Homeschool

Does anyone else feel this way.

We send our kids to school to learn ..... academics, socialization, physical education, etc. or at least this is what we want them to be getting out of it. We get them through the first 5 years then hand over the baton and expect that since they are in a school all day that they are getting everything they need in these categories.

Then on Sunday we go to church and they hear their Bible stories and sing a couple of songs and we think they are learning what they need to know to eventually be a spiritually mature adult.

Of course, as parents we have things that are more important to us than others. Many people probably feel like their children are very well balanced in every area. Although, I'm sure many wish there were more hours in the day to share personal interests and convictions.

This is in a nutshell what led us to make the decision to homeschool. I know for most, academics, socialization, and PE top everyone's list. But not for me. I will say that both our school age children have been A honor roll students for the years they attended public school and I want them to learn what they need to to excel in the core classes. It's all the extra's that I wasn't so crazy about. For example, political crossword puzzles for 1st and 2nd graders, really? And freaking them out so bad that we are destroying the environment that if I didn't recycle every can we were doomed, really? Is that really what I want them to be concentrating on. I mean really, there are so many things I really want them to know and we really don't have that long before the are off on their own. SEVEN hours a day learning in a public school that is run by our government, a government I for the most part do not agree with on most issues, at the time being. These are the people who are choosing curriculum and deciding what is most important for my children to be learning. Let me say that I did love the teachers we were blessed with. They all did a wonderful job. But how much control do teachers really have. They pretty much have to teach or not teach whatever the school system mandates.

Towards the end of the last school year we started discussing what was most important to us, in terms of what we teach our children. 1. For them to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to learn scripture, and to start to understand Biblical teachings. 2. For them to have respect for each other, other children and all adults. 3. To have a understanding of what empathy is for others. To never judge a person based on race, gender, age, by where they live, or by what they wear. 4. To love their siblings as themselves. We wanted them to form a friendship based on love and trust, we wanted them to understand brotherly love (how do you love your neighbor if you can't love your brother?) 5. A love of reading. 6. Math, penmanship, grammar, History, geography, science, and typing. (Of course more academics as the years go on.)

We realized that the majority of what we wanted them to learn and know were not things that could be learned in public school. Through much prayer we decided that God was calling us to take on the job. God entrusted these children to us for a short time. Why are Christians here? What is our purpose? For our family it is to train our children in His ways, to give them a foundation of spiritual truths. A couple of hours a week at church aren't going to accomplish these things.

We may not homeschool forever... For me it is a year by year task (I mean adventure:) I always want to be aware of what God is calling me to do. At least we've had a year to re-group and to re-assess our values. Who knows what God will have for us next year!