Who has the authority to decide who should or should not homeschool? What standard do we use? Does Johnny's inability to read at nine necessarily mean he'd be better off in school? Does taking a year away from the textbooks to tour the United States as a family qualify as an education? If 12-year-old Susie is working on Grade 9 algebra, writing at an 8th grade level, shares science lessons with her 11-year-old brother, and spells at a 5th grade level, is she behind, ahead or average? To whom does the responsibility of our children's education belong?
I'll give you a hint: the answer is hidden in the question ("Who's responsible for your child's education?").
It's not the NEA.
It's not the government.
It's not the church.
It's not the Ph.D. who scoffs at the dyslexic mother teaching her own children.
God says that you bear the responsibility for raising your child. (See Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:1,2,6,7; 11:18,19; 1 Samuel 28; 2:2; Psalm 78:1-7; Proverbs 4:3-5; 22:6; Galatians 4:2; Ephesians 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:11,12)
This doesn't mean that every parent must homeschool; it means that every parent is responsible for what their child is getting taught.
Most Christians agree with this in theory, but not in practice. For example, instead of "What about all the homeschoolers that shouldn't be homeschooling?" why are we not asking, "What about all the kids in public school who are subjected to an education that's failing miserably on every level?"
Why is the solution for homeschoolers who "shouldn't" be homeschooling to quit, but the solution for government schools is to "get fixed," when the more money we pour into the system, the worse it gets?
Perhaps it's because deep down, we fundamentally believe that we are not responsible for our children's education. Maybe the church is. Maybe the government is. Maybe the NEA is. Maybe experts are better off deciding what our children should learn and when.
Let me ask you, if it's not your responsibility to educate your child, then what is your responsibility? Who's job is it to see that they are clothed and fed, and have a roof over their head?
We can't just exempt ourselves from the parts of raising a child that make us feel uncomfortable or ill-equipped. God didn't delegate their religious instruction to the church, their academic education to the school, their housing and dietary needs to the state, and leave the easy, convenient parts for you.
You might not have a degree. You might be a highschool drop-out. You might even be illiterate (though I highly doubt it if you're reading this post). You can send your child to school and transfer your authority to someone else, or relinquish some of your control and direction to a private tutor, or instruct your child at your kitchen table. It doesn't matter how smart or dumb anyone thinks you are; if you have children, you are responsible for their education, just as you are responsible for feeding and clothing them.
The beauty of homeschooling is that it allows us to know what we are being responsible for. If I feel I'm not capable of teaching my child advanced algebra, I can give the authority to their mathematically-minded grandfather. I can hire my sister to give music lessons or ask my mother-in-law to teach our girls how to sew. They can come to our home, or I can sit in on the class, observe what my child is getting taught and ensure they are being respectful and listening attentively.
The luxury of attending a class you've given someone else the authority to teach is a perk of homeschooling not afforded those who send their child to school. Consider Cindy Dyer's observation in You Want A Christian Nation?:
"... try walking into {your child's} classroom unannounced and directing them to do jumping-jacks all the way out the door to the car. Not only would you be escorted from the premises for disrupting class, your child herself would look at you as if you were insane, and then she would disobey you. Instead, she’d look to her teacher to get her out of this crazy situation. This would happen not because you’re insane, but because she recognizes the authority of the state above your own. (Though you obviously are insane. I mean, really. Jumping jacks, mom? But you’re still her parent, and she is still sinning when she disobeys you.)
But let's have a less absurd example. Just go try to withdraw your child from school for a month of doing whatever you want to do. No explanation, no doctor’s note, no emergency. You just want to be with your child this month. See what the principal says about that. The very fact that you have to ask permission from a stranger who has no moral right to tell you what to do with your own child, rather than being able to politely and quickly retrieve your child, ought to tell you all you need to know." Parenting is a serious job because really, they're not our children; they are simply on loan to us from the Lord to raise for His purposes. I can't just do with them whatever I see fit. My responsibility is to raise them to love, honor, respect, and obey God, while being fully dependent on His mercy for their salvation. I must see to it that they are getting a Christian education that pleases the Lord, regardless of whether it's at home or abroad.
I am not taking my responsibility before God seriously if I sit behind the computer scrolling through my Facebook feed when I should be teaching math to children who are using their unsupervised freedom to hurl Mega Blocks at each other.
I am not taking my responsibility before God seriously if I allow my child to be taught that the earth evolved from stardust; that they are related to animals, and hence, bestiality may be permissible; that it's okay if Heather Has Two Mommies; that what's right for you might not be right for someone else; that standardized tests measure your value; that the purpose of education is your future career.
The question is, do you know what you're being responsible for? If you are uncomfortable about something your child is being taught, are you in a position to make the change that's needed? Do you view your job seriously enough to speak up even if it means you'll be viewed as "one of those parents?" Are you willing to make a curriculum change mid-year instead of trying to force it to work because you spent a lot of money on the program? Are you willing to make the sacrifices required in order to give your children everything you believe God requires in an education at home if it's not happening elsewhere?
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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family