{"id":901,"date":"2009-07-03T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2009-07-03T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rreynoso.com\/blog\/?p=901"},"modified":"2009-07-09T20:51:37","modified_gmt":"2009-07-10T01:51:37","slug":"5-stupid-reasons-not-to-home-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rreynoso.com\/reysapoint\/sweet-nothings\/5-stupid-reasons-not-to-home-school\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Stupid Reasons Not To Home School (and Do Public School Instead)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In defensive discussions justifying my parental rights and educational choices for my children, I often find myself repeating my lists of reasons. \u00a0I have 10 solid reasons why we home-school, which I was going to post today, but then I had an internal struggle.<\/p>\n

What if people (as they sometimes do) started offering some responses which tied into some incomprehensibly stupid reasons to opt out of home-schooling and send my kids to school? I mean, they’d see this post and think I was spring boarding off of their incomprehensibly stupid comments. I am therefore ethically required to post this first!<\/p>\n

My second struggle is that this post can only exist if people understand my number one reason for home-schooling: I can’t afford private school. I really can’t. I’m trying to save for retirement and the college education of three kids; it’s impossible to pay private school tuition right now.<\/p>\n

With conscience assuaged, and the number one reason listed to my reader (that’s you), all struggles are rested. I can unapologetically offer five undeniably and incomprehensibly stupid reasons to opt-out of home school and send kids to school:<\/p>\n

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  1. To get them to socialize.<\/strong> If you’re sending your kids to school to socialize then you’re sending them for the wrong reason. My kids are part of a library group, a soccer team, a group thing at the YMCA, a kids club at church and a Sunday school at another church. You can get them to socialize, but without a proper education, all you’ve taught them is which hands to grease.<\/li>\n
  2. To let them learn how to struggle.<\/strong> This, unfortunately, has nothing to do with educational struggle but everything to do with societal struggles. What the person invariably means is “how to deal with bad teachers” or \u00a0“how to deal with bullies” which are both two sides of the same coin. One set of bullies uses his fists; the other set of bullies uses his or her power. But I can’t see a morally justifiable reason to inflict bullying on anyone. \u00a0The lesson usually winds up being (1) become faster, (2) become stronger, (3) learn how to cheat the system. If those are the invaluable lessons, thanks\u2026we’ll pass.<\/li>\n
  3. Because I can’t handle it.<\/strong> Once again, the reason to send kids to school is to get them educated, not so that you have a public funded baby-sitting service. If you truly believe that the Public School is great education wise, by all means, send your kids. But if you’re sending them because you can’t handle it then you’re selling both your kids, and yourself, short.<\/li>\n
  4. Because everyone else is doing it.<\/strong> If your main reason for sending your kids to public school is because you fear being scorned by friends and family, welcome to being a pushover to the whims of peer pressure. If you want to teach your kids not to submit to bullying, address this area before all others.<\/li>\n
  5. To get them to preach the Gospel to fellow unbelievers. <\/strong>Or, in other words, being salt and light (Matthew 5).Just because you’re a Christian that has raised your children in that environment doesn’t mean that your Children are Christians. Even if they are Christians it doesn’t mean they’re necessarily strong Christians. More often than not, a kid sent to school to evangelize is going to wind up a product of whoever he is evangelizing; not vice versa.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Hopefully your mental facilities haven’t been irreparably damaged by suffering under such incomprehensibly stupid reasoning: good thing neither of us employs it. I do plan to make it up to you with my 10 reasons for opting for homeschooling over other forms of schooling.<\/p>\n

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