more that I can't remember but my son probably can. I didn't force any of the information on him. He just kept asking me to read more, and then discussed the new information with me later, in conversations he initiated. The blessing of following a child's interests - they're actually INTERESTED! We covered the lounge-room floor with the contents of our craft box, and designed and constructed several different types of boats, drawing on the information we had learned, then took them outside and tested them in the pool. We experimented with them to see if we could make them float better, or carry more passengers. We discussed why we thought some worked well, and why some didn't. We observed and discussed marine life near the harbour, and together painted an 'underwater' frieze which adorns our kitchen wall, much to the delight of our daughter. As a result of a brainwave of our son's, we hired a motor boat, and had a family adventure on a local river. After heading off in the wrong direction, getting stuck in reeds, getting stuck in neutral, and getting rescued by a couple of bemused fishermen, we had a great time! It's certainly something we are all keen to do again (maybe without the getting stuck bit - but that was fun too in its own way).
I believe that God is leading us - more so as I take my hands off and allow Him to let these interests unfold. Our whole family is being blessed, and I trust Him to develop the gifts He has planted in our children, and to fully equip them for the 'good works He has prepared in advance for them to do'. We have to grasp with both hands these learning opportunities as He places them before us and says 'have fun, enjoy My world, enjoy Me'.
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How do we know our children are keeping up academically?
| I think it's important to equip the children with basic reading, grammar, math and research skills, and to foster in them a keen interest in learning, so they can then go on to learn the things they want/need to know, when they want/need to know them. I will have a copy of their age-peers' syllabi (available for free download from the dept. of ed. site), and will ensure that they are not missing out on any vital learning experiences (although where possible, I will seek to make real-life experiences available, rather than simply handing them a text book). |
What about their socialisation?
How will they be prepared for the Real World?
| I would suggest that school is not actually the Real World. I think maybe it is schools that are sheltering our children from most of the wonderful aspects of the Real World, and from the aspects they do need to prepare for; while exposing them instead to the sad realities of what happens when children are bunched together to learn social behaviour from each other with very little exposure to positive, respected adult role-models.
In the Real World we pursue knowledge because we are interested in it, or because it brings us closer to reaching a personal goal.
In the Real World, maths is learnt and practised at the bank, the grocery store, the petrol station, cooking meals, planning parties, playing games....
In the Real World science is learnt and practised by trial and error, by fixing broken gadgets, by solving problems, by finding new and more efficient ways to meet needs, by bushwalking, beachcombing, gardening, visiting.....
In the Real World reading is learnt and practised by reading real books to meet real needs or pursue real interests or to satisfy real curiosity...
In the Real World writing is learnt and practised by writing for real purposes to meet real needs...
In the Real World knowledge is gained through reading books, talking to people, asking questions, surfing the web, pursuing experience, trial and error, taking courses...
In the Real World, people must make choices regarding what to wear, what and how to learn, what to buy, what to believe, how to express personal beliefs, where to live, where to work, who to marry, (whether to marry)...
In the Real World people are not all the same, and are not told what to do, what to learn, how to learn, when to learn, what to wear, how to wear it...
Exposure in childhood to the negative aspects of the Real World doesn't always prove beneficial. Statistics are frequently quoted which suggest children of abusive fathers are more likely to end up in abusive relationships themselves, or end up being abusers of their own families, than those who grew up without exposure to such abuse. Is it not possible that children exposed to the bullying inevitable in the school classroom and playground, have more chance of becoming bullies themselves or submitting themselves to bullies later in life, than those 'sheltered' from such abuse?
I don't consider it necessary to remove my children from the Real World five days a week, most weeks of their childhood and adolescence, in order to prepare them to thrive in the Real World. It is God's World, and they will thrive under His instruction.
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They won't be like everyone else!!!
| Does any one want to be the same as everyone else? Schools tend by their very nature to encourage conformity. Students must conform to the rules of the school to avoid being 'problem students', and they must also conform to their peers' expectations to avoid being 'nerds'. The students' personalities, all very individual, are still forced to develop within this tension. Many people seem to finish their education without really knowing who they are, nor having a clear direction to follow.
Some conformity is needed in the Real World, to maintain peace and keep society running smoothly. We all have to conform to road rules, etc. Children learn this as they see their parents conform. Conformity is needed likewise within a family unit, and children learn to operate within the family structure. However, for an individual personality to develop to its potential, I believe there must be a degree of freedom not afforded by the school environment.
When it comes to peer pressure, especially in the teen years, few parents want their children to be 'like everyone else'. They encourage them to assert their individuality. Why not begin by allowing the children to develop in an environment where there is not so much pressure to conform? They may then have a more defined individuality to assert.
The Bible nowhere suggests that Christians are to be like everyone else. We are to make an effort not to conform to the lowered standards the world propagates. Our children are called 'holy', which means 'set apart'. If they are to be prepared for life in God's Family, they had better be prepared to be different, and to appreciate the blessing this is. Being different does not mean being disliked or unvalued as a friend, nor does it mean missing out on the fulfilling and rewarding aspects of life in society.
If our children have well-developed personalities, self-confidence and respect for others, they will be and have very valuable friends.
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Where is the proof that it WORKS???
Homeschoolers taking standardised tests consistently score around 30 percentiles higher than the national average. This occurs regardless of the homeschooling method used, or the amount of regulation applied by the state. This is not because homeschooled students are 'smarter', nor are they pushed to be high achievers. As I said, they achieve higher scores regardless of the method used. It's mostly, I think, because all children benefit greatly from the kind of personal attention and individual instruction which cannot be offered in the school environment, but which forms the basis of home-based education.
Homeschooled students entering university have generally found the transition easier than their schooled peers, because they are more accustomed to taking responsibility for their own learning.
In a study titled Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998,
some of the conclusions were:
* Home schooled students watch significantly less television than their traditionally schooled peers
* Home schooled students have access to significantly more computer use than their traditionally schooled peers
* Home schooled students scored significantly higher scores in all subject areas in all grades than either their public or private schooled peers
* There was no significant difference between the scores of those home schoolers who used a set curriculum, and those who did not
* There was no significant difference between the score of male and female home schooled students
* Of the home schooled students whose parents achieved a tertiary education, there was no significant difference between the scores of those whose parents had a teaching degree, and those whose parents had non-teaching degrees
* The mean scores of home schooled students whose parents did not have college degrees was significantly higher than the mean scores of public school students
* Home schooled students who had been home schooled their entire lives achieved higher scores than students who have also been involved in other educational programmes
* Parents who are committed to home schooling their children "are able to provide a successful academic environment."
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Please forgive me if I have offended any one by expressing these strong opinions.
I have not set out to offend, nor to try to 'win people over' to my way of thinking. I
want, through these pages, simply to make available to you our reasons for making the choices we have made.
If you want to contact me, please do so by clicking here.
Others' Articles and Links
There is so much information on the internet concerning homeschooling,
covering many different opinions, approaches, motivations and research results. I have
only included here a tiny smattering of what I would like to make available through this site,
because of difficulties getting in touch with, or getting replies from, the authors of
many online articles. Included here then is very little, but you can always follow the links to
discover more!
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