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| Public domain photo by John Storr. |
Christ Who Strengthens Me
by David Sloan
Well, as the HIS kick-off picnic reminded us, it’s the start
of another school year again! The picnic allowed us to see old friends, and
with several new faces to the group we even made some new ones. We shared food,
stories and laughs. It was also a chance to remind ourselves that we are not
alone in our homeschooling odyssey. And that, perhaps, was the most important
gift that we shared.
That is so important
because it is easy for us parents to have doubts, concerns and questions about
how well we are doing as “school teachers.” After all, our schoolhouses are
separated so we don’t get constant feedback from one another about how things
are going; we are constantly questioned about our qualifications and ability to
serve as teachers for our children (Yes, those
looks when you tell people you homeschool); and even our very decision to
homeschool is often challenged (Yes, those
questions when people discover you homeschool).
So I just wanted to take a few minutes to share some facts
about kids and education as we start our new school year, sort of a faculty
meeting to reassure the troops.
THE TOP INDICATORS OF STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS
·
Parental
Involvement: That’s right! The single most important factor in the success
of a child’s education is whether or not his or her parents are aware of what
is happening with school, and just in general are making sure they are involved
in their child’s life. Note that I’m not saying the subject matter expertise of
the parent, simply the involvement! This seemingly simple thing, across the
board, in every ethnicity, in every socio-economic background, and regardless
of the educational level of the parents, is the single most critical component
to ensuring academic success! Just take a moment to realize that BY MAKING A
DECISION TO HOMESCHOOL YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE A GIANT STEP IN THIS DIRECTION!
Some of the other important factors for
student success are simply expansions of this first one:
·
Peer
Group Influence: By making a choice
to homeschool you have already shown you are concerned and involved about what
your child is doing and who he is doing it with. Most likely the peer group
will be family and other homeschoolers. Other likely contacts will be through
extra-curricular and/or community involvement (that is, contact with others in
a setting where members are not required to be there).
·
Positive
Role Models: Again, by homeschooling it is unlikely that students will have
a better role model than those in front of them-parents that are sacrificing time,
lost income, etc. just so they can offer their children this incredible
opportunity!
·
Value Education: This is a non-starter because again, by making a choice to
homeschool you have already made a huge neon billboard advertising how much you
value education. And eventually even our children, who oftentimes don’t even
seem to be aware of our existence much less any sacrifices we make, will see
that.
And these are only the academic benefits. Homeschooling also
offers many non-academic benefits to home life as well, but we will let other
postings cover those.
So the next time you start to fret or people question
whether you’re qualified to teach your children, just remember that simply by
making a choice to homeschool you have already started them down the path to
academic success.
And on those really
tough days just recall Philippians 4:13:
I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens
me.
