tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post1927346129334106503..comments2024-01-04T15:56:19.156-05:00Comments on Commandments of Men: The Dangerous Mix of Religion and Education - More on the Christian Homeschooling MovementLewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05596138376570543467noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-61101349887976901732013-09-26T16:35:29.500-04:002013-09-26T16:35:29.500-04:00Some private christian schools aren't much bet...Some private christian schools aren't much better. When I was in my teens, I was friends with a girl from a fundy family. She went to her church's school. I flipped through her "science" book once. All that was mentioned about microbiology was this: "bacteria are so small, millions can fit into the space of a spoon." All that mattered at that school was becoming a good christian.<br />The principal of that school gave a lecture to a girl and her mother about how interracial marriages weren't biblical (the girl was half black). This same principal was married to the church pastor's daughter. He gave the girls at the school the creeps. Later I learned he ran off with a 14 year old student and married her. It caused a big scandal at that church.<br />I looked him up recently. He's had 5 kids with his second wife and they travel around singing and preaching. Charlie.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06611094808288325936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-16397191767087296182012-03-21T17:10:22.939-04:002012-03-21T17:10:22.939-04:00I went to a Christian school for a few years when ...I went to a Christian school for a few years when I was small. They used A Beka, and looking back I realize how heavily they emphasized some very legalistic ideas about patriotism, etc. Even so, it never really bothered me. I was challenged intellectually, and their curriculum was amazing for reading. I was actually pulled out of the school and homeschooled, funnily enough, but not as part of the Christian homeschool movement. For legal reasons I won't go into, my parents were worried that I would be approached after school or followed by certain unsavory characters we were dealing with. They felt safer homeschooling, and it worked out fine.IStoleTheDolphinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07314100261526108534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-34166246703201444882012-02-17T13:37:32.604-05:002012-02-17T13:37:32.604-05:00FYI, there is a whole dimension to what you descri...FYI, there is a whole dimension to what you describe in the Catholic homeschooling world. Many of them are called "Traditional Catholics," but not all. <br /><br />Many of the points you make here apply exactly and directly to this Catholic crowd. And many of them mix in fundamentalist Christian concepts/ideas like the purity ring and group screenings of "Courageous." (Actually, one of the weirdest aspects of these "fundamentalist" Catholics is that in their obsession to strive for perfect Catholicism pre-Vatican II, which is decidedly anti-Protestant, these same Catholics dress in jeans jumpers, insist on the purity thing, and subscribe to American fundamentalist Protestant viewpoints, thereby being very "Protestant".) <br /><br />There are lists and lists of Catholic homeschooling curriculum that I could offer here which are essentially cultish. And I know for a fact, that some Catholics and Protestants borrow from each other's curriculum and sometimes hang out in the same co-ops.Charhttp://cheekypinkgirl.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-63019417137855735952011-11-16T14:50:09.287-05:002011-11-16T14:50:09.287-05:00Lewis, thanks for hanging in there and being so th...Lewis, thanks for hanging in there and being so thoughtful. I get where you're coming from. I feel heard and understood, and yet I feel like I've heard and understood you as well. I appreciate what you're trying to accomplish, and find myself agreeing with you.Mrs. Tafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16366449057820795333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-79729816312155462382011-11-14T11:13:28.747-05:002011-11-14T11:13:28.747-05:00Thank you so much for your encouragement and respo...Thank you so much for your encouragement and responses on curriculum choices, everyone! I have taken note of the recommendations mentioned and will keep them in mind when the time comes.Vanessanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-84730893408024050612011-11-14T00:52:10.993-05:002011-11-14T00:52:10.993-05:00Well stated, Mrs. Taft.Well stated, Mrs. Taft.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596138376570543467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-15030127598228238502011-11-13T21:13:00.418-05:002011-11-13T21:13:00.418-05:00I think that sometimes it is good to learn to disc...I think that sometimes it is good to learn to discern. :) No matter what you are reading, it needs to be read with discernment. I'd be hard pressed to find *anything* that I didn't have a few bones to choke on. So to me, here and there, things that make me go 'hmmm' or even outright reject is no big deal.<br /><br />That said, I'm inclined to agree with you that we need to be wary and we need to be careful that what we're chewing on doesn't give us constant occasion to spit out bones. I totally believe you that it's not always or often worth it. We stay away from anything BJU or A Beka for that reason. I feel like I'd have to wade through so much nonsense to find the nuggets of education and truth, it's not worth it. <br /><br />Or say, "On Becoming Babywise". There are like, five nuggets of helpful parenting advice in that book! But they are nuggets that I could easily get elsewhere, and 99% of that book REALLY is subversively dangerous and terrible. It's just not worth it. <br /><br />I agree we should be careful of what we expose our children to, and this INCLUDES Christian texts. Don't assume that because it's Christian it's safe!!Mrs. Tafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16366449057820795333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-74453669519230194452011-11-13T01:54:39.644-05:002011-11-13T01:54:39.644-05:00If anyone wants to examine the issue of Christian ...If anyone wants to examine the issue of Christian homeschooling curriculum through the lens of biblical texts - like many, or most, instances in life, no biblical text deals <em>directly</em> with it. But, there ARE teachings of Christ and of Paul that can be applied.<br /><br />You guys know how I feel about the, umm, baby and umm, you know, ugh...bleh. I've also written about the "eat the meat and spit out the bones" mentality of a lot of Christians. Personally, the first bone I have to spit out, I'm pushing the plate away. I'm not interested in gagging on another bone just to find a little edible meat on the plate.<br /><br />Christ told the disciples, "Be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." By their "leaven" he meant their "teachings". Paul went on to teach that "a little leaven will leaven the entire loaf." <br /><br />Apply that teaching to the "eat the meat and spit out the bones" approach. If you're considering Christian curriculum, and you discover <em>any</em> amount of the "leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducess" in it, well...<br /><br />I'm not talking about something you simply <em>disagree</em> with. I'm talking about genuinely legalistic, "character-based" or dominionist concepts. If there's a <em>little</em> of it in their message...it's in their <em>whole</em> message.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596138376570543467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-66837186163557815062011-11-12T22:01:30.880-05:002011-11-12T22:01:30.880-05:00hmm. I was homeschooled, but I luckily got to say ...hmm. I was homeschooled, but I luckily got to say no to every single one of those questions. I never heard of any of those people until about two years ago and it wasn't through my parents either. I don't even know why they wanted to homeschool us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-9572306256679802042011-11-12T17:56:06.765-05:002011-11-12T17:56:06.765-05:00Just thought I'd mention Re: Abeka....their hi...Just thought I'd mention Re: Abeka....their history books are horrible. Christian revisionist as it's finest. It's like reading David Barton. Very Amercia-centric. ABecka certainly is part of the christian homeschool movement. I also don't like how their science books are very Young Earth. They try too hard to fit "science" into their YE paradigm and you end up with bad science.<br /><br />My kids are in public school right now for kindergarten and most likely next year for 1st grade. One is autistic and I don't know how to give her the teaching she needs. Hopefully I can figure out something besides public school for the future, but for now that's what's working for her. I really don't want them going past elementary school in the public system. We'll just have to see what happens. I loved being homeschooled and really want that for my kids. I also love Sonlight and would like to do that for them in the future.Darcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03702441292981376229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-29936357626832255012011-11-12T00:48:42.070-05:002011-11-12T00:48:42.070-05:00I think the only thing we are using that has any &...I think the only thing we are using that has any "religious" thought in it is Story of the World, and that's really just a jumping off point for us. It's by Susan Wise Bauer, so while there's nothing overt, I think it comes from that perspective. <br /><br />Other than that, we do a lot of library books, quality websites, etc. We borrow from Charlotte Mason, using good quality literature as someone discussed above, for science and social studies, and well really everything. We do a lot of experiential and hands-on learning. We love to explore! <br /><br />As far as actual curriculum, though, I've used a few things over the years I enjoyed. For math, I super love Singapore Math (not religious) and Math-U-See. I'm trying out math mammoth this year and I don't think it's religious at all. We do a lot of manipulatives and games for math overall, though. We pick things to investigate and then explore them, what interests us at the time. That might mean finding a class (if you don't want to or don't have a homeschool group anywhere, rec centers are great for this!), or extra trips to the library, or my favorite, hands-on field trips :) Right now, one of my best friends and I are teaming up on history and foreign language. Stuff like that is always fun. We basically learn about the topic of history on our own and read the history story together and do crafts and projects. She is originally from South Korea, so she is teaching all of us Korean. We've been focusing on Korean culture, so we've been to all of the museums near us that have anything to do with Korean art or culture, we've gone to a traditional Korean restaurant and practiced ordering in Korean (at that point it was mostly please and thank you, ha!) while also eating in a traditional Korean way. It was Chuseok at the time, which is a Korean holiday, so we learned all about that (Buddhist traditions included!)<br /><br />I am pretty eclectic, so I don't really use a lot of curriculum. Some other curriculum I've enjoyed and used is Handwriting Without Tears, Teaching Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons, the BOB books, Spell to Write and Read. We have never used a text book for science, and this is the first year we've had a 'curriculum' for history. But as I said, it's just a jumping off point. It's way not detailed, so I wouldn't use it as a stand-alone even if I wasn't the way I am.<br /><br />The world is full of possibilities! And I promise there is PLENTY of curriculum, good QUALITY curriculum out there that won't offend *anyone's* religious sensibilities. Furthermore, who says you have to use traditional curriculum? XDMrs. Tafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16366449057820795333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-10691766183323408022011-11-11T22:39:00.592-05:002011-11-11T22:39:00.592-05:00I have to say this to Vanessa..and Lewis..
As a h...I have to say this to Vanessa..and Lewis..<br /> As a homeschool mom of many years,I have to honestly say that many of the things that Lewis talks about here are very real.I have heard them,seen them and been influenced by some of them.I would just like to say to Vanessa that as a homeschool mom..that my kids were sheltered in a way but that was not my purpose for homeschooling them.I knew they would be out in this world someday and I along with my husband worked hard to prepare them.Four are now adults and with the exception of one who just graduated from high school they all work outside the home and are financially self sufficient.We have a big home and since none of them are married yet they still live here.We don't make them.They choose to.We still have two we are homeschooling.There really has to be some kind of balance in all of this.I truly believe that lots of Christians regardless of homeschooling or not have alot of fear.They fear their kids making the same mistakes they did.They want them to do things better so they hear these ideas and think..Oh!this sounds so good and they think that's the way it's going to be.We had heard the courtship concept..but when our 22yr.grown son found the young lady he wanted to marry..we were So uncomfortable with the conformity of courtship.We had NO RIGHT to tell a grown son how to go about this.He knew what to do..and you know what..it works!! He is a Christian Man and she is a Christian Woman and if they make mistakes they are accountable to God.We give them lots of encouragement and we love them.We sure have heard the comments and I just don't care..hey..I'm 51..lol..and just to let you know Vanessa that if you showed up at a homeschool get together and I saw your tatoo's and your kids had shorts on..I wouldn't care! If you have more questions feel free to email me at eighthurleys@yahoo.comKerinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-49383340691369792602011-11-11T20:33:45.877-05:002011-11-11T20:33:45.877-05:00"Has anyone dealt with these issues and still..."Has anyone dealt with these issues and still come out on the homeschooling side? I would love to hear about curriculum choices from those who are actively trying to avoid fundamentalism and all its gremlin friends..."<br /><br />We use a Charlotte Mason approach to education too. A big part of her approach is using "living books" which means using good literature instead of textbooks. I am in my second year of educating at home and we are really enjoying this approach. I use a curriculum that can be found at livingbookscurriculum.com. The husband and wife who designed the curriculum are awesome. They are both trained educators and have a lot of knowledge to pass along to people. I have met them and as far as I can tell they are in no way tied to the fundamentalist, patriarchal, quiverfull etc. etc. movement. They are christians but the material used in the curriculum are generally not written by Christian authors. Much of the material can be found in the local library or on amazon.com. It is pretty mainstream in my experience. Just for full disclosure purposes, though, they do include reading the bible in the curriculum. However, there are no "assignments" attached to it besides maybe drawing a picture about what you read or narrating back what you read. It is in no way indoctrinating children. It is simply reading the Bible just like you read whinnie the pooh for story time or mother goose for poetry etc. Of course I have only used it for kindergarten and first grade so I can't say what happens in the older grades but it might be worth looking into.<br /><br />As for getting involved in a coop or something you can basically tell by the their website what the environment will be like. I am involved in one which allows anyone to join (though most are catholic and protestant but their are some families that I would say are just nothing or agnostic... ). And the purpose is clearly stated that it is to enhance the students' educations (not build their character etc.) I teach a world history class with a secular textbook that is used in the public schools. Kids seem pretty normal for the most part. I'm sure there are some families, though, that are more fundamentalist but as someone who wears tight jeans, prefers "secular" music and drinks I feel perfectly comfortable there. I did run accross some groups that were clearly promoting fundamentalism, patriarchy etc. But there are alternatives available. Anyway, that's just my twocents.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-49012217292581777522011-11-11T16:55:10.944-05:002011-11-11T16:55:10.944-05:00EE? Ugh. I find her highly offensive.
My m-i-l ...EE? Ugh. I find her highly offensive.<br /><br />My m-i-l gave me one of her books, and it was shortly after Judith Polgar became the worlds first female grandmaster at the age of 17- a Polish home schooled by her father, no less. When I got to the part of EE's book where she wrote about the inferiority of the female intellect- citing as her proof that there were no female grandmasters in chess- I tossed her book and never looked back.<br /><br />Finally, my husband and many missionary kids were deeply wounded by the wave of missionaries Ms. Eliot (still capitalizing on her dead husband's name, two husbands later) recruited with her new evangelical star status as the martyr's wife. It is heinously offensive to me that she felt perfectly okay to manipulate so many people's lives just to give her personal loss greater significance. <br /><br />My husband is in therapy and is still recovering from the abandonment of his missionary parents and boarding school abuse, not to mention the horrible doctrinal ideas planted in his young mind. God loves you but demands your parents abandon you, because he loves the Indians more and he will burn them in hell if your parents don't obey him and preach to them instead of parenting you. What a mess!<br /><br />Elliot is every bit as dogmatic as Stacey McDonald, and her ilk. I even watched a video once for young homemakers where EE shared the godly way to keep your sock drawer! It reveals so much about your character and God's plance in your life. You didn't realize that?<br /><br />That's because it's a pile of bullhocky. Stay far away.shadowspringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15172112981244682382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-37114155900598875872011-11-11T15:25:15.262-05:002011-11-11T15:25:15.262-05:00@Lisa...Elliot is probably not as dogmatic as the ...@Lisa...Elliot is probably not as dogmatic as the others mentioned, and I don't think she buys into the P/QF stuff (or at least not religiously), but her book, "Passion and Purity", contributed to a lot of emotional dysfunction in the homeschool world, particularly when combined with the other "purity" poisons in the Christian homeschooling market.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596138376570543467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-54144507418901236022011-11-11T15:03:19.879-05:002011-11-11T15:03:19.879-05:00Hi, I am curious why Elizabeth Elliot was mentione...Hi, I am curious why Elizabeth Elliot was mentioned? I haven't read her books but they've interested me & I've never heard anything disparaging about her?Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14555673137094906043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-21625207691409013142011-11-11T14:09:02.652-05:002011-11-11T14:09:02.652-05:00Alaska sounds wonderful. Sounds like you survived...Alaska sounds wonderful. Sounds like you survived the storm okay, Jenny. =)shadowspringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15172112981244682382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-61333878125408731172011-11-11T12:00:58.177-05:002011-11-11T12:00:58.177-05:00I began with Ambleside Online, which is a free cur...I began with Ambleside Online, which is a free curriculum based on the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, who disagreed with the assumptions underlying modern public education and ran schools of her own. I didn't agree with some of the group's book choices. Here's what I settled on:<br /><br />READING: Starfall.com*<br />WRITING: Zaner-Bloser**<br />'RITHMETIC: Ray's* with modern teaching manual**<br />HISTORY: Combination of History of US by Hakim** and Child's History of the World by Hillyer** with revisions to first chapters in light of new archeological discoveries/more precise knowledge of conditions in Alaska than the author, with assorted supplemental materials<br />FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Flip Flop Spanish**<br />SCIENCE: Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding by Nebel** and many books about local wildlife and plants at the local wildlife refuge bookstore** plus interesting documentaries via Netflix<br />ART: Art In Action** and 13 Artists Every Child Should Know** with lots of art supplies**<br />MUSIC: Lots of music on TV, radio, and CDs on hand with guides bought on Amazon**<br />LITERATURE: Children's classics bought new** or at garage sales<br />PE: Class at local dance studio**<br />SOCIALIZATION: Scouts, SCA, and Sunday school<br /><br />*Free.<br />**Paid for through public school. Alaska is homeschool friendly; our school district registers homeschool students and allots the same funds as for public school students--parents just decide how to spend them, on anything but explicitly religious material.<br /><br />Jenny IslanderAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-90214271866275522132011-11-11T07:57:03.364-05:002011-11-11T07:57:03.364-05:00"Has anyone dealt with these issues and still..."Has anyone dealt with these issues and still come out on the homeschooling side? I would love to hear about curriculum choices from those who are actively trying to avoid fundamentalism and all its gremlin friends..."<br /><br /><br />Yes, we exist. <br /><br />First of all, I am totally biased in favor of Sonlight, even though I never used it, because when I got their catalog, they used many of the same books I used. How can I complain about their judgement? =D Second of all, they have had the courage to take on the YE bs, so they deserve the support. <br /><br />Other great sources are text-book publishers (for higher math especially look for publishers that are listed on Interact Math http://www.interactmath.com/). Ditto for science. I cheated by looking at the textbooks for secular online high school courses, and buying those textbooks used from Amazon. Be prepared to either hire a tutor or do some serious personal study alongside your high schooled student.<br /><br />I actually like Beautiful Feet books history guides for the most part. They recommend some good books for US History, and one really horrendous book (The Welfare State by Clarence Carson)that is only useful to help your high school students learn to spot bias. Save your money, because you can easily accomplish that with a good library book.<br /><br />Finally, one really helpful hint is to blacklist anything you find on a Vision Forum web site. It is bound to be horrible. That's pretty much a given.<br /><br />Ditto what Lewis wrote about Abeka. I used some Abeka and BJUPRess for early elementary without too much harm, but ditched them by fourth grade for the most part. <br /><br />The exception was BJU Science through sixth grade, BUT here's how I used it. I used the science text as the skeleton of a much more intense, interest led science education. <br /><br />We covered every chapter in the books, but scoured the educational supply store, library and internet for supplementary material if my children showed any interest at all. If no one cared, we just read the text, did their basic labs and took the tests to check it off the list of "ideas my children should know exist". Most of the time, that meant doing more involved research and experimentation. Bible verses were not emphasized.<br /><br />Oh wait, I also used BJUPress Spelling through 6th grade too, because I loved the weekly journals. At some point after all the spelling rules had been covered, I switched to Wordly Wise vocabulary and did spelling tests off of those word lists. They are an excellent secular resource!<br /><br />My daughter would home school her own children, for the same hippified reasons I did: freedom for a child to grow, learn, create and even daydream at her own pace. I don't know if my son will choose home school, but I liked his answer when I asked: whatever my wife wants to do. =D So, he's not against it, but he understands its not the only way to raise a family.shadowspringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15172112981244682382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-57723722677881883752011-11-11T07:35:00.879-05:002011-11-11T07:35:00.879-05:00Lolz! Skipping over all the later posts to tell H...Lolz! Skipping over all the later posts to tell Hopewell how much I loved reading an Arlo Guthrie reference! =D (Both my age and my Okie heritage on full display.) Okay, back to read some more.shadowspringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15172112981244682382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-77724196992895877322011-11-10T19:29:25.848-05:002011-11-10T19:29:25.848-05:00@Anon 5:08...What you said was (and probably still...@Anon 5:08...What you said was (and probably still is) true of my ex. She was taught to be a perpetual child. No logic, no ability to examine an issue and form a solid conclusion, just a parrot and a sheople - who would and will follow the herd right off the cliff for no good reason.<br /><br />It's sad to say, but <em>away</em> from her cultic family she was a beautiful, vibrant person. But, with them, or if she just got in the state of mind of "the family", she was in most ways a child, and in a lot of ways, not a very good person. A total product of a closed society with narrow, inbred concepts and a cultic mentality. Such is the movement.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596138376570543467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-76006634227708718182011-11-10T17:27:32.221-05:002011-11-10T17:27:32.221-05:00My homeschool experience touched upon a few of the...My homeschool experience touched upon a few of these things but only in a mild way, thankfully. We got the HSLDA magazine, watched Little Bear Wheeler videos, and my parents were pretty strict about movies and secular music, but overall it was a good experience and my parents mostly homeschooled me for academic reasons anyways. I'm glad we shied away from the weird stuff even though we had friends who were really into it.<br /><br />-LAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-79721295353748302072011-11-10T17:08:54.148-05:002011-11-10T17:08:54.148-05:00I've noticed certain (more sheltered) homescho...I've noticed certain (more sheltered) homeschooled kids cannot think for themselves, or form their own opinions, and have very little or no self confidence. The parent is the 'conduit' to the child's heart and mind, nothing goes to the child except through the parent first :( I teach/tutor math/algebra and with a select few in our area who may have the opportunity for a higher education- when unsure of an answer or concept, instead of asking me, they go into complete "shut-down" mode or look to the parent to 'help' them communicate with me. I honestly believe this is because of parental control issues and lack of interaction with their peers, these kids are always around adults, and always strictly monitored the very few times they are allowed to be around their peers. These kids are taught they 'cannot be trusted' with their peers, they cannot be trusted with anything- so thus the parent must control everything. Why think or have an opinion if someone wiser can do that for you? Poor logic, but so true in the 'homeschool movement'. These kids are always in a 'group think' environment with no room to think or have an opinion of their own. Kids need to be kids- and interact within different 'social circles' and 'peer groups' during their formative years- this helps develop their character, social skills, learn differences of opinion and be able to form their own opinions, leadership qualities, the ability to work well with others etc. etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-2579098618802900722011-11-10T16:08:52.702-05:002011-11-10T16:08:52.702-05:00Vanessa, I appreciate your love for your children,...Vanessa, I appreciate your love for your children, but this:<br /><br />"I do not like the idea of my kids spending more time during their formative years with other people than they do with me. I don't want to parent "strangers" who don't know me any better than I know them."<br /><br />-- to me, seems based on some misapprehensions. I have always had to work outside the home (not chose to, had to, unless we wanted to go on food stamps, which we didn't) and my young children were in home-based daycare where they had one or two other adults with them during the day when I couldn't be there. My kids were not "strangers" to me, nor I to them. The additional adult input into their lives was a bonus, not a detriment. In most societies mothers don't spend 24-7 with their children, you know-- not even in Bible times, when women had to work out in the fields or at the spinning wheel or loom, and older extended family members (too old to do those jobs) would watch the children so the younger women could help contribute to the household economy. How is that really any different?<br /><br />Parenting is not a zero-sum game. Kids can know and love more than just their immediate family members; in fact, I think it's better if they do.Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08252374623355509404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879552692521649812.post-50084172277341311652011-11-10T16:07:05.963-05:002011-11-10T16:07:05.963-05:00A lot of families are in a pretty nasty spot when ...A lot of families are in a pretty nasty spot when it comes to figuring out how to school their children.<br /><br />My husband and his sister were taken out of their public school system because it was a bad, bad school system--virtually every kid in their small town was into drugs and drinking, and there was no one their age at school to hang out with who wouldn't lead them into substance abuse. It was scary.<br /><br />However, once they got into the home school movement, they had a group of legalistic friends who hurt them in multiple ways over the years.<br /><br />It seems that too often, parents are in a no-win situation.<br /><br />With the ridiculous state of public schools nowadays (public schools worship homework like it's God Himself, and kids spend hours doing rote memorization from a tender age) I can't imagine sending my kids to public school. But I KNOW we wouldn't be good candidates for home schooling (sorry fundies, but I want to keep working and that's that), and I can't imagine finding a Christian school that wouldn't fall prey to all the creepy legalism that my husband experienced in his schooling.<br /><br />I pray that God provides a way for each and every family to do what's right for them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com