Nadine and I had the joy of attending the annual conference of the
Ontario Christian Home Educators' Connection (OCHEC) this past Friday and
Saturday at Redeemer University College in Ancaster. The conference featured keynote addresses
from Jonathan Lewis, the editor of Home School Enrichment Magazine and Mike
Farris, the founder of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and the
founder and chancellor of Patrick Henry College. In addition to the keynote speeches there
were numerous workshops covering a myriad of topics pertinent to home education
and other related issues. There was also
a large group of exhibitors displaying all the latest curriculum materials for
parents to browse and/or purchase.
All in all it was a great weekend.
My mom graciously came over and watched our daughter during the day and
they had a blast together. As for Nadine
and I, though with a 4-month old in tow we were limited with respect to the
amount of activities we could participate in, we still found the weekend to be
a rewarding experience (even though Nadine got sick on Saturday.... thankfully she is feeling better now).
I am hoping to make several posts with summaries of the various
workshops which we participated in. The
first is below, it was the opening address from Jonathan Lewis entitled, 'Strength
in our Convictions: Eight Reasons Why Homeschooling is Worth It'.
Though the talk was primarily directed at parents already
homeschooling, I hope all parents will take the time to consider his points
below. When people ask me why we are
planning to home-school my response is that 'It is our conviction that
Christian education is the God honoring path which parents should take, and who
better than parents to carry out that task'.
I usually get the 'that's nice' response, both from Christians and
non-Christians and a frank discussion rarely ensues. It can be difficult to discuss this subject
with other parents; I feel that this is because many parents can feel
threatened when someone questions their parental choices. Is it a matter of personal preference, or
does the Bible speak clearly regarding education? How can the principles of wisdom found in
God's word lead us to correct conclusions on this subject? I hope these are questions we are all willing
to ask.
Emotions aside, I hope that all parents can consider objectively
what God requires of us and where the path of wisdom leads with respect to
educating our children. I found the
points below to be well worth contemplating.
_______________________________________
Strength in our Convictions: 8 Reasons Why Home-Schooling is Worth
It
(Jonathan Lewis)
Homeschooling is about convictions.
1. Without God Learning is
Empty:
-"What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet
forfeits his very soul?"
-Secular education by definition leaves God out - but how can we
leave out the very foundation of knowledge?
-education without reference to God is dishonoring to our creator
and builds on a foundation of sand that is sure to collapse.
2. Virtue is More Important
than Academics:
-it is evident that there is a crisis of character in our world
today
-character training simply does not take place in public schools
today
-despite good intentions of some teachers, with 30 students 'character training' often amounts to crowd control
-one teacher cannot nurture and develop 30 students by themselves
-character is king, and a child with character makes a better
student
-education should prepare our children for a life of virtuous
service to others, and is ultimately training for eternity
3. There is more to School
than Books:
-there is success you cannot quantify on standardized tests
-life itself is the test and education should be about life itself
-with homeschooling life is our curriculum and the world is our
classroom
-virtue is its own reward, and a life lived for Christ trumps
academic achievement
-homeschooling combines the best of both, it is statistically
better academically speaking
4. No one can take care of
a child better than their own parents:
-the experts are not more qualified than you are
-studies have shown that greater amount of schooling in education
(i.e. M.A. in Education) does not correlate to better teacher performance
-if God has given you specific children he has also equipped you
to educate them
5. There is no such thing
as an 'average child':
-mediocrity is the wellspring of uniformity
-homeschoolers can be free from the 'grade-level' mentality
-children can be gifted in out subject and struggle in another,
homeschooling gives more freedom to spend time where it is needed
-one-on-one time from a parent who loves and cares for their child
far more than any teacher cannot be beat
6. Socialization Isn't
Everything: Better no socialization than bad socialization.
-the best is positive socialization that is accomplishes a purpose
-"It is better to be alone than in bad company" - George
Washington
-schools are heavily peer based (e.g. 30 students, one teacher)
-"Do not be deceived 'Bad company corrupts good morals'"
(quoted by the Apostle Paul, 1 Cor.15:33)
-the Bible warns even adults regarding the company that they keep
-remember the warning - "do not be deceived", many
people are deceived about this
-"whoever walks with the wise will become wise, but a
companion of fools will suffer harm" (Proverbs 13:20)
-"folly (foolishness) is bound up in the heart of a
child" (Proverbs 22:15)
-when children spend time with other children does their behaviour
improve or deteriorate? (it
deteriorates!)
-Prov. 22:15 continued - "but the rod of discipline will
drive it (folly) far from him"
-it is the parents role to teach and disciple their children in
accordance with the principles found in the word of God
-better socialization takes place in spending time with family,
parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and church family, sunday school
teachers, pastors and mentors
-it is a mistake to view all educational options as equal
-every educational approach comes with a distinct lifestyle that
influences family life, from subject matter to scheduling to homework etc.
-Deut. 6, "when you sit in your house, when you walk by the
way, when you lie down, when you rise up", this is describing a lifestyle
8. The Product is a Result
of the process:
-education is not a neutral process
-it is a mistake to believe that as long as a child is educated it
doesn't matter how it happened
-the road we follow dictates the destination we arrive at
