Anyone who homeschools has heard some form of the statement, "I couldn't do that, I'm no teacher." Even in the Christian community I have listened to parents downplay the responsibility of raising their own children when it comes to schooling. Even in the media we hear about governments trying to rule that parents can't teach their children unless they are certified teachers (they tried that in California).
Has anyone looked at our 'certified' teachers as a whole? In Canada, teachers make a substantial income, their union is strong and active; they complain publicly about their workload crawling into their personal home time and they speak out against the government regularly. There are few among this crowd that would qualify as a role model for my children - oh, wait...do I still get to decide who is a role model for them? Do I and my husband, as their parents, have any idea what is best for them? Can we discern what reading materials, social settings, friends and authorities are positive for their growth into an adult?
Apparently there are those among us who would say 'no!' - because, you see, neither I nor my husband are trained as teachers. We've never even considered putting out the money to attend university; putting in years of time listening to other teachers outline the 'how-to' of:
1. listening to my children's interests, desires, fears;
2. sharing God's word with their and learning how it applies to them;
3. pointing them in the way God would have them go;
4. celebrating each victory of becoming a godly young people;
5. acknowledging their curiosities;
6. encouraging their imagination;
7. growing with them;
8. loving them;
9. forming a life long relationship with them;
10. shaping them into a real people who are capable if discerning the world before them by weighing it with scriptural knowledge.
That is schooling. If anyone can point me in the direction of a teacher's college that certifies parents in those and any of the other fine points of homeschooling - please let me know!
Okay...that all sounds a bit harsh and sarcastic. However, I do believe that the majority of homeschooled children turn out to be viable people - they are taught to discern good information from bad; they have a strong sense of themselves (confidence); they put more into society than take from it. The majority of parents who take on the responsibility to homeschool their children take a more dramatically caring interest in the final result than any public school teacher could or would.
This will be a popular topic for this site as I am so convinced it is the only way to raise children for the glory of the Lord.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
1 comment:
Your ten point outline for "teacher education" is great! Sign me up. That's what we all need to master as we prepare our children to serve the Lord in adulthood.
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