Public, private, or home-schooled?
And out of curiosity, of all the kids that are home-schooled... how many, do you think, have parents that are even remotely qualified to teach high school-level courses? (Calculus, chemistry, physics, biology, English, foreign language, etc.)
I've got a bachelors in Secondary Education... and my husband has his Masters. We've homeschooled our 10 year old daughter, Sarah since Pre-K! She's two years ahead of the public school.
If you're wanting to get "Biblical" about this then just
READ the Bible! It says "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Do you ACTUALLY think a child will get the proper training in a Public Environment that will allow him to "not depart from it?" He'll get training alright... sure, the chemistry, biology, Calculus even physics... (worldly wisdom) but will it "train" him to live a godly, moral life?
I'm not all that great at Math myself... but when it comes time for Trig we'll get a tutor!To me, people who spew out "No Social Interaction" "Not suitable teaching material" Blah blah blah... to me that is a cop out! It is our RIGHT as parents to "train our children".
I went to public school when I was younger... (quite a while ago) and even THEN there was garbage that I wish I'd never seen... my father is a Baptist Minister and he started a Christian School through our church and I LOVED IT! I excelled in my studies and far surpassed the Public School System requirements for graduation.
I've also had others say "You're sheltering your daughter... do you think she'll not SEE *bad* things later on in her life?" Oh yeah... let's ALL live by THIS principle! DUH! We are "equipping" our daughter to FACE these obstacles later on... she is not strong enough to ward off the "firy darts of the devil" by herself right now... and we, as godly, Christian parents, should not EXPECT that! If you think I'm talking about the Cirriculum then you're SORELY mistaken... there are some GREAT teachers in Public School with great teaching abilities... it's the peer pressure and the worldliness she'd have to face. YES, she has to face that even in our neighborhood... but we can help "control" that.
If you think we are 'controlling' then so be it. But I've SEEN what the public school system has done to many young "Christian" children and we REFUSE to allow that to happen to Sarah.
For what it's worth... *Public Schools* were a "tradition of man" that started in Ancient Greece for "boys!"
ATHENS: In ancient Athens, the purpose of education was to produce citizens trained in the arts, to prepare citizens for both peace and war. Girls were not educated at school, but many learned to read and write at home, in the comfort of their courtyard. Until age 6 or 7, boys were taught at home by their mother or by a male slave. From age 6 to 14, they went to a neighborhood primary school or to a private school. Books were very expensive and rare, so subjects were read out-loud, and the boys had to memorize everything. To help them learn, they used writing tablets and rulers.
So, what is my "stand" about Public Education? Hmmmm... let's see...
Christian Education as in Christian Schools? I don't mind them... although I've seen SOME Christian Schools become glorified Public Schools.
For my husband and I, homeschooling is the BEST and most appropriate way to train our daughter... not just for the academics but for the Biblical training of raising "Godly seed" for His Glory.
I'm sure there ARE those who are not "appropriately trained" to teach their children at home... but I applaud and commend them for trying! We use School of Tomorrow Cirriculum and will start Saxon Math for Sarah's 5th grade year... and I'm QUITE pleased with the outcome!
I know enough to know that I've been a mom for 18 years and I'm no where near an expert. Different children learn at different rates. I know my children better than any teacher who has to deal with 20-30 of them at a time.
From His_Child (You go girl!)
Lady Kay
P.S. As a side note: I think it was the year before last that at the National Spelling Bee HOMESCHOOLERS won first and second place...
Hmmmm.... interesting!