Why Homeschooling....

When my husband and I started our family, we had many discussions about homeschooling. Initially, it piqued my interest as a rather novel idea - totally foreign to me. With time, research, much prayer and the birth of another child with special needs, I was completely convinced that homeschooling was the only path for our family. Today, I am passionate about homeschooling my children and the homeschooling movement. I love to share the benefits of homeschooling with anyone who shows an interest in our lifestyle.

I think the best way to show the benefits of homeschooling is to have my children out in the community. Most people are quite impressed with their behavior and their ability to interact with people of all ages.

In my opinion, the greatest benefit is that God does not have to be compartmentalized in the lives of my children. We can learn about and uphold the traditions of the Anglican faith at home. Holy Scripture is a part of our everyday life. We pray together. We grow together in Christ as we make decisions and implement them. Our Triune God is celebrated in our house and looked to when we face difficulties...and praised for the blessings we receive.

The National Home Education Research Institute says the key reasons for home education are the transmission of beliefs and values to children, close family relationships, controlled and positive peer social interaction, quality academics, alternative approaches to learning and safety. I think all these factors played into our decision to homeschool our children.

Families are educating their children with special needs in their own homes to provide them with an education that targets their specific learning needs and to provide an eduction that will not sacrifice academic learning for life skills and "socialization." Many families leave the public school system after unsatisfactory academic progress for which they saw no other option than to educate their child at home. I even know of a few cases of abuse as a result of public school placement. I participate in two yahoo groups that target families homeschooling children with Down syndrome and have listened to many, many stories over the years. The system (early intervention and/or the public school system) has difficulty meeting the needs of our children. The biggest lesson I learned when we participated in the system was that it primarily seeks to serve itself - sad but true in our experience and that of many others.

There are good stories too - wonderful placements and caring professionals. We did not get that experience. We do have a wonderful speech-language pathologist working in the private sector and consider her part of our family!

I would really like to know why more Anglicans don't homeschool their children. This article gives a scary picture of what children face in the public schools today:

"80% of Christian families send their children to public schools where their faith is attaked. Based on the study's findings, it appears that their kids are the ones being "evangelized" by the religion of secular humanism. More than half of their Christian teens believe Jesus sinned and only 9% hold to moral absolutes, while 83% of children from committed Christian families attending public schools adopt a Marxist-Socialist worldview, reports the group."

Our hope is, that by keeping my children home for their education, that we are raising strong soldiers for Christ - placing the Lord first in their lives, strong in their knowledge of Holy Scripture and joyfully fulfilling the Great Commission.




A huge thanks to my 15 y.o. daughter, K, who does my graphics. Send me an e-mail if you would like something created for your blog. She works for free!