Liberty Baptist Academy
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6 KJV
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Why We've Chosen to Homeschool
I have been asked by several people since we started talking about homeschooling, why we have chosen to. We have several reasons, really:
1. We knew several years ago, that when our daughter made the transition from elementary school to Middle school, we did not want her to going to our public middle school.
We started homeschooling in September of 2000 because our oldest daughter was ready to make that transition. We actually felt the Lord leading us to homeschool all three of our children. I worked part time in our children's public school their last year, and the attitudes of some of the kids who went there, toward each other, toward their teachers, toward anyone in authority, were attitudes of total disrespect and self gratification. I Corinthians 15:33 says, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." KJV. We knew that we wanted to help our children to form better friendships with kids who were also being taught young, to serve the Lord, to reverence Him, and people in authority; to have kind and tender hearts toward other children, the elderly, etc.
Not only were the attitudes a real concern for us, but the fact that some students ACT upon their attitudes toward others, (i.e., shooting fellow classmates, beating other classmates or teachers, soliciting drugs and alcohol, etc.) simply left us with the feeling that we could not continue to send our children off into a battle-field every day. Children cannot work and learn in an environment in which they are afraid, and we did not want our children spending all the time that they should be learning, worrying about being socially accepted, or rejected, or worse. I would very much encourage you to read
Christopher J. Klicka's book, "The Right Choice, Homeschooling" Copyright 1993, or his newly revised version. His books give wonderful insight into the public school settings of today.
2. The secular teaching of the Theory of Evolution.
They say evolution is being taught only as a theory, but if this is true, then why don't the public school systems also include the "Theory of Creation"? By not including The Theory of Creation along with The Theory of Evolution, the students are taught one thing at school, and another at home, if they are being taught Creationism by their parents and church. We simply did not want our children to be subjected to something so ludicrous. Our children are now being taught Science, Math, History, etc. from a Godly standpoint. Learning History dating back to Noah (A Beka), is such a welcome change for us, and the same holds true with Science. I much prefer that our children learn about water and the elements, by learning about Noah and the Ark (Rod and Staff). And, of course, God is the God of order, thus their Math has taken on a new meaning. There truly is a remarkable difference! And, to have the Lord's Word in front of their eyes in every aspect of their lives! Deuteronomy 6:7 "And thou shalt teach them (God's statutes and commandments) diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." We feel very blessed to have this opportunity, to instill in our children, a true love for the Lord and His ways.
3. We felt our children would learn better, being able to work at their own pace, rather than having to speed up or slow down according to their classes.
Our daugther, Sarah, asked me why (while in public school), when she understood the work, did she have to stop what she was doing, and wait til everyone else in the class (30 kids) understood! I told her that it was because they had so many students, the teacher probably wanted to make sure everyone understood their work, before moving on. With us homeschooling, Sarah, and Nate (who also had to "slow down" at times), can move at their own paces, not having to slow down for others, nor try to keep up if they don't understand something.
4. The joy that it brings to witness our children learning.
We have witnessed first-hand the "light bulb" effect so-to-speak. When you can SEE your child learning something new, rather than just having them tell you about it over a rushed supper, it's an incredible feeling! What a joy it is, to see them understand something for the first time! You can experience it WITH them, instead of having to find out later on, after the excitement is over. We also enjoy being able to keep better track of what they are learning. Rather than having to glance at papers they bring home, or wait til conference time, we can see first hand, if they are struggling with something, or maybe the work is too easy. This helps us tailor their curriculum to suit their individual needs.
Some of the benefits of homeschooling are listed above, and the children, would probably tell you that one benefit not listed, is the fact that they are usually done before kids going to public school are home. They again, don't have to wait for school to be over; once their work is done, they can play, read, etc. When we first started out, we had our devotion time in the mornings, and started our schoolwork. With me having to work part-time now, the kids do some of their schoolwork in the mornings, while I'm at work, then they finish up when I get home. We do our devotion time at night then.
***Just a side note, our kids DO have social lives, as well. People always tell me we "can't keep our kids in a bubble forever". BUT, our kids are certainly NOT "kept in a bubble". As of 2004, our oldest daughter, Sarah is currently involved with a group of teens against underage drinking, takes orchestra class with our local public school (about an hour per day), works a paper route (dealing with customers), and helps lead our Junior Church. Nathan also carries a daily paper route, plays basketball for our local Christian school in the fall, and plays on our city baseball league in the summer. Hannah played baseball with our city league for the first time last year and enjoyed it-the only girl on her team, but she held her own! She's not old enough yet for certain programs in our city, but as she grows up, she'll have opportunities as well. So, you see, our kids are well-rounded, well-adjusted individuals. They have learned not to only relate to others their ages, but to adults of all ages, as well. See Homeschooling Myths***
Anyway, these are some of the reasons we've chosen to homeschool. We are not in any way trying to say that if you DON'T homeschool, you are wrong not to. Each family has to do what is right for them. For us, this was the best decision we could have made, and I might add, one that we did not make lightly. We were in prayer about it for several years prior to starting, and we are in constant prayer about the directions we're going in. We have known however, some families who have homeschooled some of their children, while others were in public or private schools, based upon their needs. I hope this has been helpful to you. God bless!
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page updated: February 2004
