I overheard (ok, I was totally eavesdropping) a conversation yesterday between two moms. One of the moms had just brought one of her daughters home to home school her and still had a daughter in a public high school. Her daughter in public school is miserable, cannot stand the teachers, the disrespect from teachers and students, and does not always feel safe. She is not even happy with her friends there. Most of her friends are from church or dance. But she has a very high chance of being valedictorian of a very big HS which means great scholarships. Her daughter has thought about coming home to be schooled or moving to a charter school but she is not sure if she should give this chance up.
My question to you, moms, when is education not the key reason for choosing your school? What if you are a home school mom who has a child that has no friends? You know they are getting a good education at home, they are getting an environment that, let's face it, you have a lot more control over than you normally would. But aren't friends important? What if they attend a private school and your child deals with being "different" because they do not wear the right clothes, attend the "cool" church? When do you say, ok, the education is great in the situation that we are in but this is not working?
I am curious to your thoughts. Our stance is this...we pray each and every year over our schooling situation. We talk to the kids about it when/if they approach us about a problem with the situation. We discuss the pros/cons of changing. We listen to their point of view and then Eric and I spend more time talking and praying. With the younger two, our decision is the decision. As they get older, more mature and have better reasons (most of their reasons are just the basic "I want to ride the bus", "I want to eat in a cafeteria", "I have never tried it" etc.) then we give them a bit more ...authority (is that the right word?) on the situation.
You?
Btw, I ended up butting in and joining the conversation. I couldn't help myself! ;-)
7 comments:
Just my opinion, My husband and I feel like if and when it is not in Grayson's best interest then we will reevaluate our situation. Homeschooling is good for some and not for others. As is any other form of schooling.I really believe that to the core of my being. I believe that if you lay these decisions at the Lords feet and really listen to what he is telling you to do, then you will never regret. But!!! you must do this always. Not just when you first start thinking of a certain way of schooling, but everyday , every week , every year. Because I feel like situations change, people have different seasons in their lives that call for different measures. K Im done :D
Homeschooling is right for our family, it is not right for all families. We pray, pray, pray for HIS will in our lives. We take it on a year by year basis, to think 10 years out is overwhelming to me. With that said, I believe character is more important that calculus. As far as socialization goes, that has to be to do with the parents. We direct that. Need an example: Tim Tebow. I can go and on, hehe.
My kids have always attended public schools. It hasn't always been the best situation..meaning kids can be rude, crude and downright nasty but we all grew (growing) thru the situation. I have had an opportunity to volunteer and the kids have grabbed my heart. Most do not come from a household like ours. We are very blessed, we are whole. I feel very lucky that my kiddos have an opportunity to be a light amongst darkness. We are not perfect and peer pressure does exist. We just take one day at a time. There will come a day in life that I will not be able to control, protect my kiddos when they step out into that big old world and I feel that public school somewhat prepares them for that journey. It's all about taking self responsibility for ones actions. At least that is what we are teaching them. Life is a choice, we try to give them the tools to make the best choices and then we pray, pray, pray they make the best choice.
Just my 2-cents.
Jess
Good entry. I wished I had been home schooled. I was one of those kids one reads about who is bullied thorughout her school years to the point of dropping out. Placing your child in public or private school doesn't mean they will have friends. I never had friends until I was an adult. My son was both homeschooled and later went to public. And he did just fine with both. Each family has to not only make the right choice for their children, but know their child well enough to decide if this is the best thing for them.
I agree. Each of us have different memories of school (good, bad or both). My kids thankfully are enjoying school and are doing very well. I on the other hand was one of those students that struggled my whole way through. My parents decided on homeschooling me for a few years, and I am so blessed they did. It all leads back to praying for the right decision for us as parents, and for our children.
Whew, big decision! I think it's pretty unanimous by the other comments that the decision can only be made with prayer. There is no right or wrong pat answer that covers everyone. I agree that a year by year decision, made prayerfully, is the only way to go. Not that the decision will always be easy or smooth sailing, but if it's where we feel God wants us and our kids then we can trust Him to guide us through.
Wow. Tough question. Not even sure I can adequately answer. I think everyone has said the one thing that is important.... prayer is ultimately the most important thing. Home-school, public or private. Whatever God has called for your family and or your children. For us TODAY having home-schooled is somewhat dictating what we do for the future. One child somewhat wants to go and yet his reasons may very well be the reasons he need to remain home-schooled. That is hard to comprehend and hard to decide on, but I know God will guide us and has so far and that child has agreed with where we are right now TODAY. Whatever you choose, it is a daily commitment and choice. We certainly didn't home-school due to the school my children were in. We LOVED it and miss it terribly, but called us to go a different direction at least for TODAY. Education is NOT always the key, but that is a DEEP question to try and answer.
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