Why I'm Considering Homeschooling

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to knock working parents. I know that people have to work and others simply choose to work, either is a personal choice. I think that parents should be given permission to think about what works best for their family and not worry about what others may think. 

I'm choosing to live intentionally and would like to share with others what that looks like from my perspective.  Living intentionally means to make thought out, educated, vetted decisions about parenting, rather than following the crowd. 
Now onto the main event. 

Yes, I know. E is only 1 year old. But I've read a lot about the importance of preschool on future educational excellence. Pretty much, research shows that children who attend preschool/pre-k/head-start seem to excel more than those kids who did not attend preschool. So, this in turn leads me to asking the questions, "Who do I want teaching my child?" and "Where do I want her to receive her education?"

After much thought and consideration, I am seriously considering home education. I honestly NEVER thought of homeschooling as a viable option until recently. I have quite a few friends who are teachers, including Hollie one of my fellow bloggers. She is an English teacher. I've heard from some of them how hard they work to provide their students with a quality education. I've also heard them explain the ridiculous bureaucracy that good teachers experience while trying to challenge students and involve parents....But I'll leave that for Hollie to possibly address in the future. (wink!)

Here are the reasons why I didn't consider homeschooling as an option in the past:

1. I've met my fair share of let's just say it, weird, quirky, antisocial home schooled kids. My siblings and I were even forced to hang out with some one summer to help them improve their social skills and it was down right torturous.

2. I am not a teacher. I clearly understand that teachers spend years studying their specific field and how to express what they know to young minds. I (obviously) have not; and so what makes me think that I can therefore educate my child better than an educator? 

And that's about it. Those have been my main reasons for not supporting homeschooling.

But here are the reasons I am now considering homeschooling, and they far outweigh my reasons to not:

1. I would like to be an integral part (not in control) of my child's education. I do not think that PTSO boards and parent teacher conferences offer enough opportunity for this.

2. Kids get lost in the crowd. Teachers end up having to teach to the majority. So if you have a child who is able to excel in a subject, but the teacher doesn't notice for any number of reasons, you can very easily end up with a bored student who hates school or gets into trouble. If you have a child that is struggling in an area and never gets noticed you can have a similar outcome. I was one of those underperforming students in math and it was never addressed. I didn't realize until college that I actually really enjoyed math.

3. Classrooms are getting large. It's a fact and the alternative option is a private school, which typically have smaller class sizes.

4. Private schools are expensive and not always a better education.

5. Not all teachers like or want to be teachers. And it negatively affects that teacher's pupils FOREVER.

6. These days the grade your child receives is not always the grade they have earned. This mainly is true in underperforming students. Hollie may be best at explaining this. It is getting harder for teachers to honestly grade students' academic performance.

7. I would like my family's values represented on a daily basis to my child through her education. I do not think a Christian school is the answer. (I won't get into it now)

8. I want to recognize the areas where my child excels and challenge them to achieve their highest potential in that field. I do not believe that schools possess the ability to recognize or address this. After your kids get home at 3pm or you get off of work it's almost impossible to squeeze in extra child specific activities. .

7. I don't want to be apart of the suburban rat race.

5 am- wake up
5:30 quick breakfast
6am- catch the bus
6:30- off to work
kid is at school all day
kid goes to practice or after school care
4pm- kid lets self into house (when old enough)-surfs the internet, social media, porn. Hangs out with friends, wasting time.
5pm- parents come home, cook dinner, do homework, try and get to a bible study at church
8pm- bath time, squeeze in a "devotional" that obviously does not have time for many questions of deep discussion with your kids.
9pm- kids in bed (if they go/fight them to sleep)
10pm- hopefully parents get their own time.
11pm- parents go to bed, unless you are a hard charger and likes to stay up to 1am trying to be productive and catch up on life (ie...plan a vacation, surf internet, talk with "friends/family)
...do it all over again tomorrow. I have a strong conviction against living a life like this.

We are given one life to live and I want to live it to the fullest. I want to show my kids that life can be enjoyable, freeing, and always a time of teaching. Contrary to popular belief, the classroom is not the only place of learning. The home is the first and foremost important teaching tool. And when we live lives like the one I detailed above, there is little time for us as parents to teach, instill, and reward the values we find important. In the scenario above your child's teacher and classmates literally see your child more than you.

This can be a positive or negative mark.

 As parents we have the opportunity to teach our kids all the time; but if we are tired, overworked, and living someone else's life, not the one we (personally) are meant to live we cannot experience life in it's fullness. By "living someones else's life", I mean, that we have not actually evaluated and been intentional in the decisions we make for our family. I have to say that I think most of the time parents simply move to a nice neighborhood where they find work and enroll their child in their designated school. They briefly consider what the education will be like, but not what will happen if a teacher teaches things that violate the ideals you teach at home, what will happen if your child begins to struggle in subject... Everything is mainly reactive, and not proactive.  Though I am currently talking about education, this reactive behavior is evident in other areas of our lives. A way to combat this is by being intentional.

I am NOT saying that homeschooling will address and fix tiredness or being overworked. It will allow you to determine how you spend your years with your child and the impressions you make on them that will form their character and eventually the adult they become.

I want to throw this little tidbit of info out there. I remember the first time I really got to know a homeschooling mom. Prior to this I had only "known of" homeschooling parents. And I realized that my friend would only actively be teaching her kids for a few hours a day. I thought it strange at first and asked her how it was possible for them to get all their lessons completed in just a few hours a day. She explained to me that in traditional schools much of the kids' time is spent calming, corralling, and shuffling students. When you teach a few kids at home you can get straight to the lesson, break for a short time and get back to the lesson. I have to say that I had never heard this before and it took me a while to process it. And when I did, my socks were blown off. I never realized it, but it's true. Much time at school is spent lining up, getting students into the classroom and calmed down, etc....These processes are a normal part of adult life and can provide as a teaching opportunity, but I think they are easily taught outside of the traditional classroom.

Again, these are my opinions and not meant to convict parents who do not agree. I understand that these are points that I feel are accurate and others may see this topic a completely different way. 

 If I were to homeschool: I would need to be intentional with my time. I would need to plan and continually evaluate how it is working for my child and also for me. I know that many homeschool parents become burned out and overwhelmed. I don't know if homeschooling is something I would do for my child's entire school years; but it is something I am considering for the first year or so of elementary school. We will be living overseas and so it's the perfect opportunity for us.

Do you have strong feelings about your child's education? I would love to hear about them.

Do you feel this way?

-Anjelica

Do you speak Christianese?

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm looking for some meat and potatoes teaching" when referring to biblical teaching? What do these statements mean? Who came up with these sayings, and why do so many Christians reduce the teachings of the bible to these hollow phrases? I worry that it is because we don't actually have an understanding of what scripture tells us about these topics or are unsure of how to articulate our beliefs. I will list 3 "Christianese" proverbs that I've grown up hearing and even using, before I recognized the danger in it.

This is definitely not an all-inclusive list. I would love to hear some of the other Christianese phrases you have encountered.

1. "God's bringing me/us to the next level". 

This phrase is used many times during a charismatic church service where a change is getting ready to occur. I've heard it used when the leaders are looking for support for the construction of a new building or acceptance of a new ministry (i.e.. missions, community outreach,...) I've also heard it used when a person believes that God is calling them to a specific purpose that is greater than the one that they currently are in. 

There are no Christians greater than other Christians. No duty or service for Christ is greater than any other. There is no next level, but the level of perfection that we will only reach once in heaven. There are seasons though (Ecclesiastes 3). As Christians we will experience opportunities to serve in various areas, at different times in our life.  At one point in time it could be a pastoral role or one-on-one discipling role, at a later one, a financial benefactor role, or in a time of need the position of being served. (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:10, James 2:1-7) The best way I can interpret what the quoter is trying to express is growth in Christ. They have been given more responsibility because of God's grace and mercy or because of their faithfulness; not because they have attained a new level in the video game of Christianity. We should always keep in mind though that when we are given more responsibility or especially the role of teacher within the church, more is required of us. (Luke 12:48) We are held to a higher standard of fruitfulness and integrity. (James 3:1, 1 Timothy 3:2)

2. "Meat and potatoes" teaching. 

I really can't stand this one. What is the speaker trying to tell me? Are they looking for an inductive teaching of scripture where the teacher goes verse by verse explaining the historical background, original audience, and present day application? Or are they trying to say that they are looking for a pastor who seems to be "speaking directly" to them; where each sentence he/she preaches seems to address areas of their life where they are struggling or in need of answers? Or is this their way of letting you know that they are a mature Christian and desire to understand the words within the bible, the specific way in which we are to live them out, and be held to the standards which the bible sets? I've met few people who use this phrase and are referring to the last explanation here. I would like to know how many people who use this phrase know a particular scripture that is remotely along the same lines as this quotation...In case you're wondering, I've found some. Hebrews 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 3. They don't clearly define what a "meat and potatoes" teaching is, but it addresses what is thought of those who are constantly needing to be taught the same basic Christian principles over and over again. Hmmm...I encourage you to check these verses out, study the chapters in their entirety, and find out what the true meaning is behind the words. Your conclusion will most likely lead you to more bible reading.

Other applicable verses: James 1:23

3. "Once saved, always saved." (Either as an argument or defense)

The topic of eternal security is a hot button one (though it really shouldn't be), and I won't get into it at this time, but their is a simple point I want to make. Using this saying states to me that you don't actually have a clear understanding of what you are talking about. The debate of whether or not someone can "lose" their salvation is one deeply rooted in scripture when discussed among mature Christians and theologians. It is always referred to as a "minor" issue within the Christian faith and not a "major". Major issues are those that completely divide Christians from non Christians and minors are those that typically distinguish between different denominations or traditions within the Christian faith. Narrowing down this broad topic into a catchy phrase shows a lack of maturity. 

In case you are curious: An example of a major issue is whether or not you believe that Jesus Christ is God. Those within the Christian faith (including the various denominations) all believe this statement is true, while those outside of it, do not. 

 I worry that we have replaced reading, interpreting, and applying scripture with memorizing popular sayings that don't accurately describe the words of Jesus or the bible. These quickly spouted adages leave a lot of room for misinterpretation; especially by those who have not read the bible, those new to the faith, or those who do not follow Christianity. 

Let's take a moment and reflect. What type of words am I using to explain my faith? (Psalm 19:14) Are they ones that accurately interpret scripture? If they aren't, think about ways of making genuine change. If more study time is what you need, consider ways to incorporate it into your day. If meeting with a biblical teacher, to help make clear some uncertain verses, schedule a meeting. You're worth it, as well as the security in knowing what is promised and expected of you as a Christian. Let's be sure our faith is rooted in actual biblical teachings. Our faith is an active not passive one. 

Well, you must see now why I'm called the passionate one here at Passionate, Mindful, and Content. I love to be challenged and in turn challenge others. 

-Anjelica