April 5, 2006

• Why We Home Educate

  I think we all want the best for our children. That, of course, explains why we homeschoolers choose to educate our children at home. But the reasons why we think home education is the best choice for our children vary widely. Some react against the secular curriculum of the government schools, others against the bad habits their children pick up from their peers. For me, the attraction to home education began mostly with the children I met, who impressed me with their academic and social maturity. That, combined with a vague dissatisfaction with my own education, led me to refine my ideas about what education is, and why the home is the preferred location for it. None of my ideas are original, of course, and I owe a great debt to the works of Charlotte Mason for many insights.

  The educational methods used in a government school represent a factory-like mentality. They are the fastest way to disseminate the most information in the least time and guarantee the most uniform outcome. But teacher-led instruction does not guarantee learning. I don't want my children to be dependent on a teacher of questionable quality for their education. (And the average government school teacher graduated in the bottom third of her class.) I want them to be able to depend on themselves.

  So, one of the main goals of our homeschool is self-education. I am striving to give my children the tools to be lifelong learners with a good foundation in the 3Rs and exposure to a wide array of what Charlotte Mason calls "living books." I want my children to love learning and pursue knowledge and to learn self-discipline in setting and achieving goals. No education can completely prepare a person for every eventuality, but by training my children to be independent learners, I can give them the tools to face the challenges that come their way.

  Although the government schools do not generally prepare their students in this way, Montessori schools, Charlotte Mason schools and other private institutions do. But even if I didn't have to deal with the monetary considerations of sending six children to private school, I would probably still educate them at home, because I believe that family life is the best place for a child.

  I believe that families were designed by God to be the perfect society for a growing child. Up until the modern era, almost everyone was socialized by parents, siblings and other adult members of the household. But for some reason our society now believes that transient relationships with distant adults and the constant companionship of agemates in an institutional setting constitutes a better preparation for adulthood than the constant companionship of a loving family in the home. It seems odd to me that a situation that is never replicated in one's adult life should be preferred to one that is and that relationships that do not endure should be preferred over lifelong relationships. I believe that a loving home is a far better place to learn how to deal with others than an institution, and that the primary relationships in one's life should be strengthened, not attenuated.

  With my children at home I know not only how their academics are progressing, but how their character is developing as well. And I have more time to work on character issues and to encourage love, kindness, patience, self control and the other fruit of the Spirit to grow in their lives. I get to see all the little things which can go undetected and help them to learn how to flee temptation. And I remove the influence of the peer group, which generally tends to weaken the importance of the family in a child's life.

  Of course, there are many, many other benefits to home education. And there are also some challenges that we face that are not present for those who delegate the education of their children to others. (I try not to think of those challenges as negatives, but as opportunities for personal growth.) But my belief in self-education and the superiority of the family as a social institution are my main reasons for educating my children at home and not in a Christian school. (My objections to government school will have to wait for another blog.)

  • 8:20 am
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