Moms of Littles – Off to School…or is it Homeschool?

Hey there! Last weekend, we dropped Chaz off at Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City. I thought it would be fitting to use his picture on this post (one successfully through high school, and one more to go!). I really wish I had remembered to take more pictures. This one was last minute, right before we left. We could have chosen somewhere that would show the beauty of the campus more, but…it is what it is. We said goodbye right here. I cried a little, which I think surprised him enough he gave me a great big hug. 🙂

Before I give you my perspective and rationale for our decision to send our kids to public school, I want to let you know that I have nothing against homeschooling. I have many friends who homeschool their children, and they are doing a wonderful job. In fact, I’ll be sharing some “Homeschool Helps” from a friend of mine in the next post. I think the decision to homeschool or not is a personal decision that you will need to prayerfully consider. You will want to think about your child’s personality and the schools you have available to you. I’m also not writing to try to sway your decision either direction. I’m just going to tell you why we chose to send our kids to public school and then share a few tips if your children are in public school.

But first…let’s agree not to be judgmental of either decision.

In my position as a public school teacher, I have seen some examples of what I would call poor homeschooling experiences. Students sometimes come to us grade levels behind their peers, lacking basic social skills, and struggling to act responsibly. I do not judge ALL homeschoolers by these experiences, and I would ask that you do the same when considering public schools. I regularly tell my husband it is a good thing that I am not offended easily because people often make remarks about public schools and teachers that are negative, hurtful, and absolutely untrue of the schools where I have taught. Most people make those judgments from the extreme situations that are reported on the news, and not because of their personal experience in public schools. I would venture to say no two public school districts are exactly alike and they are probably vastly different across the country as well. And while I agree that there are things about the public education system that needs improvement, I also know that the majority of teachers, administrators, and support staff are doing their jobs because they love children and want to make a positive impact in their lives.

Chaz and Harley started school before I ever went back to school to get my teaching degree, so my teaching did not play a part in our decision. If you are interested in why I became a teacher, check out this blog post on my teacher page.

The short answer to why our kids attended public school is that we have an amazing district available to us and we feel that not all Christians have to homeschool their kids. We feel like if every Christian made the decision to homeschool, we would be removing the light from an already darkening place. Our small school district made it easier (than a larger district perhaps) for the kids to live out their faith. Chaz’s fifth grade teacher even encouraged him to have Bible studies at recess and helped him lead a friend to the Lord! You don’t hear about that in the news (😊)! Simply put, we see schools as a mission field. Did you know that there are approximately 50 million children in public schools? We send missionaries to countries all over the world with populations of that size! This post from another Christian teacher who wrestled with the decision for her son shares some of her thoughts which are very similar to mine.

That being said, here are a few things that I think helped us navigate public school for Chaz and Harley:

Strong Biblical Foundation

Lay the foundation…as Whitney said in the post I linked, your child’s brain is mostly developed before they ever walk through the doors of the school. Chaz and Harley had a strong Biblical foundation. Our kids need to know what they believe and why they believe it.

Be Involved

Be involved! The more involved you are, the more you will know what is going on at school. You can even be a witness to your child’s teacher and other parents. Volunteer some time to let kids read to you! You might be surprised how many kids have no one at home who will take the time to listen to them read. ☹

Talk About Everything

I know some people are afraid of what their children might be exposed to in public school. We saw those moments as opportunities to teach them what the Bible says about a subject. Evolution? Let’s see what the Bible says (although they already knew). Divorce? Let’s see what the Bible says about that. Drugs, alcohol, music…the list could go on and on. Talk about everything. Know why you have the standards that you do so that you can explain it to them.

Keep Christ and Serving Him at the Center of Your Home

This one should go without saying, but it is important to continue to build on the foundation that you’ve laid. Our kids had the benefit of a strong children’s program and youth group in our church. We prioritized their involvement in those things over school activities. We encouraged them to form a daily habit of Bible study and prayer time. Lead by example.

I’m sure there is more I could say, but I wanted to keep this somewhat short. I’ll be posting another post tomorrow by friend, Amber, who is doing an amazing job homeschooling her children.

If you need to catch up on the other posts in the series, click on over:

Part 1 – The Baby Years
Part 2 – Core Beliefs
Part 3 – Terrible 2s or is it 3s?
Part 4 – Discipline
Part 5 – Setting Expectations
Part 6 – Confronting Attitudes

P.S. Even if you don’t have kids in school, you could think about volunteering in a local school. There are so many kids who just need a little attention and a positive role model in their lives. Some schools actually have after-school (or during school with parent permission like ours) clubs for Bible time once a week. I’m sure they would love more volunteers! 🙂