fearless foundations
Commenting on the Amish shootings yesterday, Spunky Homeschool said,
"When we made the decision to homeschool, school safety was hardly a factor. But if we were faced with making the decision to homeschool today, I am sure their safety would definitely weigh heavily in our minds. And not just from the physical harm they may face, but from the perspective of what type of environment my children are presented with on a daily basis."
Childhood lays the foundation for the rest of our lives: that's why homeschooling is so important. We have a few foundational years in which our perceptions, reactions, and values are shaped. For good or ill, these things will remain with us for the rest of our lives. They may drag us down or spur us onward, but they will always be there.
One of the materials that so often gets into the mortar of the early years is fear. Enough of it will weaken the whole foundation. Fear of rejection of capricious and shallow peers... fear of bullying, marginalization, and ostracism... fear of being shot when you walk in the door. Sending children out to be guarded by teachers and police officers, away from their fathers (their God-given protectors) and mothers (their God-given comforters) is not a good way to lay a foundation of confidence and fearlessness.
Just as memories of happiness and peace give us courage to face sorrow, so a foundation of parental protection and care, safe under the wings of home, gives us courage to overcome the dangers of adult life. One who has not been given this foundation has a much harder road to walk.
Like Spunky says, it's not just about physical harm. It's about the environment children are in every day and how that environment is shaping them as human beings.
This isn't a condemnation of parents who send their kids to public schools--though if any of this leads you to rethink that, I would be honoured--but a call for us to think about foundations. Everyone who has influence in a child's life, and that means parents above all others, should think about the foundation they're laying. Does your way of life cast out fear, or invite it in?
Technorati: homeschooling, home school, public school, parenting, home education, school shootings, fear, children
"When we made the decision to homeschool, school safety was hardly a factor. But if we were faced with making the decision to homeschool today, I am sure their safety would definitely weigh heavily in our minds. And not just from the physical harm they may face, but from the perspective of what type of environment my children are presented with on a daily basis."
Childhood lays the foundation for the rest of our lives: that's why homeschooling is so important. We have a few foundational years in which our perceptions, reactions, and values are shaped. For good or ill, these things will remain with us for the rest of our lives. They may drag us down or spur us onward, but they will always be there.
One of the materials that so often gets into the mortar of the early years is fear. Enough of it will weaken the whole foundation. Fear of rejection of capricious and shallow peers... fear of bullying, marginalization, and ostracism... fear of being shot when you walk in the door. Sending children out to be guarded by teachers and police officers, away from their fathers (their God-given protectors) and mothers (their God-given comforters) is not a good way to lay a foundation of confidence and fearlessness.
Just as memories of happiness and peace give us courage to face sorrow, so a foundation of parental protection and care, safe under the wings of home, gives us courage to overcome the dangers of adult life. One who has not been given this foundation has a much harder road to walk.
Like Spunky says, it's not just about physical harm. It's about the environment children are in every day and how that environment is shaping them as human beings.
This isn't a condemnation of parents who send their kids to public schools--though if any of this leads you to rethink that, I would be honoured--but a call for us to think about foundations. Everyone who has influence in a child's life, and that means parents above all others, should think about the foundation they're laying. Does your way of life cast out fear, or invite it in?
Technorati: homeschooling, home school, public school, parenting, home education, school shootings, fear, children
posted by Rachel Starr Thomson at 8:43 a.m.
2 Comments:
Amen! I heard school officials interviewed yesterday and they said they wanted school to be a safe place for children. Despite their best efforts, sending little ones away to live in a public building for hours out of every day is just not a safe thing anymore. Keep them where God put them and with the people God placed them with: home with their parents.
I'm excited to see the next generation picking up the call. An environment of fear, isn't what I believe to be the best environment either. You bring up an excellent point.
By the way, you linked to my homeschoolblogger account. I actually have two identical blogs. The whole school schooting events have led to quite a few discussions on my other blog,
www.spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com
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