Preparing for the Long-Haul

Christian homeschooling produces young people who are often viewed as more mature than their public-schooled counterparts. This is not hard to explain. Instead of enduring the social engineering that occupies much of the statist institutions’ syllabus and curriculum, homeschooled students take adequate time with the fundamentals (reading, writing, arithmetic) within the context of a Christian worldview. This produces students who have learned how to learn and are ready for adult challenges and opportunities at a younger age.

Many homeschooling families allow their students to take college classes (either online or at a local community college) to broaden their educational experience. It is not unusual for these students to finish high school and two years of college at the same time. Twelve years of high school is really not written in stone. In fact, I’ve learned that the twelfth grade was added during the Depression to keep young people out of the job market. A quick perusal of much of America’s history shows that our present culture extends immaturity well beyond what our forebears did.

The job of the homeschooling teacher is not over once children embark on this path outside the home. Quite the contrary. It is important that you set aside time to discuss with your child attitudes and perspectives generated from their textbooks and class discussions and understand how they fit into a Biblical worldview. Your role moves from teacher to mentor. Allowing your child to “download” his experiences will be helpful and informative for both of you.

Unfortunately, too many parents are ill-equipped to enter into discussions with their students because they have limited exposure or experience discussing various subjects from a Biblical perspective. How will you counter Marxist economic theories, or revisionist history, or scientific abstractions that posit a world without the Living God? That’s why homeschooling parents need to engage in continuing education while they are educating their children. I know time is tight and many items on your “to do list” aren’t getting accomplished. But, this aspect is vital if you’re going to continue to help your children prepare for their callings under God.

The Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute is currently in its pilot stage. It is designed to help homeschooling parents get the philosophical and theological underpinnings for their God-ordained task. If you are interested in exploring this avenue, contact me @ lessons.learned@yahoo.com.