Great Opportunity

by Susan
(Waupun, WI)

Homeschooling is a great opportunity for true learning because of what it provides. I am not going to cover each and every great thing about home education right now, but I am going to hit two high points.

Family closeness. In this society where many family homes are nothing more than motels, we have a close family life due to the many productive hours we spend together. My oldest recently left for college, and when countless people asked me if I was scared, or sad, I could truly say no. Why? For two reasons. I am sure he is walking in the truth and strong in his own faith in Christ, and I have done everything I could to raise him right with God's help -- spent all my time with him (not at work) -- I don't have any regrets.

Quality of Learning. Our kids love to learn. They are avid readers. They are not peer-pressured or dumbed-down. Don't be fooled that a public high school (or many privates, too) will give a better, or even a good education. Friends who have put previously home-educated kids into public school for high school report some shocking things. For example, out of 30 kids (seniors) only two could name a favorite book. Why? They don't read books. Another example: Seniors doing a project in literature where they write a paragraph for each letter of the alphabet (they should be learning to write literary analysis or essays if the school were doing its job)! This sounds like a fifth grade level project to me!

My personal reasons for home-educating aren't really all that unique, but it has been so worth it and I am in my 11th year of home educating. FYI, my oldest is now attending a very challenging engineering college, is loving it, and rising to the challenge.