Nathan Kidd, November 12, 2004

Some of you will be parents soon. Most of us will probably be parents at some point. What is the most important decision parents can make for their children? Their name? Where they live? What they eat? The most important decision parents make for their children is what kind of education they have. Education is not only about academics – reading, writing, math, and so on – but more importantly is about about teaching a worldview; a philosophy of life; the way your children see themselves and the world around them.

Parents in Canada that care deeply about their children's education have a tough decision to make. Where and how do they education their children? Public school? A private, Christian school? Homeschool? I was homeschooled. I did not attend a government school, but studied at home from grade 1 to grade 12. I will talk about what my experience has been, showing some of the benefits, and some of the potential problems. My aim is to help you know more about homeschooling when you make this vital decision about your children's education.

Homeschooling provides opportunity for superior academics. Learning is geared toward the needs of only a few children, not 30 individual students in class. If I didn't understand something I was learning we would stop and go over it. I wasn't forced keep going to keep up with the class. On the flip-side, I wasn't forced to slow down for a class either. If I understood something I could immediately go on to the next. With homeschooling the level of academic achievement doesn't have to be set to the lowest average student, as it does with large classes. Just yesterday I read a report noting that the Ontario Public School system is struggling to ensure all students can read when they reach grade 10! This seems unbelievable, but I know my mother tutored someone in exactly this situation.

Think for a minute about a class you had to take, but was absolutely useless. “Exploring Self-Worth?” You've probably been forced to take a worthless class at some time your life. Because of homeschooling I was not forced to learn truly useless topics, but instead was able to focus on subjects of particular interest or importance. Since we first got a computer when I was 8, I've loved working with computers. Throughout my school years I was able to do extra computer studies. This resulted in an immediate career in computer software development after graduating. The flexibility of homeschooling can make learning enjoyable and fun, resulting in higher achievement.

But a real education isn't just about academics is it? Homeschooling also gives parents an opportunity to teach real life skills. While growing up I learned practical things like how to plan weekly grocery shopping, and cook meals; Since I was about 10 years old I was responsible to plan and cook supper for two nights a week. And to do the dishes! (Did you realize that if you cook spaghetti you have to wash forks, knives and sometimes spoons too? But if cook soup you only need to wash one spoon! ) I learned how to clean and do laundry properly, and how to care for babies and small children. Being involved in the day-to-day scheduling and planning really helped me when I moved out on my own. All these are important life skills that a parent should teach their children. Don't make your children learn the hard way; by burning dinner, ruining their white shirts and calling YOU in the middle of the night: “Mom, how do I change the baby's diaper?”.

What I would consider the most important benefit of homeschooling is it allows you to teach good things. When it comes to moral issues you don't have to wring your hands when your children are being taught that homosexuality is normal, and they should consider it for themselves. You don't have to worry about your 6-year-olds being taught to inform the government if their parents discipline them. More significantly you can teach your children a right worldview. You can avoid the humanist theme of “me first” and “I'm number 1” replacing it with the biblical “...in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3) Moral relativism – it's true for you but not for me – can be replaced with a solid foundation on God's word.

Flexible schedules allow for unique learning opportunities. Because as a family we weren't forced into a rigid schedule there were many things we could do. Early morning trips to the pond across the road to studying frogs eggs and bugs became Biology class. Working as an Electrician's helper for a week during “normal school time” was Shop class. In May (before 'regular' school is finished) we took a trip to the Canadian West coast, where we studied geography, and could bring along other school books at the same time. While studying Native Indians we practiced making fires and slept out in the woods. Homeschooling meant education could fit our schedule, rather than our schedule being forced to fit the education.

But homeschooling is not all roses and sunshine. There are some unique problems you'll need to overcome.

The primary obstacle is that homeschooling requires a huge investment of time and money. One parent will need to spend their time teaching so the family will need to live on a single salary. Then there's the cost of books, supplies and and equipment. To top it all off, you still are forced to pay full taxes to support the public school system! This is a sacrifice to make. My family had one modest income, so we didn't have a new car, or fancy clothes, but we still were comfortable. As children when we wanted a new computer we learned to work at summer jobs to pay for it. In the end you need to decide how much is your children's character worth? What are you willing to give to ensure they have a good education?

Another problem to overcome is that homeschooling requires a lot of self-discipline because there's no pressure from outside teachers to meet deadlines, and less peer pressure. To overcome this, my Mom made a full regular schedule, so we always knew what we should be doing. Also we co-ordinated with other families to study the same things. We would meet together every week to share reports and presentations, providing pressure to get things done. Ultimately homeschooling forces parents to teach their children to work without being pushed from behind. It's much better to learn this while young than after you leave home!

Finally, some people worry that homeschooling means their children will get no socialization. They won't be able to play with the other kids, and won't learn to interact with others. First as parents you don't want your kids “socializing” with just anyone. “Bad company corrupts good character”. I guarantee you that your local public school has the worst group of spoiled, disobedient little brats you've ever seen. There are lots of other ways to socialize. Music lessons, band, sports, field trips with other families, playing with friends after school hours. I experienced no lack of friends when growing up!

To conclude, the method of education is not the key to training your children; the environment they live in and what they're taught is. But to achieve the right environment and teach the right things to your children the method is important. Homeschooling requires a great commitment from parents, but it allows you to give your children a quality education in all areas of life. It is one option I encourage you to consider when deciding how to school your children; their minds, and their souls.