Before I went to the Orange conference I wrote a series of blog posts talking about why I think you should and should not send your kids to Christian, Public or Home School. I know a few people were offended by some of my posts, I never intended to be offensive in any way, my goal was to throw out the pro’s and con’s of each option. I wanted to close out the series with a few of my own conclusions.
1. Pray – Sounds simple but sometimes we forget to pray about the simple everyday things.
2. “Every Kid – Every Year” – Take the educational process one kid at a time one year at a time. Every option has it’s pluses and it’s minuses you have to know your kid and know what God has for each of them.
3. Don’t be blind to the positives or the negatives of each option. – Forgetting this one will be a huge detriment to the welfare of your kids. Because you get so focused on defending your position that it’s the only position that you will be able to see. When you no longer see the negatives you don’t take the steps to counteract them.
4. Why you do what you do matters – The reasons that you do something is as important as what you do. If you are trying to protect your kids from pain and from the evil influences in their life I think you are doing them a huge disservice trying to teach kids about the evils of Santa, the Easter bunny and Halloween doesn’t teach them about how to live the power of the gospel every day. Do I want my kids to experience pain, no, but I realize that sheltering them from pain does not give me the opportunity to walk them through it and to ultimately point them to Christ.
5. Never assume what you are doing is the ONLY way. We send our kids to public school I don’t think it’s the only right way. I am totally open to either Home Schooling or sending them to Christian school. We want our kids to grow up being examples to the wold of what a Gospel centered kid looks like and I know you do to.
Through this whole series my motives have been pure I really want to help parents make the right decision for them. I simply tried to point out the pro’s and con’s of each system as I see them. It’s unfortunate that a few homeschool advocates felt that I was attacking them. I do want to thank everyone who left a comment, talking through things and offering your perspective has been valuable to me and to the community as a whole thanks.
Read Oswald a while back and he said "never make the movement of God in your life a principal for everyone". I believe so many do this about schooling. If one has a good experience w/ PS, HS or CS then it becomes a principal that everyone must follow….thanks for the post man!!
Thanks man. Appreciate it.
I think you did an excellent job with this series. If people will take the time to read ALL the posts, it is easy to see where you pointed out both positives and negatives of each position from direct observations and personal experiences.
Thank you for taking the time to put this out there. I think it can be a valuable resource to those willing to check it out and read it all of the way through.
Thanks Jared. I think that's something people failed to do read all the posts. I hope they will serve to help families when they are trying to decide where to send their kiddos. It is not easy and no matter what you chose you have to trust God. PS, CS or HS you have to trust God it looks different depending on where your kids are but the bottom line is trust, trust and trust.
I did read through all of your posts on the pros and cons and can appreciate that your intent was to open people's eyes to see that there are pros and cons to all systems of education, and our responsibility is to carefully weigh what God would want for our children. I couldn't agree with you more on that point.
I wanted to wait until the conclusion to weigh in, and really questioned whether I should at all. I will freely admit that the Cons of Homeschooling raised my hackles. Your graphic had me trying to keep an open mind before I even had the chance to read a word. I'm a Children's Pastor in a church with a Christian School and we are the only homeschooling family in our church. We've been homeschooling our 4 kids for 10 years and believe that homeschooling is the best option for those who can homeschool, and the worst option for those who can't. I'd lke to offer a little perspective for the Cons of Homeschooling because there are definitely cons to homeschooling. They need to be taken seriously because they will have a profound impact on your family, not just your kids.
These aren't the stereotypical cons, but from-the-trenches cons.
1. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not something you do or add to your life, so determine if you want that first;
2. Homeschooling is a job and it's intense – the 6 hour break or extra income is usually forfeited, be aware of the sacrifice;
3. Homeschooling will marginalize you – people will make assumptions, speak out of ignorance, treat your children differently, and criticize your decision – make sure you're ready for that;
4. Homeschooling will reveal all your insecurities as a parent and you're greatest weaknesses – make sure you know why you made this decision;
5. Homeschooling often produces kids who look at the world differently – trends, fads, peer pressure, social agendas, & independence from peers is often different with a homeschooled kid. In a world that prefers cookie cutters, these free shapes will stand out.
Andrea,
Great set of comments. Love your honesty and transparency. Your points are well taken. Thanks for giving some parents out there the perspective they may need to make the decision God has for them.
6. Homeschooling is challenging – you'll likely be teaching multiple age levels to multiple learning styles with multiple methods. Most of what you're teaching will either be a review of material learned 25 years ago or never learned at all. Be prepared for the work that it will take. It will keep you up late, busy during the day, and push other pursuits out of the way.
There are real concerns with homeschooling and it is not a decision to take lightly. Our kids have friends from the public, Christian school, and homeschool arenas. Their friends are all great kids that we are happy to have in their lives. Their parents are also fully invested, intentional parents. It's been said many times in response to these posts, but that's what makes the difference. The rest is really preference based on child, family dynamic, and options in the area, in conjunction with prayer for God's direction.
Of all the posts you put up in this series, I think this one is the most important. Great way to sum it all up and emphasize the importance of seeking God and doing what is best for each of your children.
Read Oswald a while back and he said "never make the movement of God in your life a principal for everyone". I believe so many do this about schooling. If one has a good experience w/ PS, HS or CS then it becomes a principal that everyone must follow….thanks for the post man!!
Thanks man. Appreciate it.
So you chose to put your kids in public school?
I think you did an excellent job with this series. If people will take the time to read ALL the posts, it is easy to see where you pointed out both positives and negatives of each position from direct observations and personal experiences.
Thank you for taking the time to put this out there. I think it can be a valuable resource to those willing to check it out and read it all of the way through.
Thanks Jared. I think that's something people failed to do read all the posts. I hope they will serve to help families when they are trying to decide where to send their kiddos. It is not easy and no matter what you chose you have to trust God. PS, CS or HS you have to trust God it looks different depending on where your kids are but the bottom line is trust, trust and trust.
Our oldest went to Preschool at a Catholic school and K5 at public and will go to 1st grade at public school, Our middle boy is in pre-K next year and we still aren't sure where to send him. "Every kid, Every year" 🙂
I did read through all of your posts on the pros and cons and can appreciate that your intent was to open people's eyes to see that there are pros and cons to all systems of education, and our responsibility is to carefully weigh what God would want for our children. I couldn't agree with you more on that point.
I wanted to wait until the conclusion to weigh in, and really questioned whether I should at all. I will freely admit that the Cons of Homeschooling raised my hackles. Your graphic had me trying to keep an open mind before I even had the chance to read a word. I'm a Children's Pastor in a church with a Christian School and we are the only homeschooling family in our church. We've been homeschooling our 4 kids for 10 years and believe that homeschooling is the best option for those who can homeschool, and the worst option for those who can't. I'd lke to offer a little perspective for the Cons of Homeschooling because there are definitely cons to homeschooling. They need to be taken seriously because they will have a profound impact on your family, not just your kids.
These aren't the stereotypical cons, but from-the-trenches cons.
1. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not something you do or add to your life, so determine if you want that first;
2. Homeschooling is a job and it's intense – the 6 hour break or extra income is usually forfeited, be aware of the sacrifice;
3. Homeschooling will marginalize you – people will make assumptions, speak out of ignorance, treat your children differently, and criticize your decision – make sure you're ready for that;
4. Homeschooling will reveal all your insecurities as a parent and you're greatest weaknesses – make sure you know why you made this decision;
5. Homeschooling often produces kids who look at the world differently – trends, fads, peer pressure, social agendas, & independence from peers is often different with a homeschooled kid. In a world that prefers cookie cutters, these free shapes will stand out.
Andrea,
Great set of comments. Love your honesty and transparency. Your points are well taken. Thanks for giving some parents out there the perspective they may need to make the decision God has for them.
6. Homeschooling is challenging – you'll likely be teaching multiple age levels to multiple learning styles with multiple methods. Most of what you're teaching will either be a review of material learned 25 years ago or never learned at all. Be prepared for the work that it will take. It will keep you up late, busy during the day, and push other pursuits out of the way.
There are real concerns with homeschooling and it is not a decision to take lightly. Our kids have friends from the public, Christian school, and homeschool arenas. Their friends are all great kids that we are happy to have in their lives. Their parents are also fully invested, intentional parents. It's been said many times in response to these posts, but that's what makes the difference. The rest is really preference based on child, family dynamic, and options in the area, in conjunction with prayer for God's direction.
Of all the posts you put up in this series, I think this one is the most important. Great way to sum it all up and emphasize the importance of seeking God and doing what is best for each of your children.
So you chose to put your kids in public school?
Our oldest went to Preschool at a Catholic school and K5 at public and will go to 1st grade at public school, Our middle boy is in pre-K next year and we still aren't sure where to send him. "Every kid, Every year" 🙂
I was very impressed with this series of blogs. I have been homeschooling for a few years now, and unfotunately it seems to be an 'us and them' mentality. Those who put their kids in a 'regular' school say I'm doing the wrong thing by my kids, and my fellow homeschoolers say others are wrong by putting their kid's in 'regular' schools. I feel very blessed that I'm in a country where I can decide what I believe is best for my children. I am obviously very much for homeschooling, but I think it's great that there are 'regular' schools available for those who can't or won't homeschool.
Thankyou again for being so unbiased in your blogs and showing the world the positives and negatives of all three choices of education. Well done!
Kristy thanks so much for your kind words. It was my hope that these pros and cons would be helpful.
I was very impressed with this series of blogs. I have been homeschooling for a few years now, and unfotunately it seems to be an 'us and them' mentality. Those who put their kids in a 'regular' school say I'm doing the wrong thing by my kids, and my fellow homeschoolers say others are wrong by putting their kid's in 'regular' schools. I feel very blessed that I'm in a country where I can decide what I believe is best for my children. I am obviously very much for homeschooling, but I think it's great that there are 'regular' schools available for those who can't or won't homeschool.
Thankyou again for being so unbiased in your blogs and showing the world the positives and negatives of all three choices of education. Well done!
Kristy thanks so much for your kind words. It was my hope that these pros and cons would be helpful.
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As a mom whose kids were in a Christian school, then homeschooled, then went to public school I can tell you lots of stories. Which one worked the best for my kids? Well, they are grown ups now and they will tell you — all three. I wholeheartedly agree with you, P. Sam — every kid, every year. God will speak to your heart and give you the strength and determination to meet and exceed whatever direction He gives you. I also worked in the public school district for some years and can tell you that there ARE pluses and minuses there (just like homeschooling and private school)- but we need to keep in mind that there are many Christians working as teachers and TAs. God’s got your back, wherever you decide to send your kids. Loved the series and appreciate you and the wisdom God has given you.