A Case for Homeschooling

You know that feeling when your computer crashes and you lose lots of good stuff! I recently got my computer back and found that I could access all my stuff that I'd thought was gone forever. The following is an article I wrote for the local homeschooling newspaper last year. Thought I'd post it so that I don't lose it again.

3-18-07

A Case For Homeschooling

By Jeffery Weita ( A Homeschooling Dad)

So, having suddenly woken up in the middle of the night with a stuffy nose and being unable to breathe, I found myself in the middle of a discourse with a man, explaining to him why it was I was a homeschooling parent. Was it a dream or was it real? I’m sure that you have found yourself awakened in a similar situation, in the midst of topics familiar and unfamiliar, with people both real and imagined and later said to yourself, “Oooohhh, I wish I had written that down. I was so good and logical and sensible. I laid that argument out so well! I just wish I remembered what I had said.” When suddenly I found myself wide awake and in front of my computer, tapping furiously away, lest the wisdom of the night dissipate like the clouds of vapor on my pond, on a cool morning at sunrise.

Many times during the last 10 years, I have often found myself reverting to the defensive when attempting to explain to individuals my position on a certain subject, which is often brought to the forefront by a simple question. “Why do you Homeschool?” This seemingly innocuous question has caused a plethora of answers to spew forth from my mind and mouth, everything ranging from quality of education to parental input to Biblical mandate to “it’s none of your business.” All of which are perfectly logical, sensible answers and all of which satisfies neither the questioner nor the answerer. So before I forget my cogent and precise arguments in my state of greater wakefulness, here is the answer I would always love to give at a moments notice without hesitation nor defensiveness. I have the ball. I’m going on offense!

Perhaps the most elemental of beginning is simply Choice. My wife and I find ourselves the primary educators of our children because long ago, before we were joined in holy matrimony, we decided during our courtship that one of the tenets of our union was to homeschool our children together. We had always felt that if God saw fit to give us kids, then it was our duty and responsibility, hence our Mandate, to, firstly, raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and secondly, to provide a quality of education unmatched by government schools. Now while choice is the logical starting point, it, in and of itself, is not enough to keep us on the narrow road of home education. (Doesn’t “narrow road remind you of another reference to the “narrow road” that one takes on the journey of spiritual education? But I digress.)

Which leads us to Mandate. By definition, as given by Websters, a mandate is “…an authoritative command: a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one: an authorization to act.” And I, being an inferior individual, am sensible enough to recognize the call of a superior being, that call to act with authority from above to shape and transform the offspring entrusted to us, taking them from young skulls of mush to young men and women of God able to stand firmly on their own two feet and with confidence push back the tide of secular humanism that they will inevitably encounter in college, the workplace and in everyday life.

Having worked in the government schools as a teacher and having dealt with them as a foster parent, my former faith in the public educational system was shaken. I mean, was I not a product of public education and didn’t I turn out OK? Was I so enamored with the idea of freedom from my kids and the ability to acquire the necessary greenbacks that I was willing to sacrifice my kids on the alter of ambition and avarice? After hard thought, and hard thought it was, we decided that, as difficult as it may be, we would follow Mandate. Thus I worked for myself, out of my home, on one income, so that my wife could stay home and be the daycare worker, the kindergarten teacher, the after school monitor, the nurse and cafeteria cook. And great the sacrifice it was to do that. Our society demands that we look a certain way, drive the newest vehicle, eat at the hippest restaurants and wear the finest of clothing. Are we not taught that both parents working is for the good of the child? “Now we have the ability to give the best to our child, (if we only had the time).” But in whose interest is it, really? The siren call of material gain is tremendous. Yet we, like Odysseus, lashed ourselves to the mast of Mandate, not heeding the siren call of riches and made the life-impacting choice of homeschooling. For it not only impacted my children, but my wife and me as well. The doing without, the praying for sustenance, the giving of time and energy. We know that we are not alone in our choices, that we are not the first to carve a trail into the unknown, for many of you have made similar sacrifices for the good of future generations. It is Mandate that pushes us, guides us, keeps us.

Mandate leads us to Worldview. What does the lens through which we view the world look like? What are we going to teach our children and Why? A Worldview, according to The Universe Next Door by James Sire, is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic make-up of our world. We all see things in our world differently due to upbringing, culture, education and religion. And if Mandate dictates that we shape our child’s views, what is it that we use to hone and craft modern-day thinkers? If we are uncertain, it behooves us to find out. What do we believe and why? Because what we believe will inevitably be passed down to our kids. What we think, they will adapt and call their own. Is the lens through which I view the world Cross-shaped or does it look different? If the Mandate is passed to me from a higher authority I must know what that authority says about religion, politics, relationships, business, economics, art, music and literature. If I do not know, I must find out and when I find out, I must pass it on. It is OUR responsibility to raise our children with a Biblical world view, NOT the responsibility of a nameless, faceless bureaucracy with a Humanistic world view. We would no more leave our children physically in the hands of a stranger, yet many in our society feel compelled to leave them both physically and mentally with strange people and stranger ideas. If I am not with them during the educational hours, how do I know what is being instilled in their young skulls of mush?

Worldview leads us to Process. The How-to-do-it. What curriculum do I choose, how many hours a day, to FCAT or not, am I up to the task at hand? The Mandate is a great and glorious cause, the reason to cast caution aside and ride off into the sunset on a charger of great size. Yet the day to day, week to week, month to month can wear away at our resolve. Chuck Swindoll once said,”The problem with Christianity is that it is so daily.” Line upon line, precept upon precept we shape and fashion and mold. Resolve and stick-to-it-ivness become our handmaidens. Each of us have our own process, our own blueprint that we follow because we know our children the best and what is best for them. Follow your instinct and the prodding of your conscience. Our goal is to create children who think for themselves, able to process knowledge and information, not just learners who have accumulated facts but do not know how to apply them.

Never let ones questioning of what you do or why you do it cause you to question yourself. Are you called? Do you have a Mandate? Are you following your Mandate? Is your Worldview solidified, understandable and transferable? Does your Process bear fruit? Can it be replicated easily?

So I say to those who ask, “Why do you homeschool?” the following:

“We homeschool because we have made a choice to have a Biblical worldview which says that we have a mandate from God to teach, shape and fashion our children with time-tested methods and curriculum because we are creating world shakers and world changers.” I bet you that will create some opportunities for discussion. For we are called not only to educate our own but educate others. “This is the way, walk ye in it.” It is not for our personal gain that we engage in battle. It is for the hearts and minds of our children. If you don’t step up, who will?

Peace on the Journey!
Traveler