I want to openly say that I am a homeschooler. (You knew that.) But I am not a militant homeschooler.
What is a militant homeschooler?
By militant homeschooler I mean someone who believes that all Christians should homeschool their children. Actually, the word should is probably too weak. A militant homeschooler is one who thinks that homeschooling is the only path to educating children and therefore is a matter of disobedience to God — a sin — not to.
Militant homeschoolers judge others who do not homeschool and pity those pathetic children who can’t learn at home. Militant homeschoolers like you when they find out that you homeschool — until they discover you are not a militant like they are. It’s not enough just to homeschool, you have to be utterly convinced that it is the only educational path.
Why I am not a militant homeschooler
To put it most simply, Christians we are free in Christ.
Our two commands are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
What a responsibility we have to raise our children in the love of the Lord! But homeschooling is not necessarily the single answer to that responsibility. In fact, you can homeschool your child and not teach him the truth of God’s word or be an example of it. (That would be a sin.) On the other hand, there are parents who send their children to public and private school who do an excellent job providing spiritual direction.
I agree that God calls people to homeschool. He has called me to do that –at least for now. Things could change, and God may ask us to do something different in the future. Many times in life, God has shoved us off of the path we were on, a path that He directed us to and placed us on. But the time was up. A new path was rising in its place. Who are we to question His direction?
The bottom line is that there is not one single, absolute answer to a child’s education.
- Each child is unique.
- Each family is different.
- Each season of life brings special challenges and privileges.
Free in Christ
So to all you homeschool moms, if you stop homeschooling your child, please don’t act ashamed and embarrassed in my presence. I am not a militant homeschooler. I will not condemn your choice. You don’t have to explain why homeschooling didn’t work in your situation or that you tried with all your heart and strength before you gave up. I’ll listen if you want to share, but I will not judge you as an inferior parent because of any choice that you prayerfully made.
I am free in Christ. Free to obey Christ for the educational choices He makes for my daughter. And you are free in Christ, too.
If you want your own button to tell the world you are not a militant homeschooler, visit here.
Oh, how I love this post, Jimmie! I’m saddened by the number of moms who feel like second-class citizens, either for not homeschooling at all, or for not being “militant” about it.
My husband and I made all sorts of homeschooling decisions when we were raising our family. We began homeschooling after the girls had already had several years of public school. My oldest homeschooled for 5th-8th grades and then went back to PS. Simply, it was the best decision for our family at the time, and we felt God’s direction (and peace) in that decision. She attended PS for 9th and part of 10th. Suddenly, of her own accord, she decided PS wasn’t cutting it for her and asked to return home. As part of her high-school-at-home regime, she took a number of classes at the community college. Also not militant-approved, I’m afraid! 🙂
The other two homeschooled all the way, but as part of their homeschooling, they participated in some outside classes. Is that anti-militant? If so, I’m guilty as charged. But without my son’s four years of speech and debate classes, for example, he wouldn’t have received a scholarship that paid for nearly half of his tuition at a private Christian university.
Neither of my girls has chosen to homeschool (at least for now). Each has her reasons, and I respect that. They will NEVER hear from me that they’re not making the best choice for their children.
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Well said Jimmie! 🙂
I completely agree. I listened to a podcast recently from a VERY militant proponent of home education (you are evil and sinning if you make any other choice etc etc), and came away thinking that it did far more to discourage and induce feelings of guilt, than it did to encourage and build up.
Sure if people are feeling insecure then it’s nice to hear that this is what God wants them to do, goodness knows there are more than enough people who will attack us for this choice. But I do not think it is Biblical – teaching your children IS, but as you say, many parents do a fantastic job of that with their children in school as well. But it does NOT say in the Bible that you MUST home educate. It just doesn’t.
Thank you for this post, Jimmie. I could not agree more with what you say here and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head when you say we are free in Christ. It’s so discouraging to me when Christians want everyone to fit into a box of their own creation. Jesus was all about breaking down boundaries and I think the beauty of our faith is that the Holy Spirit can lead us each in such different directions based on who we are, who are children are and where God wants us.
I’ve only been homeschooling for a year and a half, but I love it. I’m trying to hold the blessing of it very loosely because I don’t know what God has planned for our family. I just know I want to keep listening and following Him.
Very cool image!
I always am careful not to close any doors when it comes to education options for my children. You never know what curves and/or opportunities get thrown your way. It is much too narrow to say “homeschooling is the one true path to a good education”.
Great article. I’m not a militant homeschooler in that I don’t believe HOMESCHOOLING is the ONLY educational choice for Christian parents. I do believe we are commanded by God to give our children a Christian education (there are no “secular” subjects) and I also do not believe it is the government’s job to educate my children. However, I understand that many parents don’t have the same convictions I do. We have many Christian friends with children in government schools, and we don’t let our convictions about how to accomplish the education of our children become a barrier to fellowship. Each of us is individually responsible to our Creator for the choices we make. And if we spend as much time focusing on our own responsibilities as we ought to spend, we won’t have any time left over to waste on judging others. 🙂
I agree wholeheartedly! Well said Jimmie, this is exactly how I feel.
Thank you… (so many thoughts and comments in my head). Christ ultimately is the “only” path… to think otherwise is to make homeschooling an idol, maybe? Simply thank you though for expressing reassurance and love- can’t go wrong there 😉
Love, love, love this post. 🙂 So very well said and I agree!!
Great post, Jimmie! It’s about time someone spoke out.
What a precious liberty! I started out with loads of ideals, but was immediately convicted that “Nothing is cast in stone”.
As we journey and our lives mature, and the scenery changes and the methods evolve, I realize that the destination stays the same:- to disciple my child’s spiritual heart, educate my child’s mind and soul, develop my child’s character and instill in them a love to learn. Homeschooling may or may not be the means to that end … all the way. Right now, I feel privileged to homeschool all my chidren. I am blessed … and I know that they are too!
Can you possibly make this image available as a button? Would love to post on my blog sidebar!
Thank you for posting this. As a former homeschooler whose kids are now in school, I can’t express how discouraging and frustrating it is to encounter militant homeschoolers. One even implied I was “selling [my] birthright for a bowl of soup” when my husband’s extended unemployment led to the difficult but necessary decision for me to return to the workforce.
That homeschool mama who I was didn’t go anywhere. I’m still the same person I was when I was a homeschooler instead of an afterschooler. I am still continuing our home education journey and following Christ—it has just taken a different form and a different path. I’m a big proponent of home education in all its forms, I’m a homeschool cheerleader, and I like talking about learning and sharing ideas with homeschoolers. I still defend homeschoolers and homeschooling when I hear others spreading misinformation based on stereotypes and ignorance. So it’s especially frustrating when militant homeschoolers make divisive, us-versus-them comments and make others the target of their own ignorance and stereotyping.
This is so true. Me and my sister are homeschooling this year and maybe next year but I am positive I want to return to school for my 12th grade year. We have home schooled off and on for a few years and it has been fun but there is nothing wrong with public school. Most don’t consider that I home school because I take a lot of online classes but its very hard to come up with AP Curriculum.
A big thank you from here too! We recently put my oldest son (15 1/2) into public high school. He really wanted to go and was not motivated by being accountable to only me. He also really wanted to play sports. I felt like a failure, mainly, I think, because of this attitude that homeschooling is the only good choice for our kids. I was proud to be a homeschooler … and still am because my younger 4 are still at home. 🙂 But I am still trying to get out of that militant mindset and have been searching for some voices to reassure me that I am not the worst mother ever for putting him into PS. So anyway … THANK YOU!
Olivia
Amen! I believe that there is a situation for every family because God has made every family unique!
I believe I’m a recovering militant homeschooler. Before we had children I thought homeschooling was the only way to please God. I have broken free from a lot of legalism in my life (not just in the area of homeschooling). This post truly blessed my heart and made me stop and thank God once again for the journey he’s taken me on the past 13 years as I’ve walked in His grace and love. I am so thankful for the liberty we have in Christ! “My chains are gone, I’ve been set FREE!”
Well, you’d probably consider me militant because I just don’t see how a Christian child can, in most cases, survive public schools with his faith intact (which is, for believers, probably the most important thing – even ahead of academic achievement. Or it should be if it isn’t.). I know from Barna Research that approximately 15% of such children do actually make it…and bully for them and their parents. But that means 85% of kids from Christian homes who go to public school walk away from the Lord before high school graduation, most never to return. In contrast, Barna says that 4% of homeschooled kids abandon the Lord. There are no guarantees, of course, but I like those odds a whole lot better. And, what’s more, I really only see one biblical example – Moses – of a family who loved the Lord consciously sending their child off to an ungodly environment for training/educating…and that was due to a very extreme circumstance. I stand on a parent’s right to decide for his/her own children so I don’t tell parents they’re wrong for not homeschooling – but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share those Barna stats and the biblical examples as well. I tell them I hope their kid is a Moses…but I guess I’m more realistic than that. Each child is uniquely created by the Lord and is wonderful…but most are not meant to be a Moses. Thus, most children of the Kingdom shouldn’t (oh, there’s that word – “should”) be sent to the Egyptians.
I appreciate your response, Tina. The sentence that I love is when you say, “I stand on a parent’s right to decide for his/her own children so I don’t tell parents they’re wrong for not homeschooling.” That shows me right there that although you have strong convictions which you have expressed with clear evidence, you are not judgmental of others. On behalf of all of us Non-militant homeschoolers, thank you for extending grace!
Jimmie, thank you for directing me to this. We are probably going to be making some changes in our homeschool next year including allowing our daughter to take two classes and join colorguard at the local public high school.
I just needed to be able to hear from others who feel as I do about homeschooling. I think that there are so many choices in parenting and the same path is not the right path for every family.
We need to support each other in our quest to do what is best for our own children. What is best for one child and one family may or may not be the best for another child or family.
In our case, our daughter is longing for the experience. With allowing her to do this in a small dose, she is still in our home and we can provide guidance. The other scenario is for her to leave home and go to college as an adult over whom we would have little or no say.
This is our ninth year homeschooling, and it has been the hardest one for me yet. I also have a 6th grader and a 4th grader and I have been struggling all year. I have supportive family and friends but no one who is really in the same place I am.
This decision scares, scares, scares me. To put my child out there with people who, for the most part, do not have our same belief system is scary. But more scary is losing my daughter to resentment of us and the life we chose for her. We can give in some areas and maintain a better relationship with her. One where she will approach us with what is going on in her life. And, by the way, it is her life. We only have so many years where we can influence them, then they grow up and have to make their own way.
Thank you for listening. I so need to talk to someone who is not going to just blankly judge us or write us off for not meeting their standards.
Yes yes yes yes yes! THANK YOU Jimmie for posting such a great comparison! I know some who are very militant and believe not only that all kids should be homeschooled but also that any Christians who don’t homeschool are in sin. It’s really sad to see such a lack of grace among those Christ died for. As if God can’t live in those who attend public school? It sickens me. I love homeschooling and it works for my family, but I would never venture to say all Christians should homeschool.
Just finding this post. It is wonderful. I am adding your button to my blog which is a blog for veteran homeschool moms who are burned out and former (and those considering putting children in school) homeschool moms. http://rest-for-the-weary.blogspot.com