CHOIS Connection is published quarterly by Christian Homeschoolers Of Idaho State.
This article appeared in a previous issue.
CHOIS Connection
CHOIS Tidbits
by Linda Patchin
"So Far So good!"
Fall 2008
"So far so good," yelled the man when he was about half way down. He had boasted that gravity would not have an adverse affect upon him before he jumped off of the top of the Empire State Building. His unexamined assertion emboldened him to act upon his conviction without the aid of parachutes or nets. So far so good? True for now but not for long. His story does not end happily.
Have you ever known someone who has taken this very same approach to their children's education? Every day the news brings fresh reports of plummeting scores, escalating campus violence, inappropriate relationships, and the promotion of ungodly worldviews by those in authority. Even so, far too many Christian parents close their ears to the warning cries, hope for the best, and heedlessly push their children over the edge.
They gloss over their childhood memories which were unpleasant, by invoking warm, fuzzy reminiscences of grammar school. Many are lulled into a false sense of security by the young children they know who "seem to be" doing well in the system. Though troubled by the magnitude of the problem, they try not to think about it in respect to their own children. They nervously twitter, "So far so good."
Far too often young parents look to their peers when making education choices; people who also have young children. When young parents are examining the different educational choices available to them, they would be wise to look for advice from those who have finished well. It's easy to look good in the early years, but what will those same kids look like at the end of their years of tutelage? Luke 6:40 says…"everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher."
As I get closer and closer to the finish line of graduating my last child, I often find myself looking back. Of course there are things that I wish I had done differently, but most of those things are very, very minor. Bad curriculum choices, learning style misunderstanding, all the little things about which, homeschool moms love to obsess. These minor things are hardly worth mentioning when compared to how grateful I am that God placed the idea of educating my children into my heart, and for the way that He equipped me, guided me and carried me in my weakness. Homeschooling wasn't always easy, but it certainly was rewarding!
Perhaps you've been homeschooling for awhile, but you find yourself looking over the fence at the supposed "greener grass" of the school grounds. Dear parent, please keep your eye on the finish line. Stay on the path that will lead you to a successful conclusion. Many parents who have chosen traditional methods of educating their children can recall vibrant toddlers, eager-eyed preschoolers, and engaged scholars in the first couple of grades. By the junior high years they find themselves wondering where that child went who used to love learning. They approach teen years with fear, rather than anticipation. "So far…" they wistfully mutter, without finishing their sentence.
Don't be fooled. So much of what passes for education today is smoke and mirrors. Do you want your children learning worthwhile, factual and functional information, or game show trivia? How much classroom time should be taken up with preparation for the "high stakes" assessments? As home educator's we understand the necessity of teaching a full body of knowledge because we recognize that standardized test results represent a pinpoint on a graph during one moment in time. Because we can tailor our curriculum and teaching methods to meet the needs of our individual child, our test results provide instant feedback on our "tailoring" needs. We urge our children on to excellence not to save our jobs, but because we are preparing them for the unique destiny that God has for them.
Sometimes it's hard to see the finish line from the early stages of the race. It seems so far away! In the early days of the modern home education movement, many of us simply had to trust what that mark would look like, as we knew precious few who had arrived. Not so today. Homeschooled high school students and graduates are everywhere. Invest time in getting to know some of them. They will inspire you!
Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (www.nheri.org) has provided us with empirical evidence of what lies beyond homeschool graduation. His 2003, 8-page study, Homeschooling Grows Up, and the book Homeschooled and Now Adults are based upon the research findings of an enormous survey of homeschooled adults. The study gives statistics, the book tells the stories that are behind them. Both should be in your library.
First, the good news. They can and do get into the colleges of their choice. Over seventy-four percent of homeschool graduates have taken college-level courses, as compared with forty-six percent of the general population. Our graduates are gainfully employed in a wide variety of occupations; they can get and hold jobs. Homeschool graduates are involved in their community, with seventy-one percent participating in an ongoing community service activity, for example coaching a sports team, working in a church and et cetera, as compared with thirty-seven percent of adults of similar ages. Eighty-eight percent were members of an organization.
Good news on the political front. Only 4.2% of homeschool graduates consider politics and government too complicated to understand as compared with thirty-five percent of U.S. adults. Homeschool graduates work for candidates, contribute to campaigns and vote in much higher percentages than the general population. For example, seventy-six percent of graduates between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four voted, compared with only twenty-nine percent of their peers. In Idaho's most recent primary election we enjoyed seeing several candidates who were either homeschool graduates, or married to one, or who were actively homeschooling their own children. A quiet revolution is taking place.
The best news. Ninety-eight percent of homeschooled adults claim that they are happy and satisfied with their lives. Ninety-five percent are glad that they were homeschooled and do not feel that being homeschooled hindered them in their careers or education. Eighty-two percent would homeschool their own children. Seventy-four percent already are.
Dr. Ray was the first person who researched homeschooled adults, but many have followed his example since then. Most recently, an article in Home School Researcher with the ponderous title Emotional, Social and Academic Adjustment to College: A Comparison between Christian Home Schooled and Traditionally Schooled College Freshmen, written by several authors at the bidding of the Department of Psychology at Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi had this to say:
"The home schooled students scored significantly lower on the anxiety subscale, while no difference was found between the two groups on the remaining scales. In addition, it was noted that there was a general trend characterized by home schooled students reporting fewer symptoms of emotional distress and social problems, and achieving higher first semester GPAs. The results suggest that home schooled college freshmen successfully adjust to the social and academic and social environment of college with a diverse student population. "
I fear that some may view this article as elitist. They may believe that I am suggesting that, "We're better than everyone else." I am an unabashed supporter of home education and I cannot afford to buy into the public school postmodern mantra of "everyone being equal" and their view that it is arrogant to think that one worldview or culture is superior to another. In reality, it is less than candid to suggest that measurably inferior systems (academically and/or socially) should not be criticized despite their failings. Why should parents be asked to settle for second best for their children just to avoid offending the politically correct crowd? The lives and souls of children are at stake, and so I cannot be bashful about advocating for a method of education that can better prepare students for a healthy, successful future.
While it is a tremendous blessing to have empirical evidence, an examined assertion, that home education can succeed from beginning to end, it is the anecdotal evidence that most warms our hearts. Get to know a homeschooled adult and listen to their story. I suspect that you will find, as I have found, that homeschooling is, "So good, so far!"
Paul and Linda Patchin have homeschooled their four children for over two decades. One of their homeschool graduates is also a college graduate, gainfully employed. Another is currently a college Senior, studying this semester in Lyon, France. Two await the distinction of being homeschool graduates.
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