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Is homeschooling right for my son? For our family, the answer was not as simple as you might think. My oldest son starts first grade next week. I am a full time Children’s pastor – and get to hear plenty of strong opinions on both sides of the issue. Many of our friends want us to join the Christian homeschooling movement. But I need to know what is right for my son?
To help decide, I’ve made this list of pros and cons. This is my homeshcooling verses public schooling list. In our town, we have an excellent public school system, a new Christian school and a strong homeschooling community. I’ve ruled out the private Christian school because of its price. I’d love to hear what you think about this list. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Christian Homeschooling Pros
- Christian Homeschooling Curriculum: The whole homeschooling program facilitates learning. It seems like Christian homeschooling can provide an excellent education. There is so much supporting material on the internet. Crosswalk.com provides online homeschooling resources. You might also like LifeWay’s homeschool resource page. I’ve started a list of home school curriculum
- Homeschooling would give us more family time. Kids spend so much time in public schools that they become strangers to their parents. Christian homeschooling would allow us to spend time with our son during these short years.
- Christian values are a part of Christian homeschooling curriculum. All parents must teach the Bible to their children. But homeschooling curriculum would add a whole new level of religious education.
- Christian homeschooling provides a high level of safety. Public schools can be dangerous both physically and emotionally for children. Peer interaction often tends toward bullying. Homeschooling would clearly protect my son.
Christian Homeschooling Cons
- Homeschooling would reduce my son’s opportunities to make friends outside of our church. He is a pastor’s kid and spends almost too much time with other Christian children.
- My son loves his school. After kindergarten, he couldn’t wait to go back for more. I’m sure he would love homeschooling but he definitely is a social guy.
- Christian homeschooling would reduce my contacts with unbelievers. As a Children’s pastor it seems like all I do is talk to other Christian parents. Getting involved in public school means getting involved with unchurched families.
- Homeschooling would not give my son experience dealing with with ‘worldly people.’ Dealing with mean people is a skill that kids must learn. Christian homeschooling would protect my son from these people. But only for a little while.
Is Christian Homeschooling The Answer?
After serious consideration, we think public school is right for our son. I know some of you will disagree with me. But several our Christian friends teach at our school. We also get involved. So, this will be a year-by-year decision. I’m sure we’ll be having these same talks next year.
What about you? Are you involved in Christian homeschooling?
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I have had exactly the same conversation with myself and God!!! My husband is the youth pastor at our church (part-time, small church). I have had the same lists of pros and cons you presented and have come to the same conclusion. We are going to take it year by year. I homeschooled my older 2 children for several years successfully. They are grown now. God took me from being anti-homeschooling to being very glad I decided to follow His lead after we ended up in Washington DC (terrible public schools!!). Anyway, now we are in small town America and our younger two are in 1st and 3rd grade and are doing very well. We’ll keep our eyes open to what is going on in school. We’ll stay involved. We’ll stay in prayer.
Please update and let us curious types know what you decided and how it went! Thanks and God bless.
Our family is praying and is considering christian school for our 4yr old daughter next year. Thank you all for the insight on many topics I did not consider. My husband and I want the Lord to use us and give us the wisdom we need in raising our children in His word. Homeschooling is another option for us to consider. If we were to homeschool can anyone share what would be the first step in doing so..do we have to register, buy books or other materials, are there certain rules to follow?
Thank you
I think state laws vary. Generally you need to file some paperwork with the local or state school board. You might try asking this one in our forum/help desk too.
Well, a lot has been said and I couldn’t even read all of them. I do not condemn anyone who chooses public schooling. That was originally my choice. When I went to the school to find out about K registration, I had a ‘dark’ feeling. Later the VP told a mutual friend of ours that the place was a spiritual war zone.
You will deal with some issues no matter what school they attend. My children (we’ve homeschooled now for 10 years) are not lacking in socialization (BTW, you have to think about who is socializing (training) your child-peers or a group of mixed ages, which is more like the “real” world.)
Homeschooled kids have more opportunities to pursue their God given talents and interests.
Any educator will tell you one-on-one instruction is more beneficial for a student.
Our family is much closer than most, and I attribute that to being able to spend so much time together. Every time the children take a test, and I grade it, they have to call Dad and tell him how they did-good or bad. I love the closeness, the relationships that homeschool fosters.
My children have told me that field trips are much better when the group is smaller, than with our homschool group. It’s more personal and you learn more, can see better.
I, too, debated with sending my children to public school because they are to be a light to the world. But I know that God showed me they can be lights even when homeschooled. They are out in the world during the day. I get comments constantly that they are so friendly, they know how to talk with all ages of people and aren’t afraid to look adults in the eye when they talk with them.
Are my kids perfect? Not in the least!! There are many times when it would be so convenient to just send them away to school. But my time with them is short and I want to give them everything possible.
And I will agree with what one writer said: their character and spiritual development is far more important than book learning. I didn’t mean for this to be so long; just a lot of thoughts on this subject-the more I’ve studied, the more I have. In any case, be involved with your child’s education.
Hi Tony,
I really appreciate your site. It’s seems like you continually manage to get a discussion going on very important issues that I don’t see discussed very often elsewhere.
Many good points have been made in favor of homeschooling. I don’t need to repeat them. However one thing I’m concerned about is the idea that this is a year by year decision. As a former home schooler myself, I’ve seen over and over that if kids are not home schooled from the beginning it’s a lot more difficult, sometimes impossible, for them to adjust if their parents decide to home school later on. Homeschooling is not for everyone but for a lot of people the reason it doesn’t work is because their kids have already been too influenced by regular school and or don’t have a proper respect for their parents. I would suggest that you start with home school and if you are convicted you need to change later on then change later.
Also please bear in mind that you could have the best, most Christian, public school teacher in the world but he/she will still be unable to counteract the decided secularist point of view coming from the curriculum and administration/teacher’s union. Public school is actively being used to change the world view of our country, even in good rural schools. For that reason I believe that for a christian the only two options should be church school or home school.
Steve,
Thanks for the encouragement and the perspective on this issue.
I disagree that for a Christian the only two options are church school and homeschool. We can’t afford a private, Christian education and I don’t agree with homeschooling. I am a public school teacher, and I have conversations with my students about God and Jesus. I believe I show them Jesus daily. I have also never taught anything that I don’t believe in. They may not teach Creation in high schools, but how can we truly test what we believe if we never know any other points of view??
….and wow excellent points and oh so, so true! I have 4 blessings and your cooments are so helpful. i hope someone can start a blog of somekind that puts aside their experiences, their opions aside and just speaks the truth about such matters for God.
God bless!
KT,
You hit it right on the nail! =) Thank you for your God centered response!
Lets all be careful to not make our emotions/feelings concerning our childrens experiences or our own experiences a rule and or truth for all. Bring everything before the Lord in prayer and his perfect will for you will be shown. His will and ways are better then mans way or good intentions or mans traditions or what everyone else is doing or what even we’d like to do. God’s will above all others including our own needs to be followed in such descissions as these where there is no commandment to homeschool and where God is silent about.
God bless!
As a new reader, I am curious what you did last year, and if you are going to do the same this year?
I will be homeschooling my kindergartener this fall. But my reasons are a bit different than most. I have a BS in Elementary Ed. I have 7 years of classroom experience, as well as 8 years of corporate business experience.
I taught HS English at our local Christian school, and I am so glad I did. I learned that I don’t want my kids attending there; especially as teens. I observed that it is a breeding ground for rebellion.
I also don’t want to send my children to public school. I have all the concerns of worldly influences and curriculum that is not God-centered. Our schools are not that great, and as they get older, they have to ride the bus farther and farther.
My thoughts are that no one knows my child better than I do. No one cares more about what my child learns than I do. No one cares more about the end product than I do. And no one else is more excited to be there for all the sweet learning moments with my children during the day than I am. And I want to be sure my son loves to learn. That will benefit him more in the long run than social interactions.
The curriculum I chose for this year cost less than $200. I will supplement the curriculum with classic literature of my choosing from the public library.
Other pros: Besides saving $2000 by not choosing the Christian school, I don’t have to buy special school clothes for my little guy. We will be involved in the homeschool group. My son will never have a problem being anti-social. He loves to visit with all the elderly people in our neighborhood, and often invites them unabashadly to our church. We will be able to plan many relevant field trips, and his little sister will not miss him all day long.
Those are just my thoughts. I don’t have a problem with people choosing other options, since no two situations are the same.
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