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Home
| Should
YOU Homeschool Your Children? |
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Remember, please: |
| I don't know — but God does. If
your heart is bent on pleasing God, you cannot make a wrong decision. Now let me ask you
some more questions to help refine your thoughts. What are you reading in Scripture that
is stirring you up to homeschool? Got a verse that just constricts your heart with
conviction? I didn't. However, I
did have an uneasy feeling that my time with our kids was spinning out of my hands; that
others got to enjoy their company. And I was "worried" about academics. Not very
spiritual, huh?
Then, I began asking those women, who had formerly
been the butt of some of my jokes, why I should not homeschool. "Don't tell me why I
should homeschool," I said, "Tell me why I shouldn't homeschool." To
a woman, about ten women said: "Don't homeschool if you are unwilling to lose control
of your time." |
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.A good education begins in the heart, not the brain; for it is God who
sets the heart at peace so the mind can pursue wisdom.
( Deut. 6:6-7, Prov. 4:23)
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| Now I gotta tell you — I had
just gotten my youngest into full-time school and I was getting "a LIFE."
Ladies' Bible studies, ladies' lunches, uncomplicated strolls through the grocery store
aisles — even one or two uninterrupted conversations with my husband were mine. I
also have to confess: I am not DOMESTIC! I am not too fond about the confusion that comes
with children. I don't play games, dress-up or enjoy little league. Plainly put: I battle
self-centeredness and an overwhelming urge for my OWN space, and peace. "Mother of
the year" is never a title someone would associate with my name! |
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| But the dearness of these little
ones that God gave me seemed to be evaporating into the school schedule! We could also see
the onset of academic troubles. Our eldest child is and was a handful
—intellectually, spiritually. Then I found out our youngest also was equipped with
unique challenges, totally different, but just as tricky! And those dear saints at the
school were trying to teach dozens just like them. About this time, I read in some
homeschooling guru's treatise on the joys of homeschooling, all of which attracted me,
like a DUMB moth is to a flame, that on the average, our children experience about 1 ˝
minutes of the classroom teacher's personal attention. One and one-half minutes?
Even I could give the kids more than that! |
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. A heart at
peace is not idle, but eager to know its Creator and eager to discover and take his or her
place in the created world. This person who pursues God pursues learning.
(Num. 15:39-41, Ps. 37:4)
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| So, I prayed; my husband, who was not
wildly enthusiastic about homeschooling, prayed — for almost six months. God only
kept fanning the desire to be with the children He gave us on loan. And no, I did NOT have
a CLUE what I was doing.
The first couple of years were tough. I will spare you the gory details. However, I will
tell you what my friend, an older sister in Christ, but younger than I, said when I
wondered if I should chuck homeschooling. She reminded me that I would always be
responsible for the training of their characters, no matter where I placed my children
—always. Character training is what I would give an account of before Christ:
character training, not algebra or fine arts. A light dawned: was I telling our kids what
I knew about God?
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An anxious heart does not have time to reflect on God or seek His will. Because time is
always running out and the opportunities for success are escaping, this person always
pursues information, but cannot understand it.
(Matt 13:13-15) |
Gary Cox, superintendent of
Walkersville Christian Family Schools, says: "Home is where they learn the greatest
lessons . . . The goal of home schooling is to release children into the world prepared,
to stand for Christ. The point of home schooling is not academics. The point of home
schooling is to develop a spiritual heritage."
So, should you homeschool your children? First figure out where you can best develop a
spiritual heritage in the Lord. Where's the BEST place to do that? (Homeschooling is not
necessarily the only place to do this — so, NO guilt trips if God has calls you to
choose another education tool, like traditional schooling!) Wrestle with how you are doing
what God requires of parents. *IF* HE calls you home to educate your kids in
the ABC's — He will redeem your time, strengthen your marriage — and even tell
you it is time to log -off the Internet because you have homework to do!
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Useful
information is locked up in books until the wise man or woman tries to understand the
origin of knowledge. "And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of
Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart."
( 2 Chronicles 9: 26)
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| After learning the hard way Who was
in charge of our home education program, I learned that God teaches me so that I can teach
his children. Through homeschooling, I have developed some opinions about education. When
you look up the passages ask God to teach you about learning and about teaching. Look up
the references; do word studies, and personalize the warnings and blessings, confident
that if God called you homeschool, He will support your decision! |
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A well-educated person is one who has the humility and courage to ask God for direction
and instruction to become wise.
(Deut. 4:29, 2 Chronicles 9:23, 2 Chr. 12:14) |
| Our homeschool adventure was not what
all those catalogues promised! We learned many lessons in and out of the textbooks. God
gave us the remarkable privilege of overseeing our son and daughter's preparatory
schooling at home and watching them grow. God also has allowed our two children to watch
their parents grow up a bit. The Lord nurtured our relationships while teaching all of us
that He delights to instruct both children and their parents. He gave us all an appetite
for learning. He accomplished through us what we could not do on our own, and what others
could not do for us. |
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| If you wonder about bringing - or
keeping - your kids home, LISTEN carefully for God's voice. He will direct you in the
midst of all the good advice you are receiving, mine included. If you have doubts, ask Him
to give you His direction. Then do the very next thing, OBEY Him. The Creator of the
Universe, who is your heavenly Father, is more than able to direct your steps to the books
your kids need to read to be "educated." And, He is also the One who can shape
your children's hearts and minds to obey Him and get real wisdom. So, take all the time
you need to decide about homeschooling, but hurry up. Consider praying through some
Scripture, like Deut. 6:1-9, and tell God you and your husband are willing to do whatever
HE tells you. |
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A
good educator is one who believes wisdom lessons are vital and so prepares a message worth
learning. (Deut. 4:9, 29, 39; 11:19-21)
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"Take to your heart all the
words with which I am warning you today,
which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the
words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your
life. And by this word you shall prolong your days in the land, which
you are about to cross the Jordan to possess." (Deut 32:46-47)
©Barbara W. SmithFor more of
Barbara Smith, Co-author with Doug Smith of Lord, Teach Me That I May Teach, visit
their site at
http://www.chfweb.com/smith/
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. A
good educator trusts the Supervisor for sufficient support."For the eyes of the LORD
move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is
completely His . . . "
(2 Chr. 16:9)
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