Homeschooling . . . It Works!

ONE question every parent must ask is, "How can we best educate our children?" It seems there are more options than ever these days, with the promise of more on the horizon. Yet with all these choices how can a parent decide which is best for their child? As with everything, we must look to God’s Word.

In the covenant of marriage, God gave children to Adam and Eve. With the first cries of their son came the first form of corporate government on this earth. It wasn’t the civil government. It wasn’t the church. It was the family, and the entire responsibility for raising and training that child fell to the parents. With no how-to books, no parenting seminars, and no support from other people, they embarked upon the task of teaching their children. I don’t suppose they felt strange about this new job. It was natural and
obvious.

As Dr. Tony Evans explains, "As a parent, you are responsible for your children’s science education, history education, and every other element of their training. The Bible locates the comprehensive education of children in the home and lays the charge at the feet of Mom and Dad." [1]

Why do parents today feel so incapable of teaching their own children? It seems education has been turned over entirely to "experts," and parents feel inadequate. Could it be that parents really have all the tools they need to educate their own children in the context of the home? History has proven this to be true —nearly everyone homeschooled until recent times. It also seems modern research is reaffirming the role of parents as teachers.

A 1997 study of 5,402 homeschooled students, conducted by Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute [2], reveals that home educated children scored an average of 35% higher on national standardized tests than their governmentally schooled counterparts, even when their parents were non-certified teachers. In fact there was less than 8% difference between parents who were college grads, and those who merely finished high school.

If a parent who has never walked the "hallowed halls" of higher academia can teach a child to score 35% higher than a child taught by a paid "professional," perhaps we should consider that the old ways are best. Of course, skeptics of parent-based education will challenge the motives of any apologist such as myself. What is my bias you may ask? My motive for promoting home education is the fact that I am a grateful homeschooled graduate. Because of the sacrifices of my mother, I was able to receive a solid Christian education, and finish high school at the age of fifteen. The most important aspect of all of this, however, is not the academic successes. They are merely added to us as we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matt 6:33) The most valuable thing I gained as a homeschooled student was godly character, a Biblical worldview, and a close family bond, acquired through the close quarters of family discipleship.

Looking toward the possibility of someday raising children, there is no way I would pass up the privilege of teaching my own children. It is a responsibility given to fathers in Eph. 6: "Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." With well over 600,000 Christian homeschooling families [3] in the United States today, God’s people are returning to the patterns established in Scripture and taking responsibility for their own children.

-Home School Digest

Found at www.homeschooltimes.com