Homeschool Smug

Homeschool Smug

“A Crack in the Dam”

Warning – The following post contains Pro-Home Schooling views that may step on toes!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of homeschooling. Specifically, the local homeschool community, but I also wonder about the situation nationwide.

You can only see three sides of a box at one time even though there are 6, and I am quite sure that I have not viewed all sides of this issue either (only those from my own perspective), and I will be accused of misrepresenting many, and I may make a few downright angry by expressing my views. That’s OK. We here at Promised Land are very passionate about homeschooling. We do not want to see the foundations destroyed.

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Psalm 11:4

I can only relate my own perceptions and interpretations of what I see. Also, it is my sincere hope that my wife Janis will post on this subject at a later time, as she has shouldered 95% of the homeschool burden in our home and has a much deeper grasp of all the issues involved.

It seems that , all too often I have been hearing of yet another homeschool family (even ones who were very vocal proponents) caving in and giving their children up to, or back to the government indoctrination centers (schools). This caving in has started slowly and has grown in volume during the last few years, just as a catastrophic dam break begins with a very small leak. I used to hear of only a very few who gave up, but the trend is becoming a torrent. It is my fervent prayer that more and more new people will begin homeschooling to step in and repair the breach.

Stand By for Ranting

If your skin is thin and you will take offense at my (opinionated) opinion – perhaps you might skip this next paragraph.

I have ever believed, and still do, that homeschooling has always been and is still, the only God mandated form of education I can find within the scriptures. All the examples of State-run education I have discovered in scripture is of pagan nations or kings, who use it as a tool to turn the hearts of God’s people from Him. Now I’ve heard all of the “That was then – this is now” arguments on this issue as well as other issues in scripture, and quite honestly, for me, none of them hold water. God is not the author of confusion, nor does He change. If that sticks in your craw – So be it! Perhaps there are pro-public school blogs you can find if you do a little searching. I’m tired of excuses. However, this post is not about whether or not you should homeschool……although as you have probably guessed, I am unapologetically vociferous about that. In this post, I will only be addressing some reasons why people may be quitting homeschooling. Please don’t send comments about how I am telling you how to live your life, or to relate how your child is being salt and light within the public school system. I may have to activate the “comment moderation” key.

OK, rant’s over.

When we began homeschooling many years ago, the movement was a pioneering venture and the vast majority of people we knew were traveling down that path because that was how they felt God wanted them to raise and educate their children. There was no mass exodus into homeschooling though, because like all pioneering movements, the going was tough and dangerous, with lots of opposition. I remember well the years we feared to let our kids be seen outside our home before 3:00 PM or being afraid of taking them to the grocery store with us. I also recall very well the persecution that came from within the church, and from the pulpit too. But times of persecution bring about great growth (just look at the history of the church) and we got stronger-much stronger!

But, I’m back to my original question – What is it that is causing so many to give up? To compromise once strongly held convictions? What would cause this movement to crumble for so many? I would like to relay my observations, and I will compare the failure to the breaking of the Teton Dam in southeastern Idaho, which failed abruptly on June 5, 1976.

The First Wet Spot Appearers

One of the first leaks I remember was when the State of Idaho, being favorably disposed to homeschoolers decided that our poor children were being deprived of opportunities in education that public school kids enjoyed. And they wanted to help! (Red Flag) They passed Idaho Statute#33-203 “Duel-Enrollment” entitling us to enroll our children in any public school class or activity. (because we still pay the same taxes as everyone else) Of course the school district encouraged this because they got state funding for classes attended by us homeschoolers. It started with many homeschoolers taking part in innocuous classes like band, shop and sports. But it soon spread to academic classes as well.

So that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands. Ezra9:2b

Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. I Cor. 15:28

The parents who bought into this program told themselves and others that they still had control over their children’s education. Yes, they were still educating their children – but so was the coach, the shop teacher, the band director…. not to mention the cute blonde in the corner of the class who thought your son was fair game, or the hip guy with the hot car – and so on and so forth!

And a wet spot appeared on the side of the dam. Little erosions in the true cement making up the dam that holds back a flood!

A widening in the crack occurred as a result of Idaho’s very lenient homeschool laws (the best in the nation) which basically state that a child, from age 7 shall be taught in subjects commonly taught in public schools – that’s it! In Idaho, parents do not have to be certified teachers and there is no reporting or paperwork required from us. We do not report to the school board, the state or any other authority. This basically left a wide open field as far as homeschooling was concerned. Please do not misinterpret what I’m saying here. Freedoms are wonderful things and I am very, very thankful to have lived in this state during our schooling years. I also am cognizant of the fact that we have been abundantly blessed here in Idaho! The problem is not with the freedom – the problem is with man’s sinful nature. There are always those who will abuse freedom. The problem I recognized was when public school kids (and their parents) who refused to live within the rules and laws of the state (truancy, drug use, teen pregnancy, failing grades, bringing guns to school, etc, etc, etc.) got kicked out of public school and their parents said, “No problem, we’ll just homeschool them” – never intending to address the problem or spend the time necessary to really educate them at home. The ranks were filled with soldiers who were not dedicated to the cause. Soldiers who had no backbone. Soldiers who’s allegiance was with the enemy. And the pure home school movement was no longer pure. The pristine waters of the homeschool reservoir became muddied.

And the crack grows wider!

The next widening of this crack came in 2001 when the state (perhaps it was federal, I don’t remember) gave us even more support and approved the formation and funding of charter schools. Here is the state’s definition of a Charter School- Charter schools are publicly-funded, semi-autonomous schools within the public education system that operate under the conditions of their charter document and applicable state and federal laws. Charter schools exchange some government control for an increase level of autonomy, but are held accountable for the same levels of student achievement as traditional public schools PLUS other specified outcomes in the approved charter document. In Idaho, charter schools may be authorized by local school boards or by the State Charter School Commission. On appeal, the State Board of Education may authorize a charter school. Whenever the pagan state tells Christians, “We want to help” Flee to the hills! Like Joseph, we should have left our cloak and ran as fast as we could go. But there was not much outcry at all. In fact, many did just the opposite and stayed within the state’s bedchamber to enjoy the fruits therein. One of the Charter Schools formed was the Idaho Virtual Academy. A computer based K-12 curriculum that provided all necessary material free of charge. Parents could still keep their children at home and the state would provide everything, including computers, books, CDs, even bags of rocks and dirt – delivered right to your door. And people deceived themselves and they still called themselves Homeschoolers, because their kids were getting their education at home (But Babylon now makes the rules). This seemed to be the perfect plan for those parents who never really intended to spend the time (read …”all the time”) necessary to home educate their children. This insidious plan darkened the eyes of many homeschoolers who then squeezed into this crack in the dam and, like freezing water they widened that fissure.

Related to the Charter Schools are the “so called” Christian Schools, which I feel have been a huge detriment to true biblical education (not to mention a blight on the church herself). Now I know that Christian schools and biblical education, just by the sound of it, seem to be synonymous, but in order to label something as biblical – wouldn’t you agree that it should be found in the Bible… supported in Scripture? Should it not at least be mentioned? I see no reference to education being a duty of the church, nor do I find any examples of the church actually taking on such a responsibility. In fact I believe that for the church to do so, violates the realm of authority that God assigned to parents, just a surely as did the state. The Christian School phenomena is just another tentacle of the seeker friendly church mindset which gives believers an excuse to feel good about themselves by calling something Christian that is not.

I probably shouldn’t go here, but I have to speak about the entertainment driven churches (the Megas) (and far too many small churches who are enamored with the Megas) and their “come to me” programs, for anyone with any kind of need or want. Do you as a parent really think that you can compete with everything these megalopolises have to offer? Do you really expect that your children are going stay satisfied with the life you offer at home when you take them to “Excitement Central” every week. After all the glitz and glamour , cool crowds, pop music, activities, eye candy, friends that have it all, sermons that tell them that God loves them just like they are – what is there left to come home to? (Boring!) What appetites are you feeding in your kids?

It is no wonder there is so little spiritual power in the churches today. We get them in with entertainment and the only way we can keep them is with more of the same diet. They say, “Well, it gets crowds, and then we can preach to them.” That’s the old Jesuit philosophy: “The end justifies the means.” You cannot support that with Scripture. David was very sincere when he tried to bring the Ark of God up to Jerusalem with a new method. God was not pleased. We must not only have the right message but we must have the proper method. Do you think the Holy Spirit is going to work in the situations described above? The Scripture says, ” It pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe.” It doesn’t say, “by foolishness and preaching.” They do not mix. Author unknown

The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them……providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church……The need is for biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men on fire. Charles H. Spurgen

And Water Is Pouring Through!

Another eroding factor comes from within ourselves. This problem has reached colossal proportions within the homeschool movement! That being ~ The vanity of us parents! What?, you may ask does my vanity (yes, every one of us deal with this – you are not exempt) have to do with failing home schools? Well, in the 16 or so years we have been involved with the movement, I cannot recall one single parent who does not deal with this issue. Every single one of us spend all this time, effort, trouble, money, blood, sweat and tears teaching our kids and we want to know that it has all been worthwhile. We must prove beyond any shadow of doubt, to the world and to ourselves, that our kids are just as good as public school kids. How do we get away from this? Where does this attitude come from? (I think it’s a sickness caused by Darwinians! l.o.l.) So… how do we attempt to prove this relevance? By putting our kids through all kinds of programs and extracurricular activities like piano, violin, guitar, summer sports programs, bible quizzes, AWANA, talent nights, spelling bees, science and history fairs, music recitals, etc. etc. etc. so that they can prove their worthiness and credibility. We want our kids to shine…and most of them do not disappoint us. We parents become absolutely neurotic about our kids being better and a notch above the rest. We get a bad case of Homeschool Smug. (Sometimes this attitude rubs off on our kids and they get a little too big for their breeches too – who’s to blame? We are!) These activities have absolutely nothing to do with real life! It turns them into individualists! Part of the problem with this “virus” we parents get is that some of our kids are not oriented to performance. Perhaps they are just a might slower than the rest, or maybe they are just a little more laid back than the rest. And when Billy doesn’t shine like all the virtuosos in homeschooling, Mom feels like a failure because we tend compare ourselves to them.

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. II Corinthians 10:12

This has made homeschooling a huge burden on many mothers and it is all too easy to give in to their worry. Worry about whether or not they are really giving their child a decent education.

Along with falling into the trap of being performance oriented and, the desire to be relevant as far as the worldly system of education goes, is the alarming trend for homeschoolers to send their daughters off to college. In the last ten years or so, every homeschool graduation we have attended, have had a long line of daughters up on the stage, and when they were asked what their future plans were, I don’t think I’ve heard 1 in 25 even hint of being a Homemaker, Wife or Homeschooler. It’s always been, “I’m going to go to college for this or that.” Usually across the country! What is the vision of the parents for these girls? What in the world are they thinking? I often hear the excuse, “she’s doing this …just in case.” In case of what? That everything she’s been taught doesn’t take? Are you preparing her and training her to fail, or to follow God? Brother, if your daughter ever has to support herself while you’re around, then shame on you! Never mind for a bit, the father’s responsibility to protect his daughters until they can be given in marriage. Let’s just focus on the whole paradigm we are talking about here – Homeschooling. How is it parents can spend all these years believing that Mom needs to be at home with the kids, saying that this is the only correct way to educate them, and then encourage the girls to go off to school in some other locale. I am not for a moment belittling girls or women – there is no higher calling than raising godly children! I stand up and call all women who do so “BLESSED”! Her worth is far above rubies and this is what real femininity is all about!! Please , if you haven’t read “Death Knell” go back and understand what happens when we send our kids away. The same thing that happens to churches and families holds true for homeschooling as well. The same thing happens to the homeschool vision! When all is said and done, far, far too many parents have no vision at all for the future, except for the monetary! No multi-generational vision at all!

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18a

If mom needs to be in the home for your homeschool vision to be a reality, then what makes you think you can ignore that principal in your children’s lives. Just as is was said in the time of the Judges,

And all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, who knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord… Judges 2:10-13a

It is my sincere belief, that if you are encouraging your daughters to go off to college, rather than to be content with being a homeschooling mother and wife, then you should start repeating these words over and over – And there arose another generation after them, who would not home school! Say it over and over, so that you are not taken by surprise when it happens to you, and you will have no one to blame but yourself!

O, yes…the crack gets wider!

Another addition to the flow.

And then there is the culture itself – or it could be our own sinful nature rearing it’s ugly head in response. I’m not sure which way it should be labeled because they are so tightly linked. This pagan culture we all live in is constantly wooing and enticing the Lord’s people to partake of her pleasures. We Christian homeschoolers have been going far beyond doing “double takes.”

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill”….With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks. Harken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way of hell, going down to the chambers of death. Proverbs 7:17, 21,22,24-27

We have been listening with attentive ears to her talk and our eyes have been twinkling with desire for every nicety this culture has to offer. New cars, big pickups, nicer houses, the latest fashions – the list goes on and on. Most homeschoolers I’m aware of certainly do not look any different than the rest of America. How do they get all these things? By buying into usurious debt. Buy now, pay later! And we push mom (and daughters) out into the workforce to pay the bill! Yes, the harlot culture tells you through her “much fair speech” that you deserve more. More of everything!

Everyone I know, says they need just one thing.

But, what they really mean is -

They want just one thing more!

Rich Mullins (One Thing)

If you’ve been enticed by this smooth speech, you have bought more than you or your children can afford! Brothers and sisters, you don’t need all those things as much as you need your kids and you probably need to choose between the two!

Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives… Nehemiah 4:14b

Dad… rise up and fight for your homeschool vision with everything you are!

If your feet are getting wet by the water flowing through this crack, you better get out of the way before the dam breaks.

The Catastrophic Failure!

Well…if you’ve barely been making it through this diatribe because of boredom, OR you can barely hold back your indignation at me and are seething at the breaking point…Hold on to your hats because what ever this writing has been doing to you… it’s about to do more!

I believe the single most damaging factor in the homeschooling movement that causes failure is …… The Abdication of the Fathers….to do their DUTY to their children, their wives and their God! How’s that for being a “Contrarian”? Oh, yes…I’m guilty, guilty, guilty! If there is anything I am thankful for in this homeschool life, it is that God sometimes works in spite of me! But that does not relieve us of our responsibility, nor does it eliminate consequences. Brothers, do not hold on to the hope that God will override your selfish mistakes, because you just may end up loosing your children (and possibly your wife) to this wicked culture! How can I say such things, you ask. I say them because of 1^st hand experience. My wife and I have been attending homeschool conferences and seminars for over 16 years. For many of the early years, when conference attendance might reach around 300 people, there was only myself and perhaps half a dozen other fathers in the audience. These numbers grew very slowly over the years. And it is only a recent phenomenon for many fathers to grace those halls. What a sad testimony! Why was it that fathers felt justified in allowing their wives to do it all when it came to schooling their kids? Why do we as men tend to zone out on important issues? It’s because we were duped into believing that “providing for one’s own” refers only to providing financially! Far too many men tell themselves that they are out “bringing home the bacon”, and the wife is sitting home all day with nothing better to do – she might as well make good use of her time and school the kids. What a LIE! As long as satan can keep men ensnared in that mindset – he has won the battle for your kids! To my recollection, the vast majority of commands within the pages of scripture to pass along knowledge and wisdom to the next generation are directed squarely at the father. So we can come up with all the excuses (and they are excuses) we want, but it is we who will be held accountable, not our wives. It is you, who God directed to lead, not your wife. It is too large a burden for our wives. God made the man to carry the burdens for them. Relieve them! Be a man!

My synopsis

Dam building is hard, expensive, technical, and very specialized work. It can’t be done helter – skelter, and it has to be built in the right place with the right ground conditions in order to stand. Home schooling is no different. If you are home schooling just for education’s sake, or because you are the type to join worthwhile movements or just jump on bandwagons, no matter how noble the cause, then I think it’s time you stood back for a moment and think this over.

Homeschooling should not be a movement!

Homeschooling should not be a means to an end!

Homeschooling should not even be a “lifestyle”!

If homeschooling is any of these things for you, then there is always the possibility for failure, for giving up, for turning back! If it is any of those things, then it is also subjective, up to each person’s interpretation and may or may not be the best way. Real homeschooling is part and parcel with your faith in God, and deciding whether or not you are going to obey Him. Those whom I see sticking it out, come hell or high water are doing so as an act of obedience. However, keep in mind that obedience doesn’t always mean that things will work out the way you had planned. We and our kids will still struggle with sin, disappointment and all those other things I have mentioned above. It will be hard sometimes. It will be defeating sometimes and sometimes it will be glorious! But those hard times do not give us an excuse. If it is obedience, then we will obey no matter what. Far too many families begin homeschooling thinking it will cure their education ills and that life will be grand as a result, only to be to have it all come crashing down. God doesn’t allow His people to erect idols without bringing them down.

Homeschooling is not a season of life that we are going to get through as soon as our kids are through 12^th grade. I plan on being a homeschoolers as long as I am alive – affecting my son’s sons and their sons after them. And I expect each of those generations of children to be taught to have the same attitude.

Homeschooling is multi-generational – or it is a failure! It is all or nothing!

Allen