Tell Me Why I Should Not Homeschool

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Ah, I didn't know that that's what the word "libertine" meant when I asked. :book2:
I learned the word from John Newton's epitaph he wrote for himself:

"JOHN NEWTON, CLERK, ONCE AN INFIDEL AND LIBERTINE, A SERVENT OF SLAVES IN AFRICA, WAS, BY THE RICH MERCY OF OUR LORD ANS SAVIOUR, Jesus Christ, PRESERVED, RESTORED, PARDONED, AND APPOINTED TO PREACH THE FAITH HE HAD LONG LABORED TO DESTROY."
 
I agree with kvanlaan to a point. It is no mystery that there is variation among Christians; some can handle the world, and some cannot. It can be a great shock going from a home-schooled environment into a college (Christian, private, or public); adversely this can be a negligible change in the student's post-home-schooling life to attend a college or university. Parents--through the infinite grace of God--can only go so far preparing their children for the world. They must have faith in the Lord to eventually let them go into it: to college, work, or marriage. Parents should pray their growing child or children will understand the lesson behind Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

Regarding the necessity of home-schooling, it should be for every parent. The parents who are too lazy or unwilling to put forth the full consistent effort in home-schooling were not properly trained in their own youth. It is not better to send them to school since a school will without doubt distance the children and parents. Children should be raised to listen to their parents, yet children get confused when they see their teachers at school as a separate authority in their lives. It is unbiblical to not home-school just as it is unbiblical to inadequately raise our children, and foster any shortcomings of their lives. If they are sufficiently taught the Word of God, live in it and by it, and the parents have full faith that God will direct them as they go into the world, they have no reason to keep them from attending colleges and universities. The parents could keep their kids at home until they are 30 thinking "My son isn't quite ready to go into the world so I should teach him about this... and that". With this approach, the parents will likely never be satisfied their children are prepared, which demonstrates either the parents' doubt in how they raised their children or their incomplete faith that the Lord will not lead them astray.

Sorry for the lack of focus; it's late and my mind's a bit overloaded with information : )

Sorry, Travis my point about the "earn a degree and lose your soul" was not that going to college will cause you to fall away but it can if the child is not ready. If I as a father do not think my child is ready to handle what I know is coming in university, I would say that he needs to stay home and receive more training before he is sent off into the big bad world. This is my God-given responsibility and I take it very seriously.

Look at the SBC stats on students who go to college after attending church their whole lives to that point (and who participate in missions, etc.). I think the figure that I heard (perhaps it was on the White Horse Inn) was that 60% fall away once they go to university. Is this only because they're S. Baptist? Nope. It is the relentless hammering of secular humanism, of having a good time at school, of all the various and sundry temptations. Though I am CRC myself, I went to a conservative SBC university and saw enough dope, booze and immorality to last a long, long time. What would my children see at a state school? And these days, it's knee deep in the public high schools too. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I am saying that it is one heck of a risk.

When you're in the slippery places, all it takes is your own weight to cause you to fall.
 
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That's part of my point. If I have done my job, my children will be ready. But if they're not, I would rather admit failure and keep them back to properly train them than to send them off unprepared. Or perhaps work out another educational alternative. At 21 or thereabouts, they're done, no matter what; you don't want a mamoni. I actually hope that by 17/18 my boys will have been working for some years (thanks to the homeschooling schedule) and the girls will have learned the domestic skills they need in addition to their preparatory studies for university.

It's a matter of maturity, for the most part but still... I just remember my parents' exhortations to me to "remember who you are" whenever we went out to parties and even today, I remember the behaviour of some who got WAY out of hand in college and remember that their parents' signature was on that child, even as he lived in sin (I didn't scrutinize by own behaviour that much at that point, it wouldn't have been pretty - I was not a good kid; my lifestyle would have brought great shame to my parents if they'd known.) I just want to be sure that my kids are as ready as we can reasonably make them. And yes, when they fall, they'll have to pick themselves up, there's no sheltering. We'll always love them but we sure don't coddle.

That is to say, I agree with you guys for the most part. We're not the type to shelter (when the kids fall down, if there are no bones sticking through the skin, we tell them to get up and shake it off, it's good for 'em!) but neither do I want my testament to society to be the libertine I was.
 
I hate the whole idea of state "provided" public education. Its whole purpose is to dumb down the masses and make them uniform sheeple who will bow to the state at almost any cost, and to, of course, inject them further with godlessness. :2cents:

Qualification: Thank God it doesn't work much of the time.

:ditto:
 
If you don't send your children to public school, where do you expect them to learn the 'F' word and evolution? :lol:
When my wife was walking our oldest son home from kindergarten another young boy was near them and said, "Oh f&#*, I forgot the <something>." My son's eye's got pretty big at that point.

This was about 20 years ago, so I can't imagine what it is like now.
 
On the college issue...there is also a difference between a 6yr old or 10yr old or 14yr old in a government school vs a 20yr old in college (state, private, etc). Also, we have the intent of our ADULT children going to college, yet remaining at home or under care of a covenanted family.
 
Travis, I like seeing youthful, wide-eyed idealism. It's somewhat refreshing from time to time. Let's face it though, according to your profile you are a 23 year old film student who lists among his interests - beautiful reformed women.

I appreciate your opinion but when you get a dog in this fight then your advice is going to carry some weight. In the meantime, I've got kids and wrinkles older than you brother. :D

There was an important principle in the OT. Don't touch a dead thing or you would become unclean. Why? Why didn't the dead thing become clean instead? Because that's not how the principle works. Our young people would have to be exceptionally sanctified to stand up to the worldliness in todays educational system. The means of that sanctification will not come through state indoctrination. Not going to happen. You will spend so much time trying to undo a materialistic worldview that it will be hard to teach them Truth.

The school gets them for nearly 40 hours a week. That's a lot of influence.
 
kvanlaan, I agree with you that there should be a balance between loving children with excessive compassion (or even coddling) and being a drill sargeant.

LadyFlynt, age can a factor in determining someone's spiritual knowledge, but there are exceptions where a college-age son or daughter is less mature than a high-school age son or daughter. Yes, it should be where they gain Godly discernment with age, but some people need to fall far before they really want to stay away from the world. You know how it is with secret rebellion; I think parents should level with their children as to why rebellion never works in their favor without the parents having to say "when I was your age...". Parents should just be completely honest with their children and then the children will trust them even more and listen to them really seriously : ) I believe that if parents teach their sons and daughters throughout their young lives how to use God's Word in tempting various circumstances, then they can handle it. **They know at a young age to put on a coat, gloves, and a hat when it's cold outside. They should also know to put on God's Word when evil comes by. They can do this by recalling verses and applying them to situations--it only takes practice :D

BobVigneault, that's a great point about the OT teaching on not touching anything that's dead. Jesus' discourse in Matthew 15 also provides excellent teaching on what is clean and unclean. Matthew 15:1-20 in particular verses 10-20.

Have a nice day, everyone! :pray2:
 
Tom, I agree...this is where we have to observe each child and deal accordingly. We have not reached that point yet. However, we personally do not believe in just sending our single daughters out on their own. There are reasons and protection in this. Our sons, there is no earthly reason why they can't go to school close to home (until they hit medical school or unless they should intend to join the military). It will benefit them financially and give them a grounded place to "come home" to for study and such. This is also to assist them in relationships as well as spiritual life. There is an excellent book that discusses this called The Puritan Family where they speak of single persons living alone.
 
There was an important principle in the OT. Don't touch a dead thing or you would become unclean. Why? Why didn't the dead thing become clean instead? Because that's not how the principle works. Our young people would have to be exceptionally sanctified to stand up to the worldliness in todays educational system. The means of that sanctification will not come through state indoctrination. Not going to happen. You will spend so much time trying to undo a materialistic worldview that it will be hard to teach them Truth.

The school gets them for nearly 40 hours a week. That's a lot of influence.

:agree:
 
H.S. if that is where you think the Lord is leading you, most college and university admissions really look for SAT and ACT scores as real indicators for success in higher education (the data shows that this is accurate) if one goes the H.S. route prepare them well.......for both tests. Pax Vobiscum:book2:
 
H.S. if that is where you think the Lord is leading you, most college and university admissions really look for SAT and ACT scores as real indicators for success in higher education (the data shows that this is accurate) if one goes the H.S. route prepare them well.......for both tests. Pax Vobiscum:book2:

I never took either test in highschool, was never prepared for it in highschool, and I did attend college (without either test). Yes, I can prepare them for these tests at home, plan to, but government school doesn't equal automatic preparation.
 
I never took either test in highschool, was never prepared for it in highschool, and I did attend college (without either test). Yes, I can prepare them for these tests at home, plan to, but government school doesn't equal automatic preparation.
Well, Admissions boards now put a bigger "premium" on these test. More than when I went to college.....thank goodness! ;)
 
When the focus of homeschooling becomes academics, people lose sight of the main reason we believe in homeschooling to begin with: to raise Godly human beings in an unGodly world. The risks of homeschooling pale in comparison to the risks of sending our children blindly into the world. I believe children should have a degree of freedom, but they should be monitored. A lot of kids and teenagers will seek great means to obtain or see what they want. If not in person, then on TV or the internet; if not there, they may dream of sinful things as all sin begins in our minds. An important aspect of parenting is to convince their children that the temptations of sin really are death. I don't think kids should be thrown into the water without first learning how to swim really, really well.

I'll buy that book The Puritan Family. I will be a single man living alone very soon and I may have sons living on their own one day as well.
 
Like all parents here, we're hopelessly in love with our children, ;) and we think this is the best for them.
We've HS'd since 1996, and Lord willing won't have it any other way!

This depicts why we think homeschooling is best. [video=youtube;_s18yj57iwU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s18yj57iwU[/video]
 
Tom, sounds like we are pretty much on the same wave length...make sure they can swim really well before letting them in the ocean.

(Tom, could you please click on Signature Requirements in my signature to find out how to update yours? Thank you)
 
Yes, we're on the same wavelength (it's funny how you mentioned that and then the ocean : ) I filled out my signature; it was the first signature I ever made--e-mail, forum, or otherwise.

-Tom
 
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