Making the Decision to Homeschool

Deuteronomy 6:6-7: "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Ephesians 6:4: And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

The decision as to how to educate one’s children is a serious one, requiring diligent thought and prayer. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 and Ephesians 6:4 place the responsibility for educating children - education being a large part of raising children - on the parents. While this should not be a surprise to Christian parents, too many Christian families have not invested the appropriate thought and preparation into the decision of where and how to educate their children. Automatically sending one’s children to public schools was once, and for some still is, the assumed norm. That was just what was "done". In the past 20 or 30 years, however, many public schools have become hostile places for Christian children. Christian parents can no longer safely send their children to public schools without careful investigation, thought, and prayer. The decision to homeschool should not be made casually either. Parents need to examine their options, research what homeschooling entails, and, most importantly, learn what God wants their family to do.

Parents need to learn about the education options available for their children in their community. This will require some time and effort. I know parents are busy, and preschool-aged children need much Mommy and Daddy time, but knowing what one’s choices are is essential to making an informed decision. While it is common to speak of public schools or private schools in monolithic or homogeneous terms, there is actually considerable variation from district to district and from school to school. Getting a feel for the schools near you may involve considerable effort - e.g. checking local news sources, finding parents whose children attend(ed) those schools, even visiting the schools to observe classes and recesses. What criteria should loving Christian parents use in evaluating (with the possibility of some being rejected) local schools?

The spiritual and moral atmosphere of the school need to be considered. If a person is taught to think and behave immorally or amorally, rather than checking such behavior, education empowers the harm such persons do. Is expression of Christian beliefs restricted or enjoined by the school? Are students pressured to believe in inter-species evolution? Is immoral behavior encouraged through class content, teacher pressure, or school services? Are students urged to abandon the moral teaching of their parents? Does discipline ensure student safety and a proper learning environment without being repressive?

Academics are another concern. How do the school’s students fare academically? Does the school use sound methods and texts in teaching subjects such as reading, math, science, and history? Or does the school use trendy texts and methods molded to placate political pressure groups or conform to education community fads? Are the methods and teachers flexible enough to work with individual students’ learning styles, paces, and needs?

When checking out private schools, several more criteria come into play along with those mentioned above (which should not be neglected). If it is a Christian school, is teaching Christianity and the Bible merely a separate subject, or is it integrated into all the school teaches? What is required of parents in specific and general support of the school’s mission? Will the school’s tuition fit into your budget, and what changes in the family’s way of life will be required to pay it? Don’t forget to consider how younger brothers and sisters will be affected by family life changes and the added tuition for them as they reach school age.

Unless you were yourself homeschooled or you have very close friends who homeschool chances are that homeschooling philosophies and methods are not familiar to you. Though some families do it this way, homeschooling can be very different from recreating a school classroom in your home and using a boxed set of textbooks such as public or private schools often use. In other words, it’s time to do some reading and research. A couple of good starting places are bookstores - Christian and general purpose - and your local library. These are all likely to have sections with books about homeschooling. The Internet also has a wealth of information - articles about homeschooling methods, practical how-to's, ideas, resources, plus online discussion boards where you can talk with experienced homeschoolers - and the price is right. Among the more common homeschooling methods you'll want to learn about are: "school-at-home"; classical; the principal approach; eclectic (or relaxed); unschooling. Even if you think you know, after brief research, what method you want to use, take the time to learn about other methods, as you may find ideas that will be useful if your family decides to homeschool. Be sure to seek advice from friends who homeschool, and look for other homeschoolers and homeschooling support groups in your community. Though there are many good books about homeschooling, you can't ask books questions, nor can you watch the author's family's homeschool in action. You can do this with friends who homeschool or with support group members. As your research progresses, you may find that there are certain ideas or goals that are attracting you toward homeschooling. Writing these down will help you clarify them and, if you do homeschool, they will be among the foundational goals on which you will build your homeschool. There may also be questions or potential issues concerning homeschooling for which you feel you need answers. Write these down too, and make them the foci of research and questions you ask of experienced homeschoolers.

No doubt this may have already occurred to you, but how homeschooling fits your family’s needs and means must be considered. Though there are many homeschooling families who are exceptions, homeschooling usually works easiest in a two-parent, single-income household. If this doesn’t describe your family, you will need to determine what special things you may need to do - e.g. transitioning to a single income, working at home, rearranging your schedule, lower cost housing, a simpler lifestyle - to have the time to homeschool and afford to live. If this sounds as though much of your family’s life will be organized around homeschooling, you’re starting to understand. Teaching your children (sometimes learning along with them) is likely to be one of the most fascinating, rewarding (and occasionally frustrating) things you will do in your life. You may also find that homeschooling will be the catalyst that helps create very strong, warm, bonds within your family.

Another question that probably has occurred to you is, "Can I teach my child(ren)?" Probably the most apt response is that, if you are a parent, you already are. By the time a child is ready to enter kindergarten, the parents have already taught the child a wide range of physical, behavioral, and pre-academic skills. Parents often don’t see this as especially significant, since they did this as a natural part of day to day life and the growth of their child. These are all precursors, however, to learning to read, write, do math, and other academic skills. Why couldn’t this teaching and learning continue to be a natural part of day to day life? Using appropriate curricular materials (a formal term for something that sometimes is fairly simple and inexpensive), parents usually have few problems teaching their children reading, math, and other academic skills. There is an amazing wealth of instructional materials available to homeschoolers through curriculum publishers, bookstores, the public library, scouting organizations, and elsewhere. So the short answer to the, "Can I teach my child(ren)?" question is, usually, "Yes, you can!"

Even after doing a lot of research and talking to people, you will probably feel like you don’t know all that much about homeschooling, that you’ve just scratched the surface of the subject. You’re probably right, but that’s OK. You don’t have to be an expert to start homeschooling. For that matter, I’m not sure there are any "expert" homeschoolers. Homeschooling is a longterm effort. You will make mistakes, and you will do things that turn out better than you expected. You will have the time to learn as you go, and turn mistakes into opportunities. And your confidence will grow as you progress and gain experience.

If under-estimating one’s abilities is a common, easily made mistake, thinking you have to make a go of homeschooling alone is another. While trying to select a support group would be premature at this stage, finding other homeschoolers and support groups in your area will help you learn what support and resources you might have available, and where to find them, should you decide to homeschool. You may already know of friends or neighbors who homeschool. Your church is another place you might find homeschoolers. The librarians at your local public library might be able to refer you to some homeschoolers (many homeschoolers use the library frequently). Ask these friends and acquaintances about support groups in your area. Another source of information about support groups in your area (and other homeschooling information) is the statewide homeschooling support organizations in your state. You should be able to learn about your state’s statewide organizations on the Internet by doing a simple search using a engine search: "(your state’s name) homeschooling" should work. There are also quite a few online homeschooling discussion boards where you can ask questions of experienced homeschoolers. You’ll be able to ask all these folks questions about curriculum, your state’s laws, how-to stuff and more. All in all, you will be far from alone!

Last, and most important, you need to seek what God’s will is for the education of your children. You will be doing a lot of research and investing a lot of time and thought in making this decision. Ask God to direct your research and to help you to find the information and resources you need. Ask God to help you organize and make sense of what you learn. And ask God to guide your decision-making process.