"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Pr. 1:7)
The other day one of my friends posted on her FB status that she may start homeschooling. That was basically all it said, but it was amazing the miniature discussion that it sparked with people who were quite opinionated. Some people said "NO!" and other totally agreed with the idea and understood her concerns. I've really thought about it a lot since then, and so decided to share my thoughts and opinions here.
Brandon and I have discussed this quite a bit...before I was even pregnant with our son. Brandon went to a private Christian school from about 5th grade on, and I went to a public school in a small town. He used to think that was the only option for his kids and I used to think that public school was fine. (If it was good enough for me, it's good enough for them, right?) Since all of our discussions about it, we've both changed our minds. We have come to the conclusion that when it comes to schooling for our children, it just depends. It depends on where we are living at that time and what public school or private school options are available. It depends on whether or not we can reasonably afford private school in the first place. It depends on whether or not I'm working to determine whether homeschooling is even a possibility. All of these things are important. But most of all, it depends on our children.
I have known kids who were very well-suited to public education, some who were better off in private school, and some who excelled in homeschooling and more self-motivated modes of study. The point is, everyone is different. We have different personalities and learning styles. I have a problem with blanket statements such as "All home-schooled kids have zero social skills" or "If kids are forced to go to private Christian school, they will rebel" and I think the worst are jokes about people educated in public schools. I personally take offense to that, having been educated and having taught in public schools. Pastors are sometimes the worst about making jokes like this (and I can rag on them a little bit since my husband is a pastor).
There are as many educational experiences in the world as there are people, because learning does not take place just in a classroom, but in life. And it always begins at home, probably much earlier than any of us realize. There are also as many potential successful educational experiences in the world as there are people and if they all look different, it's ok. If I have 4 children and one goes to public, one to private, one half private and half homeschool and one full-time homeschool, that's GREAT! If that is what is best for each and every one of them as individuals, that is what I would like to be able to provide for them. Will I let them choose? I doubt it, especially early on. Hopefully I will have the knowledge and wisdom needed to determine their strengths and weaknesses and to take into account their learning styles so that I, as their parent, can give them the best opportunity for success, academically and socially.
I am not an expert on this subject and I don't have all of the answers. I have taught in a public school. It was an elementary school in a ghetto part of town, so as far as seeing the trash that kids are exposed to at a young age, I have seen the worst. I have taught in a private school overseas in Korea where I had students from the most affluent families in the area. I taught in public middle schools in Korea where the schools were separated, boys and girls, and they wore uniforms. I have also taught at a preparatory academy where the students went to private school part-time and were home-schooled the rest of the time. No matter what setting you are in, or even what country for that matter, the same problems exist everywhere. More often than not, the root of the problems are with what values have been taught in the home and what is held up as ultimate by the parents.
Some people don't have options. My parents didn't. We lived in a small town, they both needed to work and were teachers, so I went to public school. Some don't have money to pay for private school. Some don't have the luxury of staying home to home-school. Whatever the situation, it can work. Home-schooled children can have the best social skills and be very well-adjusted when home-schooling is done well. Public educated children can be intelligent and challenged academically and can be lights in a dark world to other students if they are well-prepared at home to deal with the challenges they may face. Children educated in private Christian schools can grow in their knowledge of and love for God because they are exposed to the Word and have amazing teachers/coaches who are daily speaking truth into their lives but mostly because they are taught these truths, first and foremost, at home.
I think asking how we will educate our children is an important question. I think many times it's premature. First, I think we should be asking "How will we parent?" and "Who are our children"? Only then can we truly provide what's best for them.
