I just recently heard a feminist school teacher talking about home schooling.
I could hardly sit there patiently while she spoke.
But the thing is, she is coming from a TOTALLY different place than I am. I am Christian - first and foremost. If you are an athiest (which I believe she is), how could you possibly understand where I'm coming from? How could you understand that my main concern is not finding the very best educational curriculum that best matches the public school - my main concern is GOD. I want my children to first and foremost love the Lord, learn what HE wants for their lives. Yes, even in their education - GOD comes first, not oh-the-holy-math-curriculum or some such blather....
We simply do not separate God out into a nice little box on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. He is our main focus in EVERYTHING. Yes, EVERYTHING!
So when I look at curriculum, I look at what GOD would want my children to learn (and yes, He does talk about this in his Word - read Deuteronomy). How does a particular series view God (yes, ALL education has some kind of religious-bent to it ~ I want it to be Christian, not Buddist or Muslim or atheist, etc.)?
Also, I believe God made each child an individual with strengths and weaknesses - who will progress differently. Therefore, I am not all that interested in "grade levels" (except as a very loose guide). There will also be some subjects my children may excell at, and some he/she may not grasp as easily. So be it.
Back to the feminist ~ she was concerned about the "worst case scenario" situation. What if a home schooled child ends up back in public school? You should therefore map out your child's education at home to line up with the public school, "just in case". Yikes.... no thank you.
That's like saying, "well, I should be prepared for my husband to leave me - I should set aside money in secret, I should never fully give my heart away, I should never fully trust - because well, we *might* get a divorce". If you go into a marriage like this, then you are doomed. Divorce is NOT an option around here. It is never in our thoughts, it is never brought out on the table when we are having issues - no way.
Same with our schooling. If we go into home education with the option of sending our kid's to public school still on the table, well, we're doomed (and so are our children). Could our children have to attend public school? Could some horrible thing happen to me, to their father, that would cause them to be forced into public school? I guess so. But that's not how we plan our life.
We plan on life around God, around what HE wants for us. If the "worst" happens, we will deal with it then. We will make the necessary adjustments and trust God to get us through the rough parts.
A full reliance on Him.
Yes, even in our children's education.
*Michigan Momma*
7 comments:
This is very powerful Lori. Once again you took my thoughts and feelings and put them into words. I have come across so many "Chrstian" homeschoolers who do what you wrote about; follow the public school course of study "just in case". What they don't understand is the public school course of study is what we need to run away from! It's not all about the three R's! Thanks for the wonderful post. I hope your little ones (and you!) are feeling better.
Mary in TN (blog is not updated)
I felt the same way. Its hard to get unbelievers or people who think you are "crazy" to ever comprehend what you are doing and why you are doing it. Even people at my church don't understand and constantly question me. It can be annoying, but by the grace of God I muster through without putting my foot in my mouth too often. LOL
Words of wisdom!
My "advice" for a worst case scenario... Teach your children to self teach :) Then they dont need teachers if that lady needs to be a single parent or return to work.... :)
Honestly I dont know how Lost people Homeschool or even function in life. The Lord is my Helper, what could I do with out him? Where would my strength come from? How could I be competent to make Big decisions for my children or my life? Call me crazy.
Way to go Princess. I couldn't have said it better.
I'm with you!
Miss you, too!
Holly
I think it would be great if public schools lined up their curriculums with each other "just in case" children had to move and switch schools.
When my brother was in elementary school, he moved for one year to a different state. The new state taught multiplication and division one year sooner than his previous state. He missed the introductory year twice, and NEVER recovered. His confidence plummeted, he grew to hate school, and ended up never going to college.
Neither school system gave him the help that he needed. I'm sure this situation happens all of the time. Why should home schoolers have to plan "just in case" when school systems don't? And which system should we line our curriculum up with, public, private, or the state we might be transferred to?
I hope you'll forgive me for the comparison, Lori, but some of these ardent public school defenders remind me of the doctors who advocate elective c-sections for any woman. There really is no risk-free scenario. "Just in case" can happen at home, and it can happen at school, too.
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