September 10. 2000 - Disagreements About Homeschooling

Regarding family disagreements over homeschooling:
Those who are apprehensive about homeschooling are usually die-hard products of
the public school system and are not willing to open their eyes to something
different that could be even (shock!) BETTER! When we first started
homeschooling, my dad was TOTALLY against it! I mean TOTALLY! And I am a
certified teacher!!!! Through the years, though, he has seen how Ryan has
turned out and has been able to compare him to others he knows that are also
Ryan's age. Ryan is more articulate, polite, has a self-starting attitude, is
a positive person, has leadership qualities above and beyond those his age and
those of older teenagers (he was appointed captain of his soccer team as a
freshman, and again this year as a sophomore, even though there were older
upper classmen on the team). He creates his own school schedule and follows it
meticulously. He can carry on an extremely intelligent coversation with people
of all ages. He has confidence, and a good overall knowledge of how to
approach new things and new situations. He does NOT follow the crowd, he is
willing to stand up for what he believes to be right, he is a servant in church
ministries. Ryan is living proof to my dad, that homeschooling WORKED! Ryan
did NOT get this way by being force-fed worksheets, reading try textbooks, and
taking tests, by spending more time around his peers than he does with his
family, by going to class day in and day out - being told to take out his
textbook and turn to page 23, then do his assignment, then line up, then go to
the next class, etc.

Today, my dad is our biggest supporter, and he follows the progress of Learning
Adventures with healthy pride and admiration. He can see now how important it
is for children to be INVOLVED and ENGAGED in the learning process, not just
following along with the program like little robots. Yes, they need guidance,
but they will never learn to be self-motivators if we do not guide them to do
so - and if we are not there with them during the major part of their days, we
cannot do this!

Am I saying that public-schooled children can never turn out this way?
Absolutely not, I only know what I see everyday as "normal" behavior from the
majority of these kids - even Christians. Homeschooling has to be right for
you, and I really believe it must be a calling. Many of you have older
children who attend ps successfully. What I am saying, is that in
homeschooling our children, we have a better opportunity to mold our children's
attitudes and work habits, keep their minds and hearts pure, and foster their
self-motivational skills - because they are in a loving, trusting environment
in which they can try these skills and develop confidence in using them without
danger, ridicule, or loss of self esteem. What a privilege!