Who here homeschools from religious conviction?

[Nestof3]

What I mean is, because they feel it is crucial to moral development, providing the time necessary to train up a child in the way he or she should go? I have Deut. 6 in mind here.

 

I just wantd to see who you are.

 

Thanks!

[Jean in Newcastle]

It is on my list of reasons, though it isn't the only reason. Actually we started homeschooling more for academic reasons but the longer we homeschool, this reason has gotten more and more important.

[CLHCO]

It is on my list of reasons, though it isn't the only reason. Actually we started homeschooling more for academic reasons but the longer we homeschool, this reason has gotten more and more important.

 

It started out for academic reasons, though not to excel as much as to help their learning styles and needs get the attention needed so they wouldn't get lost in the system.

 

In the end, doesn't such religious conviction eventually fall into every area of life? Anything I do because it's the right thing to do, I do for religious reasons. I feed my family somewhat healthy food, involve them in community service, teach them a Christian worldview, monitor media influences, all for convictions that come from a moral standard I have now discovered the source of, if that makes sense.

 

But yes, one of the reasons is because I have a duty to impart a Christian belief and way of life to my children and the schools, or even more importantly, the peer dependence, would undermine that.

[Sophia]

It was initially the main reason.

Still is, but now we have several more reasons for staying the course.

[Paz]

Our experience is the same as Jean and Carol's.

[Tami]

is to raise dd in a specifically Christian way, and with a goal of being God-centered in all we do.

 

I started out HSing her because she is ADHD, and that is still a valid reason. However, my *main* reason for HSing is to raise her in the admonition of the Lord, not to send her to an environment that teaches things contrary to God's Word.

 

I suppose I don't seriously consider a Christian school because they are so Abeka textbook/workbook, and that is not a good fit for this child.

 

Homeschooling is the ideal for us. We are blessed to have the opportunity!

[Daisy]

Definitely our number one reason. We have many more, of course, but this is our most important. It is without a doubt a moral and religious conviction.

[Unicorn.]

Similar to what you have already heard. I hated the things that my dc were exposed to in ps. I am pretty relaxed about a lot of things, but didn't appreciate having to have a talk about s*x w/ my first grader, because some other little kid was exposed to things at home, and decided to share. :(

 

I do homeschool partly for moral reasons, but it just one of many.

[Kate CA]

I just wantd to see who you are.

 

Yes, that is our main reason. It is a blessing to be walking this walk. Is that yours too?

[PariSarah]

In the end, doesn't such religious conviction eventually fall into every area of life? Anything I do because it's the right thing to do, I do for religious reasons. I feed my family somewhat healthy food, involve them in community service, teach them a Christian worldview, monitor media influences, all for convictions that come from a moral standard I have now discovered the source of, if that makes sense.

 

I have a hard time answering this question precisely because of what CherylCO is saying. Of course I homeschool from religious conviction. Deut 6 is very much the ground of our parenting philosophy, and homeschooling is definitely part of that. I also cook the way I do, own the home I do, refrain from adultery, raise a garden, and let the neighborhood kids make a mess of my yard from religious conviction. It's all theology, in the end.

 

But many of the things that are true for "religious homeschoolers" are not true for me. I don't feel "called" to homeschool--just called to do what's best for my kids at any given time, which, right now, involves homeschooling. I don't fear the "influence of the world" that comes from mingling with non-Christians; I'm much more afraid of the "influence of the world" that comes from mingling with lukewarm Christians. And I'm not wedded to homeschooling as the best way to live out Deut 6. I have a hard time figuring out what those other ways are, most days!! But I don't believe that sending kids to public school is the same as neglecting your duty to make God's word part of your lying down and rising up.

[Musical Belle]

It is on my list of reasons, though it isn't the only reason. Actually we started homeschooling more for academic reasons but the longer we homeschool, this reason has gotten more and more important.

 

Our reason is just the reverse; our religious convictions drove our choice but over the years we have realized how much better the academics are.

 

And another reason: my dh is a public school teacher, and every day he comes home and thanks the Lord we homeschool!

[Kate CA]

I have a hard time answering this question precisely because of what CherylCO is saying. Of course I homeschool from religious conviction. Deut 6 is very much the ground of our parenting philosophy, and homeschooling is definitely part of that. I also cook the way I do, own the home I do, refrain from adultery, raise a garden, and let the neighborhood kids make a mess of my yard from religious conviction. It's all theology, in the end.

 

I love this and absolutely agree. :)

[PariSarah]

And another reason: my dh is a public school teacher, and every day he comes home and thanks the Lord we homeschool!

 

Oh, we've totally sucked in all our ps-teacher friends!! They're all reproducing now (several years after we started) and have been taking notes. ("What curriculum do you use?" "What's the name of the swim club you're in, the one that has homeschoolers' hours?")

[Valerie in Chicago]

We didn't make this decision specifically for religious reasons, but certainly values are a part of it. It was a combination of that plus wanting a strong academic experience. (DH is a high school teacher for the city; I did a stint at the same school when I changed careers.)

[Frontier Mom]

As my older ds's are getting into the middle school years, I see how many "issues" we have simply avoided by homeschooling, although that wasn't the original reason. We simply felt called by God to homeschool and we really loved hanging out with our dc's. I mean, they are awesome!!

 

I think Deuteronomy 6 speaks of the intimate relationship families share when they spend time together. It amazes me to see how little time some families spend together and the lengths they will go to be away from each other. Just strange to me.

 

Another advantage, besides those others listed that have surfaced, is that I don't have to spend my time complaining about the teacher. Good grief!! I go to baseball practice and listen to the moms bad mouth one teacher after another. It seems to be their only conversation. I smile under my hat and sunglasses while I quietly read a great book!!

[anewday]

Definitely our number one reason. We have many more, of course, but this is our most important.

 

Yes - for us too. :)

[fishnoises]

I agree that sending kids to ps is not going against the Deut. 6. We feel that we are called to homeschool. I have many Christian friends (in fact most of my friends) have their kids in school. I have no interest in what the schools are doing, but I would never criticize or judge what other families have decided for their own children. I tell my friends that if I ever tell them I am going to send my kids to school, that they should be concerned! That would mean something is terribly wrong! (It is just a part of who I am and what God planned for me.)

That said, I have a mental list going on in my head that I add to called the "Reasons Why I Homeschool" list. It is very long! And I do have friends that know they should homeschool, but are too afraid to try. Some people are called by God to follow a certain path, come up with lots of excuses not to go. I don't know what I would do if He told me that I need to send my kids to school! I think my list of why I homeschool has more of my own reasons than God's! (Not sure if that is a good thing. But He gives me strength and wisdom when I ask for it!)

[WagsWife]

We started homeschooling for a number of reasons...but I could not say moral convictions were at the top of the list. Mostly, one day right before dd started 2nd grade, I realized that I did not *want her to be gone from the house all day. I also hated the amount of homework she received during 1st grade. I figured that I could add an hour or two to the time I was already spending helping with homework, and just teach her school. The longer we HS though, it becomes more and more a conviction. The things going on here in CA has just solidified our resolve to keep our children out of public school.

[Daisy]

Just had to add that I totally agree about everything we do being an outflow of our religious convictions!! I love how my pastor says it. He says, "Are you making your theology your biography?" We want to teach our children that all of their life, every decision, boils down to their religious convictions. I feel there is such a disconnect in our churches between theology and biography, theology and academics. We compartmentalize our lives. It becomes so easy to say, "I believe in the Bible BUT what does that have to do with x, y, and z?" It has EVERYTHING to do with it, IMO.

[Christy B]

I don't fear the "influence of the world" that comes from mingling with non-Christians; I'm much more afraid of the "influence of the world" that comes from mingling with lukewarm Christians. And I'm not wedded to homeschooling as the best way to live out Deut 6. I have a hard time figuring out what those other ways are, most days!! But I don't believe that sending kids to public school is the same as neglecting your duty to make God's word part of your lying down and rising up.

 

For exactly these reasons, we have dear friends who choose public school over Christian school. And, while sending their dc to public school, they practice the "make God's word part of your lying down and rising up" in a way that puts me to shame. I think that I tend to err on the side of complacency (because they're home with me/not exposed, etc), whereas my friend is *very* aware of the need for constant shoring up of her children's souls. They have morning and evening devotions together as a family, etc. (I should also mention that they homeschooled their kids in the earlier years, so they went "out" to school very, very grounded in the faith.)

 

Public school is still not my first choice; but, watching this family has given me much encouragement that it can be done, and done in a way that honors God.

 

As for me, personally, I've never been able to sort out how much of our homeschooling is really by "conviction". I am convicted that education is best if it is God-centered, thus our preference not to use public school. I do know that when we lived in VA, we weren't comfortable using the "religious exemption" to homeschool (basically, saying that for us to send our dc to public school, would violate our religious beliefs). So, I'm glad we live in NC where we haven't had to think about that. :)

[Sandy in Indy]

Just had to add that I totally agree about everything we do being an outflow of our religious convictions!! I love how my pastor says it. He says, "Are you making your theology your biography?" We want to teach our children that all of their life, every decision, boils down to their religious convictions. I feel there is such a disconnect in our churches between theology and biography, theology and academics. We compartmentalize our lives. It becomes so easy to say, "I believe in the Bible BUT what does that have to do with x, y, and z?" It has EVERYTHING to do with it, IMO.

 

Beautifully said!

[cricket1178]

We homeschool because we believe it is the best way for us to "train up" our children. We have family and friends who do, however, send their children to ps.

[OneRoomHomeSchool]

>> Who here homeschools from religious conviction? <<

 

Me! :D

[Friederike in Persia]

For exactly these reasons, we have dear friends who choose public school over Christian school. And, while sending their dc to public school, they practice the "make God's word part of your lying down and rising up" in a way that puts me to shame. I think that I tend to err on the side of complacency (because they're home with me/not exposed, etc), whereas my friend is *very* aware of the need for constant shoring up of her children's souls. They have morning and evening devotions together as a family, etc. (I should also mention that they homeschooled their kids in the earlier years, so they went "out" to school very, very grounded in the faith.)

 

:)

 

We try to do this. Our dc are hs by me for part of the day and part of the rest of the day they go to local, post-soviet, part Islamic school.

The intention is for them to grow strong and be light. It isn't always the easiest path though.

 

Friederike in Persia

[Free Indeed]

>> Who here homeschools from religious conviction? <<

 

Me! :D

 

ME TOO! ;)

[KarenNC]

Just had to add that I totally agree about everything we do being an outflow of our religious convictions!! I love how my pastor says it. He says, "Are you making your theology your biography?" We want to teach our children that all of their life, every decision, boils down to their religious convictions. I feel there is such a disconnect in our churches between theology and biography, theology and academics. We compartmentalize our lives.

 

This is quite well said. As with others, we began our homeschooling because of academic and safety concerns in the schools in an area where we no longer live, but I have grown to appreciate how beneficial it is in helping us incorporate our religious convictions overtly into all aspects of our lives. I do believe that I have a specific charge to do the best by her that I possibly can in all areas and, for us, that includes homeschooling right now. I can choose curricula that enhance her understanding of the bases for the teachings and understandings of the ancients, how that applies to our modern world especially in terms of moral and ethical behavior, etc. The academics, the scheduling flexibility, the time together as a family, etc also play a big part in it, but I am hopeful that we are doing something to counteract a wider culture that increasingly devalues personal responsibility, doing one's personal best, integrity, honesty, modesty, respect for others and actual self-respect (as opposed to merely self-esteem).

 

I certainly hope that we would be able to guide her in moral and ethical development in any setting, but I have to admit that homeschooling is helpful, particularly as a member of a minority religion. It is hard to have a young child constantly bombarded with messages that she is a freak or should be outcast because of her family's religious convictions. As she grows older and gains more perspective, it becomes easier for her to sort out our beliefs and those of others and be able to show some understanding and courtesy toward all.

 

Of course, we are a minority religion among homeschoolers as well, but have found a very supportive inclusive group for joint activities and I have more control over the homeschooling situations in which we choose to participate, especially while she is still quite young. I can do my best to make her transition into dealing with the wider world hopefully a positive one, with a grounding to enable her to handle the inevitable challenges gracefully.

 

With all of this, I do want to emphasize that while religious conviction plays a part in our homeschooling, we do not do so in search of religious *isolation* (ie that we will not come into contact with others of other religion convictions). In fact, I go out of my way to be sure that she does interact with others of many different convictions. It is simply a side benefit to be able to do some picking and choosing of the interaction so that I am not putting a very young child into a situation that I know up front will be actively religiously hostile (and thankfully those can usually be avoided). I have developed the rhino hide over being religiously different, but I would rather she gather her callouses a bit more gently.

[LadyR]

We homeschool because we believe it is the best way for us to "train up" our children.

Same here.

[Storm Bay]

In a round about way, yes. We chose it because we're to oversee our children's education and ps wasn't working (dh wanted ps at first). I'm in agreement with those who see Deut 6 as oversight of our children's education, be it in ps, private school or homeschool. When we started, our former church was mostly against homeschooling because they said that kids need to learn to be Christians everywhere. (okay, that's a really loose paraphrase/summary).

 

We have many reasons for homeschooling. My dh didn't even like the idea for years, and so we started with ps. Things weren't going well for my dd there, so he agreed we could try it if I did the research to show him that she didn't need it for social skills (that was another argument we'd heard, even from some clergy in our former church). We don't think our kids need to be sheltered from everything people teach differently than we do, and we even discuss other theories/beliefs as they come up, interact in a hs group that is very inclusive, etc.

 

That said, I think there are a lot of things being forced on kids in ps that I don't like because I don't think the jobs of schools are to teach morals, ethics, s*x**lity, worldview, etc. And some kids are better able to handle that and come out individuals than others, in large part based on what they are learning at home. But it was hard for my dd who often felt it her bounden duty to espouse her views when she disagreed. I think that they are an educational option, but wish they'd stick to things like reading, grammar, writing, math, geography, music (how to sing, notes, stuff like that), phys ed, logic, Latin (hey, at least as an option), art techniques, history, etc. But hey, what do I know:rolleyes:, I'm just a parent.

[Carol in Cal.]

No, although I am a Christian, I don't believe that God calls all Christians to separate their children from institutional schools.

 

And, no, I did not start homeschooling because I am Christian. I had always yearned toward homeschooling because I was an attachment parent and it seemed to be the logical next thing to do with my family values. But I had thought that homeschooling an only child was unfair, so had found a nice Lutheran school for her to attend. She went to K there, and then we decided to move to MN in Nov of what would have been her first grade year, so I decided to just homeschool so that we could continue in MN while seeking a good school there. It went SO WELL, and we didn't end up moving after all, and I just kept on going with the homeschooling.

 

But yes, one of the main BENEFITS that I see in homeschooling is that I can teach my DD the Word freely and integrate it into everything that we study and discuss. That is a great blessing, and as I see the neighborhood kids move into middle school, I am getting more and more separatist in my thinking. So I would say that one of the main reasons that I CONTINUE homeschooling is my faith.

[PrairieAir]

But many of the things that are true for "religious homeschoolers" are not true for me. I don't feel "called" to homeschool--just called to do what's best for my kids at any given time, which, right now, involves homeschooling. I don't fear the "influence of the world" that comes from mingling with non-Christians; I'm much more afraid of the "influence of the world" that comes from mingling with lukewarm Christians. And I'm not wedded to homeschooling as the best way to live out Deut 6. I have a hard time figuring out what those other ways are, most days!! But I don't believe that sending kids to public school is the same as neglecting your duty to make God's word part of your lying down and rising up.

 

I don't homeschool for religious reasons, but I do agree with what PariSarah has said here. Well, except for being more concerned about lukewarm Christians. That doesn't really concern me either. It's our job to train our children up in the way that they should go so that when they are old they do not depart from it. I believe we can do that no matter where the children go to school or who they are around. They can be in the world without the world being mixed in them. We've taught our children that we expect them to be the examples to their friends and others rather than the other way around, and for the most part we've been very pleased with how much they have taken that to heart. My (once) difficult child that I spent so many tears on is the best at it, too.:)

[Rhonda@LivingWater]

Our religious convictions have always been the driving force behind our reason to homeschool our children. The wonderful benefits of better academics, better hours, and fitting the correct curriculum to each child have been added bonuses.

[Aubrey]

We're moving that direction.

[6packofun]

Without disclaimer, we homeschool because God told our family to do it.

[Just Me]

Yes...and no. I really felt a call to homeschool when we originally started. I felt that the kiddos weren't "getting" what they needed.

 

But at this point (6 years later), while our convictions are still as important, we have come to realize that the kids wouldn't have been able to spend any time with my dh over the last four years if they weren't at home during the day. He is a full-time seminary student, and worked nights. So it became evenmore important at that point.

 

Now, I just can't imagine it any other way! :)

[Soph the vet]

It is one of our reasons.