The Worst Reason to Home School

Recently I have seen several articles by parents on why they home school.  The articles all gave multiple reasons why the public school was not okay for their family, but the reasons in many articles were based on one thing.  That one thing, in my opinion, is the worst reason to home school that I have ever seen...perhaps, even worse than the home school parent who told me that she loved home schooling because she didn't have to get up so early.  The worst reason is FEAR. 

No matter my children's educational
setting, I'm still responsible for their
education.

• Fear of poor standards
• Fear of peer influences 
• Fear of biased curriculum 
• Fear of harm by teachers, other students, etc. 
• Fear of a loss of respect for their family values 
• Fear of losing focus on God and His expectations

As a home school mom, I promise that there are so many great reasons to home school, BUT none of them are based on FEAR.  Sure there are things that I want my kids to avoid. However, truth is that God has a different plan for each of my children, and they each need different experiences to prepare for their future.  Each of my children learn and need nurtured in different ways.  Therefore, after much prayer, we have chose to utilize different educational settings for different children at different times.  We have utilized home school, Christian school and public school according to the needs and benefits for each child.

Many times when people realize that I home school, they have asked,"What don't you like about our public school?"  The inquirer who is often looking for "the dirt" on the local school is usually surprised when I say, "Nothing.  Its a great school and some of my kids attend there."  In our case, we have a terrific public school system here in Neosho.  Sure, it is not perfect, but what school is!  The staff and volunteers at our schools really want it to be a great place and they want to see our children do well.  Therefore, it is no surprise to me that some of our school's staff are pro-home schooling because they truly want what is best for each child.

In my opinion, if a public school system is lacking in desired qualities, then that is a factor in the decision to home school.  However, basing the decision on a fear of the school or the unknown is just not acceptable for me.

Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled,

neither let them be afraid. ~~John 14:27 ESV