why we educate our children at home

I have been thinking a lot lately about the reasons we educate our children at home. We started our journey in homeschooling when Nathaniel had just finished 1st grade. He had a lot of hearing problems due to ear infections. This caused the school to remove him from classes to work with him on reading. I had attended one year of college for Special Education and was home with an infant, so I decided to spend the year to catch him up with his classmates and then we would send him back.

That first year of homeschooling went great. Mark was not able to work due to seizures and that made money very tight. I created lesson plans using library books. Nathaniel improved a lot that year with the one on one attention. He also was able to focus on his interests. We decided that we could keep homeschooling as we had fun with him at home.

We had decided that the priorities in our homeschooling were as follows:
1. To raise children that love the Lord with all their heart, all their soul, and with all their might.
2. To raise productive adults (able to hold down a job, and benefit those around them)
3. It would be great if the kids learn academics ,BUT it will not get in the way of our first 2 goals.

With more study in the Bible we have come to the conclusion that, if at all possible, all Christian parents should homeschool their children. Here are some things people may not have considered about sending children to be taught away from home.

• Any teacher could be (and probably is) holding beliefs that contradict our family's values.
• The Bible teaches us to train our children in God's Word. Public school teaches Anti-Christian values of evolution, tolerance of other religions to a fault, and relativism (no absolute truth)
• Children learn by example. They cannot learn godliness from the ungodly example and world view that public schools teach. A child in school is learning by the example of the adults and children that they are with approximately 7 hours every day.
• Children are not strong enough in their faith to be thrown into an ungodly world every day. Many adults do not know how to answer peoples questions or oppositions of their religion. We are sending are children out there with no ammunition.
• Many people say they cannot home school because they need two incomes. Two incomes are not usually necessary. A set lifestyle may need to live with a lower income. We live on very little but still have extras. Most people think they need more for dinners out, cable tv, multiple cars, vacations, and other frivolities. These things are not bad but if this is your excuse for not homeschooling, then it is wrong. Some families educate their children at home even if they both hold jobs, but it is much harder. Others have home businesses, but the main issue is still usually spending too much and expecting an unreasonable lifestyle.  
• Thinking you are not educated enough yourself to educate your children is wrong also. The Bible says in Phillipians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God has given us the task to raise our children and he will give us all the tools we need to help us accomplish it.
• Sending our children into the world is a compromise in all the values we are trying to teach our children at home.
• We are to instruct them in God's Word and not leaving it up to our pastor or Sunday school teachers for an hour on Sundays.

There is no good to be gained from sending your children off to be educated by others. It is our responsibility, and God has commanded that we train them in the way they should go, not leave it to someone else.
I am writing this in hopes that people will read it with an open mind and see the Bible's leading in parents taking responsibility for their own children.

sara