SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : General Topics : Home Schooling

Print Thread (PDF)

Goto page ( Previous Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Next Page )
PosterThread
moreofHim
Member



Joined: 2003/10/15
Posts: 1632


 Re: homeschool

I was going to write some long post but decided not to.

Just as encouragement here is one 15 yr.old's website/journal who attends public school. [url=www.xanga.com/humble1]Humble1[/url] ("arielle" on SI)

There is still light in the dark world of public school :)

Also, just a thought. How many of us went to public school and , even though we had our dark times, God has used them and brought us to a better place and has used those situations to give us wisdom and discernment.

I have to think that many of us who are the most hungry for the things of God, had the worst reputation, or backgrounds. (not that we should make sure our children have a bad childhood!) but just that God is sovereign! :)

Just thoughts.....

Blessings, Chanin

p.s . also this is the same 15 yr. old- then 14 yr old who made the [url=www.fireonthealtar.com/compilations/channin/Lay%20it%20down2.mp3]"Lay It Down"[/url] compilation. well, ok, we made it together, but she did all the computer work :)


_________________
Chanin

 2005/3/30 9:07Profile
moreofHim
Member



Joined: 2003/10/15
Posts: 1632


 Re:

I also want to say that i know that public school is not for everyone, nor is christian school or homeschool.

I have two younger children (kindergarten and third grade) and I just take it year by year. i really doubt that they will still be in public school by the time they get to middle school , only because i know their personalities.

We live near Cindy and the schools here are filled with christians (lukewarm as they might be) they still have values and morals. More than half of our youngest childrens teachers have been christians themselves. We have been very fortunate.

Our oldest is just unusually "peculiar" for the things of God. :)

In Him, Chanin


_________________
Chanin

 2005/3/30 9:21Profile









 Re:

Quote:
I also want to say that i know that public school is not for everyone, nor is christian school or homeschool.

I have two younger children (kindergarten and third grade) and I just take it year by year. i really doubt that they will still be in public school by the time they get to middle school , only because i know their personalities.

We live near Cindy and the schools here are filled with christians (lukewarm as they might be) they still have values and morals. More than half of our youngest childrens teachers have been christians themselves. We have been very fortunate.

Our oldest is just unusually "peculiar" for the things of God. :)

In Him, Chanin



You are unusually blessed to have PS's like that. This is not the case for most folks.

Our schools are not real bad here in Western North Carolina... but we do know for a fact that we can offer our children a better education than they will get in the PS's. We're unually blessed that my wife has a Masters Degree in Education... kinda gives us a leg up. But many people with no college education are producing homeschool kids who surpass the PS's own tests.

In fact, in North Carolina, homeschoolers are required to be tested just like the PS kids every year... however, it is illegal for us to use the same tests the PS's use. We inquired of our Congressman as to why, out of curiosity. He told us that homeschoolers consistantly outscore the PS kids, thus throwing the statewide results completely off. This was Congressman Charles Taylor NC-R.

Krispy

 2005/3/30 9:29
lastblast
Member



Joined: 2004/10/16
Posts: 528
Michigan

 Re:

Quote:
I have to think that many of us who are the most hungry for the things of God, had the worst reputation, or backgrounds.



I can personally attest to this :-o The thing is that my mother and her many husbands were far from Godly. My husband and I are Christians(unlike my parents), so it's a whole different scenerio. I think the homeschool vs. public school discussion is valuable, but only so long as people can remain respectful of other's decisions for doing what they do. It's like so many other divisive issues-----the discussions are valuable as it gives opportunity to weigh our own hearts in the decisions/stances we take.

Concerning our family, it is our PRESENT situation with our children which causes my husband and me to decide to homeschool. Public school WAS beneficial for my kids---extremely so. However, at this point in my children's lives, they are NOT equipped to go out into the middle school world:-x ---and not be harmed/overcome. Some children ARE equipped and have a driving call to be "a light" in the schools they are in. In those type cases, I can see where they SHOULD be allowed to walk in their callings----with parental supervision, of course.

I don't know, I liken this situation to either a new believer/older believer who is struggling with sin issues. Knowing their weaknesses, would we throw them in the midst of temptation and tell them to "overcome"? Of course not. We would surround/protect that stumbling brother/sister and help them to overcome. That's why this is not an all or nothing type of discussion. Some believers are equipped to handle what is 'out there', while others need to be strengthened before going out. In my opinion, it is only when one has "overcome" in an area that God can truly use them effectively, without hypocrisy. What happens to many "christian" kids in public schools is that they verbalize their faith in Christ and a "changed" life, yet they are not "overcomers" and fall into sin, hurting their testimony and not being a light. They are not ready to "go out".

When I first became a Christian I was not equipped to hang out with my previous friends who drank/partied/cursed like sailors, etc. I found myself removed from them. My new "friends" were brothers and sisters in Christ-----those who nurtured me and encouraged me to grow in faith as I studied His Word. Because of this nurturing and growth, I can now be around ungodly people doing such things and not partake----I can be "a light"---a believer who is "in the world, but not of the world".

Homeschooling for us is "nurturing" and equipping our children who are not "strong in the Lord". Like I said, every parent needs to make their own decisions based upon who their children are IN THE LORD. Some parents may choose to homeschool one or more of their children while allowing another child to go to PS because they ARE strong in the Lord and able to handle the temptations that they are surrounded by. Many children are not even "in the Lord" yet, so that needs to be considered as well. Ultimately, each of us needs to really discern what the will of the Lord is for EACH one of our children. They are not "cookie cutter" kids. What's good for one may not be the will of the Lord for the other. This homeschooling decision was a no brainer for us in our present situation. However, if someone would have asked me 3 years ago if I would homeschool, I would have said "NO WAY". Matter of fact, a friend of mine was laughing when I told her I was going to homeschool. She remembers a derogatory comment I made years ago about homeschooling my kids....... :-)


_________________
Cindy

 2005/3/30 10:08Profile









 Re:

I echo what Cindy just wrote. I used to be of the mindset that every believer should homeschool. While I have some rather strong opinions about that, I've come to the conclusion that I have to be obedient to the Lord in what He has called [b]us[/b] to do, and who am I to judge another concerning what they believe God has called them to do. I wont be argumenative on this particular topic because this is about callings, and not doctrine. I will contend very earnestly against modern bible versions and the WOF teachings. But I will allow myself to consider other people's callings on issues like this.

For us... if you were to ask why we homeschool, it isnt just about being "shade for the children" as Steve Camp sung it. It's also not just about giving them a better education. There isnt any one reason why we do it. There are [b]many[/b].

One thing I would like to point out, however... besides family, our strongest critics agaisnt us homeschooling has come from other Christians. Cindy is right that schooling is a decision the individual family unit needs to to make. However, the church is filled with "worldly" Christians (if there is such a thing) who watch the same movies as the world, dress immodestly like the world, talk just like the world... and send their kids to PS's claiming they are being a light in the darkness. No they arent... because the kids are not being trained at home in the things of God. They're all too busy playing playstation or watching Survivor. In most cases the mom cant homeschool because the family is so deep in debt they have no choice, the mom has to work. Because the family decided years ago to live like the world, they are now in a position where they have no choice.

God has called us to come out from among them. If more Christians would take the Word of God seriously, and stop living their lives according to what the world considers "success"... the next generation would have a greater impact on the world.

Krispy

 2005/3/30 10:39
Angyl
Member



Joined: 2005/1/26
Posts: 153


 Re:

Man, Krispy...that was impressive! As usual, I agree with you all the way!

'specially the light in the darkness part. As a child I didn't get the "salt-no flavor" verses in scripture. Now, everytime I see one of these polls that say 90% of Americans Identify themselves as Christian I think about those verses. There's no way on God's green earth 90% of America is Christian...

I'd wager less than half this country is truly saved and of that less than 50%...probably less than 10% give God any real thought in their day to day lives (I.E. attend services regularly and pray and worship, etc.)

There's a whole lot of salt out there with no flavor and a whole lot of minor lights pretending to be one with the darkness, whose lights are so dim, you couldn't see them from two feet away.

Not that I hold myself up as any paragon of Christianity or anything, but dang if my employer/coworkers don't know me as [i]"one of those Church-going fundamental types...[/i]"
And you should hear the reacton I get from our female dominated office whenever I talk about my wife being stay at home...

or homeschooling...

We're freaks, in their eyes.

 2005/3/30 11:23Profile









 Re:

Quote:
And you should hear the reacton I get from our female dominated office whenever I talk about my wife being stay at home...



I remember when we decided to homeschool, a lot of women we knew just thought it was a travesty to women that a mom would want to stay home and not have a career outside the home... but now, these ladies are in their late-30's, early 40's like we are... and they have kids... and they are jealous of what we have. But they have dug themselves a hole financially.

Praise God my wife had the foresight and knowledge of God's calling on her life... because I sure fought her about staying home w/the kids. Sometimes we husbands need to listen to our wives more often... right Cindy? 8-)

Krispy

 2005/3/30 12:00
lastblast
Member



Joined: 2004/10/16
Posts: 528
Michigan

 Re:

No comment.............. :-P


_________________
Cindy

 2005/3/30 12:11Profile
dann
Member



Joined: 2005/2/16
Posts: 239
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

 Re:

Quote:

moreofHim wrote:
How many of us went to public school and , even though we had our dark times, God has used them and brought us to a better place and has used those situations to give us wisdom and discernment.



I gave this a bit of thought, and found that things are not the same today as when I went to public school:

When I went to Public School (I live in Canada):
- we said the Lord's prayer every morning
- teachers had the right to administer corporal punishment to disobedient children
- you would be reported and taken to the office for saying D-mn!
- the most violent show on television was Starsky and Hutch.
- if you missed a class a note went home to your parents.
- only about 5% of my classmates came from broken homes.

My wife worked in the public school system for six years, and I volunteered there too during that time - and I can say from first hand experience, it is not the same as when I went to school.

If I do send my children to public school, It would be wrong to imagine that I am sending them into the same environment that I came out of. I would be sending them into an exponentially darker system than I endured.

Dan
/\/
\/\


_________________
Daniel van de Laar

 2005/3/30 12:46Profile
Compton
Member



Joined: 2005/2/24
Posts: 2732


 Re: K-12

Interesting thread,

I don't think I saw anything about William Bennetts' K-12 program. (Pardon me if I missed it...) K-12 is a state funded home school program that sets up homes with online curriculum, textbooks, a computer (w/online connectivity if needed), a printer, and a local teacher/coach for assistance.

For me the interesting aspect of K-12 is the high degree of autonomy given considering it's technically funded by the public school system. By autonomy I mean that a parent is free to teach the material within whatever moral or religous environment they want to create for their children. There is accountability in the form of standardized testing.

I know many many schoolers who feel K-12 is not really home schooling. For instance, there is a support group for home school mothers in our town that will not accept other women (or men) who participate in K-12.

Personally I think K-12 is an encouraging development. When I was growing up homeschooling was looked at like some type of radical militia or cult activity. Now the state supports it.

Any thoughts? Here is the link to the K-12 website. [url=http://www.k12.com/]K-12[/url]

By the way, I would be curious to know how Christians in Europe feel about the subject of "homeschooling". Once, while in London, I casually mentioned that we were considering homeschooling our children; everyone gave me looks of concern like I was Jim Jones. Is this typical?:-P

Blessings,

MC


_________________
Mike Compton

 2005/3/30 12:51Profile





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy