1990 January/February issue Part 1

Homeschooling

A reader asks me, as grandmother and outside observer of homeschooled children, to answer her questions. Is any school out of the question for Christians?

   While homeschooling is an alternative I would urge all parents carefully to consider and earnestly to pray about, I would not say that a regular school is “out of the question for a Christian.” I went to public schools myself through the ninth grade (public schools were quite different fifty years ago from what they are now, I think), and then to a Christian boarding school, mainly because I wanted Christian friends. There was no such thing as a Christian day school that we knew of.

   I had a good many misgivings when my daughter and her husband decided to try homeschooling. Would the children receive the best education this way? Could Valerie possibly cope with that, in addition to all other “mothering” duties? Would the children rebel? I have been happily surprised at the “proof of the pudding”- e.g. when the oldest, Walter, finished second grade he tested at twelfth grade reading level. The rate at which children learn is astonishing when given individual attention and allowed to work at their own speed. There were many interruptions and distractions with three pre-school-age children in the house, but the work seems to get done, perhaps not always triumphantly but somehow.

   But what about the argument that children should be in public school sharing the gospel, as salt and light? my correspondent asks. That seems to me an exceedingly heavy burden to place on a child. A Christian child can witness just by being obedient, diligent and honest, of course, but I would not make the decision to place him there for that reason. The importance of strong nurturing at home, without separation from parents during the crucial first eight years or so, can hardly be exaggerated in today’s world. But again, this is a matter for the parents themselves to decide before God.

   A fascinating book which not only allayed my fears but opened to me compelling reasons for homeschooling that I had not thought of before is David and Micki Colfax’s Homeschooling for Excellence, Warner Brooks (available through your local Christian bookstore). They homeschooled four sons from kindergarten through high school. All four went to Harvard. Read the book before you make the decision for your family. It’s an eye-opener!