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Young student doing homework at home with school books, newspaper and digital pad helped by his mother. Mum writing on the copybook teaching his son. Education, family lifestyle, homeschooling concept
Young student doing homework at home with school books, newspaper and digital pad helped by his mother. Mum writing on the copybook teaching his son. Education, family lifestyle, homeschooling concept
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The Bottom Line ‘The Homeschool Awakening’: You Already Have What It Takes To Homeschool Your Kids

Originally published at The Daily Wire

Should we bother having kids if we’re just going to turn them over to other people to raise? Our children are in school or engaged in extracurricular activities and homework for roughly the equivalent of a full-time job each week. Outside of sleeping and recreation hours, that doesn’t leave us with much time to shape our kids physically, mentally, and morally for adulthood. Many of us still rely on public schools to help us complete this job of preparing our children for life. But is a partnership with public school still workable today?

In recent years, many public schools have adopted into their curriculum and policies divisive and harmful ideologies like critical race theory, gender theory, and radical sex ed programs. These concepts are being injected into every school subject, from math to history to P.E., often sowing confusion and anxiety in students who may already be struggling to meet basic educational goals. Reading and math proficiency rates in American public schools have declined and stagnated respectively since 2017, and the trend is likely to continue or get worse as unnecessary focus is placed on these politically charged ideologies. Sending your children to public school in this climate is a gamble, and there’s a good chance they’ll develop into a young adult who hates America, opposes your values, or adopts perspectives on sex and gender that depart from biological reality.

Thankfully there’s a way out of this madness, but it’s a solution that requires thinking outside the box. A new documentary film tells the story of families around America who are catching a new vision for their children’s education. The Homeschool Awakening, presented by actor and filmmaker Kirk Cameron, shows what can result when parents step outside conventional thinking about education. A funny thing happens when you choose not to be governed by pre-conceived notions about grades, schedules, classroom style, homework, or even the value of college degrees and wealth. Once you put aside everything you know about mass-produced schooling, you get to the heart of what education is—learning. And who better than you to harness your child’s unique learning strengths to build an educational plan that fits them?

One of the most pernicious myths surrounding education is that it’s best left to the experts. Lately, parents have been told by educational leaders that they are not the “primary stakeholders” in their kids’ education, that they should “keep their noses out of school curricula,” and that they are not “entitled to know their kids’ identities.” But it doesn’t take a college degree, teaching credential, or fancy title to educate your child. You’re already more qualified for the job than anyone on the planet. First, you love your child more than anyone else. According to one mom in the film, this alone means “you’re already leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else who can teach a child.” Second, you know your child better than anyone else. You know what makes them tick, what excites them, and what deflates them. You can use that intimate understanding to your educational advantage.

Loving and knowing your children will make you very likely to meet the third necessary qualification: a willingness to learn alongside them. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You can model teachability and enthusiasm and learn right along with them.

But socialization, they say. Homeschooled kids are socially awkward and will have trouble socially adapting as an adult, right? This is another myth that gets ably busted by The Homeschool Awakening. Throughout the film, we see homeschooled kids of all ages enjoying multigenerational socialization of all kinds, from meetups at the park to co-op gatherings, from visits to the grocery store to adventures across America. Older kids help younger ones, grandparents enjoy learning activities with grandkids, and teenagers get valuable on-the-job experience with working adults. Compare this to the dodgy social climate in many of today’s public schools, where instances of bullying, violence, peer pressure, bad language, inappropriate smartphone use, and more can negatively affect learning. In a homeschool education environment, socialization becomes an organic part of everyday learning.

Anyone who’s had kids awhile will agree that the formative years we have with them fly by all too quickly. One minute you’re snapping pictures of your adorable first grader with the backpack almost as big as her. The next thing you know, she’s in high school and filling her days with a million activities. Homeschooling gives parents precious time and experience with their child that they won’t get on any summer vacation. “It’s actually a gift more than a sacrifice,” says another mom in The Homeschool Awakening—the gift of togetherness and a deeper relationship with your child as you help them learn. When you’re in the trenches of parenthood and trying to navigate life, it’s easy to forget that the real wealth is your family. Homeschooling is a great way to invest in your family. Join the growing number of parents in America who are learning how to “un-public school themselves” and help their children succeed.

Continue Reading at The Daily Wire

Andrew McDiarmid

Director of Podcasting and Senior Fellow
Andrew McDiarmid is Director of Podcasting and a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute. He is also a contributing writer to MindMatters.ai. He produces ID The Future, a podcast from the Center for Science & Culture that presents the case, research, and implications of intelligent design and explores the debate over evolution. He writes and speaks regularly on the impact of technology on human living. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Post, Houston Chronicle, The Daily Wire, San Francisco Chronicle, Real Clear Politics, Newsmax, The American Spectator, The Federalist, and Technoskeptic Magazine. In addition to his roles at the Discovery Institute, he promotes his homeland as host of the Scottish culture and music podcast Simply Scottish, available anywhere podcasts are found. Andrew holds an MA in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University and a BA in English/Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Learn more about his work at andrewmcdiarmid.org.
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