delivering grace: Why we home educate and extra benefits

The 2018 Virtual Homeschool Fair has started. This is run by Susan at Homeschooling Hearts and Minds and will run over four weeks in January.

Over seven years ago, I wrote about why we home educate. Our basic reason hasn't changed since then and so I will copy what I wrote then and then talk about additional, side benefits we have discovered as time has gone on.

We haven't always home educated. Our older three went to nursery aged either two or three and have then been to academic private schools. As time has gone on, we have become convicted of the need to "Provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nuture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6 v4) and that we should "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22v6) and of the admonition on Deut 6v6-7 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou riseth up.".

We had also been increasingly convicted of our compromises in having the children in school. We were, perhaps, not interventional enough and Christians we love and respect have the courage and ability to challenge over more issues. We felt compromised by attempts at "worship" in school-nativity plays, "hymns" sung which certainly weren't reformed, the children being asked to colour pictures that were irreverent and depicted the Lord even when a travesty of Christianity was taught, other religions being taught as more than equal to Christianity, the Lord's name being taken in vain by children all the time and there being no rebuke for this. I haven't arrived at evolution and the non-teaching of creation as a credible alternative, atheistic geography and population teaching, sex education from an amoral perspective etc etc.
We had spoken to staff about issues such as witches in books, about the issue of irreverent pictures, about amoral sex education and about trips/orchestra on the Lord's Day. Our older children have missed several trips due to them being over the Lord's Day.

We know that home educating is not a guarantee that our children will be converted, anymore than not home educating is a guarantee that they won't. God is sovereign. We can only cry to Him for mercy on our children. We realise that we can teach our children at home but still teach them from a worldly and not Christian world view. Our job is to be faithful and to follow His Word as closely as we can.

October 2010

As time has gone on, we have also seen the benefits of being able to individualise a child's education. The Education Act of 1996 says that

The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable—

(1) to his age, ability and aptitude, and

(2) to any special educational needs he may have,

either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.

Strangely enough, it is easier to do this on a small scale basis than it would be in a classroom. My history loving child can spend an extra year learning about Ancient History and then another learning about the Romans. My science loving child can have an extra trip to the Science Museum and spent time making rockets in the back garden. We can spend more time on the subjects that are difficult but balance this with plenty of time for the things they enjoy. We can even weave the two together.

Home education isn't an easy or a main stream choice. If you are wondering whether to go down this route then do think out your reasons and write them down for a rainy day!