15 Reasons To Home School During 
The Teen Years
by Elizabeth Smith

1. You get to see the completion of your efforts. Something is lost when you turn over your discipling to others.

A. I am also held accountable, as the one providing the education. Big Big Responsibility. Worth every second.

2. You can customize your children's education to provide motivation for their gifts and abilities. No one else will be able to provide the consistent and loving support that you can in weak areas.

A. Amen to this!

3. You can direct them to early college entrance. Even public high schools realize many students are ready for college level courses and have cooperative programs with junior colleges.

A.My oldest will be in her senior year Aug 08, yet she will be taking a full college course load at the local community college. When she graduates high school (May 09) she will only have 1 more year of college to get her degree!!

4. You can continue the family building process. The teen years continue to be impressionable and formative. This is an invaluable time to cement family relationships.

A.If made to make the choice, "send them to school K-5 or 6-12, I'd send them K-5 every single time...........

5. You can be sure that your teens are learning, if they are at home. Studies have revealed that public high school students average 2 hours and 13 minutes of academic work a day.

A. Honestly, it's not ALL about the academics. It's about 'what kind of human being' am I raising into society, and more importantly, 'Am I raising Children of God?"

6. You can continue to have influence over their peer relationships.
Teen rebellion is not in God's plan for the family, but it is the humanist agenda for the public schools.

A. Funny, a lot of 'christian' programs and books promote 'teen rebellion' because they embrace it as part of 'being a teen'. Hog wash. That is no different than the world! Come out and be separate. Not only do I have influence.......I have an opportunity to live out in front of my kids the  Two Greatest Commandments!

7. You can protect them from pressure to conform to what the other kids are doing. This pressure is so strong in the public high school. You won't need to spend time de-programming.

A. What I spend my time on is discipleship. Teaching them God's Ways, God's Word, and God's Answers. Truth always prevails.

8. If you send your teens to high school, there will be a diversion
away from the academic focus, as well as spiritual priorities. Be aware of the many distractions that won't parallel the home life you have maintained.

A.AMEN AMEN!

9. Your young people will be thrown into things like boy/girl preoccupation, focus on clothes, and pressure to conform in 
appearance and music.

A. True. Sounds like public school, private schools, charter schools, home school groups and youth groups at church. When you leave one or two people in charge of training over several kids.......this is what you get! We homeschool, yet we send them to co-op (which is like public school) or to youth group (which is like public school). Crazy.

10. Vast amounts of time separated from the family will affect their relationship with you. We have all put great amounts of our heart and time into our home-schooling years, and we want those efforts preserved.

A. This is why we are not involved in 60/11 different activities. And the activities we are involved with, we do as a whole family unit, not fractured into age groups and gender. My dh and I don't "volunteer" while our kids sit in a room with SOMEONE ELSE coloring or doing busy work crafts..... Nope......never did it,never will.

11. Home school is the best preparation for college studies. The home education "style" is closer to college-type instruction.

A. I don't really want my kids in a "big college" being fed all the liberal lies!! That is why I kept them out of PS. Colleges are just a corrupt as public schools........if not WORSE. College is not the end all beat all...........

12. There is greater flexibility for work/study opportunities.

A. Amen. My daughters can stay home and learn from me, and the boy can work along side someone learning a trade. It's awesome!

13. The institutional method of public education is designed around "crowd control" not learning. If and when they learn, it will be a by-product of other priorities to maintain class room order.

A. Ahhhhh institutional method is more than crowd control, it's mind control. It's breaking of ones spirit. It's about making people 'goose step' to one drum beat. It teaches them how to 'follow the instructions of one person'..........and it is designed to crush God. It is designed to raise up a generation of socialist.

14. Home educators have the best available curriculum and greater selection. Public schools offer revisionist history and science that promotes their humanist perspective. The godly commitment of many great Americans has been deleted from public text books.

A. Ahhh the "living history book". HA HA HA I love how man 'rewrites' history so no one gets their feelings hurt!! Again, public schools are designed to raise up generations of programed people. That is why today.........we are more of a socialist society than ever before. All those politicians have learned how to make the people submit to their authority, and goose step to their drum beat. Everyone has been 'programed' to just shut up and nod their head! THANKS OPRAH!!!

15. Age/grade isolation or segregation inhibits socialization. Public school children are behind their home school counterparts in maturity, socialization and vocabulary development, as demonstrated by available research.

A. Funny, that same age/grade isolation or segregation happens at our churches every time the doors open? The churches operate just like public schools? Ever notice that? Why don't our churches promote a different way, since we are called to come out and be different / separate?  They do things, just like the world? Wonder why??

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copyright (C)Elizabeth Smith, Home School Legal Defense Association  http://www.hslda.com