There's a lot going on right now. I don't mean physically, but mentally (although with two kids, one who doesn't nap and the other who doesn't nap for long, I do find myself moving more). So here are my musings on one of the many topics floating around.
As August 15th rapidly approaches, I'm thinking more and more about homeschooling. There, I said it. I have serious reservations about the quality of education Brooklyn could receive at public school. Not so much because her individual teachers, but because of the limitations of the institution. My sweet, impressionable daughter could get completely lost in an over-sized classroom where kids with special needs and behavior problems will certainly reign supreme.
Recent news of the rampant cheating of Atlanta educators gives me pause as well. Yes, we are in Cobb County, but how much of a difference does that make? When the aim of a school is to have great results on the standardized tests (don't get me started!) in order to qualify for the funding they desperately need to supplement their schools with the arts, what else do you expect? (From here I could go into my philosophy that arts should not be supplemental but a core part of the curriculum anyway, but I really need to get to bed!)
The worldview in education is very liberal. I do want Brooklyn to have a very well rounded view of the world, but with a strong foundation in the spiritual, historical, and scientific reliability of the Bible. Yes, I can give her that, even if she goes to public school. But what kind of message does it send when every time she brings home a science homework that tells how the earth evolved over hundreds of millions of years, I tell her that her teachers are wrong?
Then there is the issue of safety. The mind boggles!
But homeschooling scare the mess out of me. I don't want to be one of "those" families...you know what I mean! I am afraid that in my attempts to broaden Brooklyn's horizons, I may end up limiting her instead. Not only that, but what if in my controlling of the situation I push too hard and turn Brooklyn away from the Lord or give her a distaste for faith? Will I be able to give her the education she needs?
So now I've written out some of my thoughts. There they are. My next step is to sit with the Lord and listen. Since the day she was born I have always said that we will not be boxed in to one educational option. We will take each child and year as they come and determine the best course of action available to us. Actually practicing this turns out to be more of a mountain than I originally thought it would be. So now we rest. Sit, then Walk as the Lord directs.
As August 15th rapidly approaches, I'm thinking more and more about homeschooling. There, I said it. I have serious reservations about the quality of education Brooklyn could receive at public school. Not so much because her individual teachers, but because of the limitations of the institution. My sweet, impressionable daughter could get completely lost in an over-sized classroom where kids with special needs and behavior problems will certainly reign supreme.
Recent news of the rampant cheating of Atlanta educators gives me pause as well. Yes, we are in Cobb County, but how much of a difference does that make? When the aim of a school is to have great results on the standardized tests (don't get me started!) in order to qualify for the funding they desperately need to supplement their schools with the arts, what else do you expect? (From here I could go into my philosophy that arts should not be supplemental but a core part of the curriculum anyway, but I really need to get to bed!)
The worldview in education is very liberal. I do want Brooklyn to have a very well rounded view of the world, but with a strong foundation in the spiritual, historical, and scientific reliability of the Bible. Yes, I can give her that, even if she goes to public school. But what kind of message does it send when every time she brings home a science homework that tells how the earth evolved over hundreds of millions of years, I tell her that her teachers are wrong?
Then there is the issue of safety. The mind boggles!
But homeschooling scare the mess out of me. I don't want to be one of "those" families...you know what I mean! I am afraid that in my attempts to broaden Brooklyn's horizons, I may end up limiting her instead. Not only that, but what if in my controlling of the situation I push too hard and turn Brooklyn away from the Lord or give her a distaste for faith? Will I be able to give her the education she needs?
So now I've written out some of my thoughts. There they are. My next step is to sit with the Lord and listen. Since the day she was born I have always said that we will not be boxed in to one educational option. We will take each child and year as they come and determine the best course of action available to us. Actually practicing this turns out to be more of a mountain than I originally thought it would be. So now we rest. Sit, then Walk as the Lord directs.
Comments
Post a Comment