Homeschooling: Blessing Not Bane

Homeschoolers are not the bane of the earth; neither are we the saviors of it.

Have you ever felt baned upon?  Hmmm, that’s not proper grammar, but I fear the distraction of the thesaurus this morning, so let’s run with it, ok?

Since I won’t be looking up a real word to replace the phrase, here’s what I mean by “baned upon:”  To have been looked upon as the bane, the problem, the trouble with the world today.

Over the course of twenty-plus years in the homeschooling world, I’ve seen growth in acceptance of home education as a viable instructional option.

However, there are still a few hold outs that give us trouble on occasion. They make me wonder …

What’s the Trouble with Homeschooling?

Why is the desire to instruct a generation of children in …

• The art of thinking
• The wisdom of the ages
• The value of independence
• The charge of personal responsibility
• The joy of learning
• The setting of a fairly stable home

… a troublesome pursuit? A bane, even?

The World’s Bane, Our Blessing

I have some thoughts about why the world’s system would want to stifle thinking, wisdom, independence, responsibility, joy, and stability, but let’s look at this from the positive side of the coin.

• If the world sees critical thinking as a bane, how can we use thinking to promote blessing?
• If the world sees wisdom as a problem – or as a non-issue to be ignored, as I’ve heard most recently – how can we impart the value of wisdom?
• If independence is contrary to the mainstream world view (except when it refers to independence from God), how can we influence our children to act independently, remaining dependent on God?
• If surrendering personal responsibility (deceptively) invites the relinquishing of power to another, how can we guide our children to wield personal responsibility as a tool of individual potency?
• If learning is presented at best as a drudgery, how can we delight in discovery of knowledge and application with our children, and with our culture?
• If a stable home life offers not only challenge in the creation, but is often portrayed as a challenge not worth striving for, how can we fight for peace and stability in a way that honors God?

Thinking, Wisdom, Independence, Responsibility, Learning, and Stability

Have you, homeschoolers, ever felt accused of being the bane of, the trouble with the world at large – or at small?

If educating a generation in critical thinking, wisdom, independence, responsibility, learning and stability is being a bane, then God bless you in it.