Homeschooling vs Christian school or homeschool co-op

I would choose homeschooling over any other option for the education of my children. I wouldn’t send my children away from me or from my home for long periods of time for any kind of education. Even if I had lots of money to afford Christian school or any type of education outside of the home, I wouldn’t send my children to it. I believe the very best life for a Christian mother and her children is to live and learn together.

And these are my reasons:

1. God has called me to it. My main goal in life is to obey God. Above all else, I want to do God’s will. I know that my ministry for this season of my life is to disciple my children. It took several years for the Lord to convince me that this was enough; this was plenty; this was it!

2. Quantity time is more effective than quality time. We should intentionally use our time with our children to teach, train and disciple them, but some time just hanging out with them is important, too. We don’t know what they’re picking up from us just by being around us all day. Of course, we don’t want to be grumpy or irritable with them. We should treat them better than we treat our best friend or a stranger that we automatically act courteously toward.

3. Children are influenced by the people with whom they spend the most time. I want my children to be with mature people who believe the way I do. I want to be the main influencer in the life of my children. I believe the Holy Spirit directs me each day to teach them what He wants them to learn and to love them with His love. I teach the older children in the ways of the Lord, and then they help me teach the younger children how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

4. I believe the Bible and spiritual training are the most important things for children to learn. We spend a lot of time praying and reading the Bible together. We have many discussions about spiritual subjects that we wouldn’t have time for if my children were gone most of the day each day. I get to know my children very well, and I know better how to pray for them, because I’m with them so much of the time.

5. I can raise my children to feel secure and confident and content with who they are. Children feel secure knowing that their mother is home. They know that home is a safe place where they are loved and protected. They learn how to make their future homes secure, safe, happy places. They know who they are in Christ because I have taught them the Word and I have treated them with dignity and respect. They have been shielded from attacks on their self-image that often happen in groups of children. They have been protected from conflicting teachings that could confuse them as they are learning the basic foundations of the biblical worldview.

6. We can build our family into a close-knit unit to glorify God. Our children are taught to honor their father and mother, and we model for them, to the best of our ability, the love of the Father for them. We pass onto them the importance of family and the roles of father and mother and each member of the family. The family is a microcosm of the Body of Christ, the Church. As we learn how to get along with each other and handle conflict within our family, we prepare them for dealing with other people, especially fellow believers with whom they may fellowship and work together in ministry.

7. There is no real need for socialized education. Children do not need to be surrounded by other children while they are learning. A classroom situation is not the optimal learning environment. One-on-one is more efficient and makes it easier to track the progress of each child. Children who are more sociable can find opportunities to interact with other children in a much more meaningful way outside of a public school classroom.

8. Individualized education has many benefits. The children are able to study subjects that they are really interested in and are gifted in. They learn to be responsible and to take charge of their own education. The learning really sticks because it is something they are really interested in and want to know more about. They don’t just study for the test and promptly forget everything after the test is over. My children are able to immerse themselves in a subject that they want to learn more about. I make resources available to them and encourage them to explore them. The learning is so thorough that they remember what they’ve learned long after they studied it. They have good retention and good understanding, not just a surface knowledge that would enable them to do well on a multiple-choice test. They would do well on an essay test! I have to ask my children many things because I know they remember it even though I’ve forgotten or never really understood it.

These are my thoughts about homeschooling and the reasons I do what I do. For me and my family, homeschooling is the very best form of education and the one that is our calling.