After a week of staring with horror at the painfully young faces of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, people who never thought they were homeschool parents are looking at it, many for the first time.\u00a0 They\u2019re wondering if it would keep their children safe and stop tragedy from happening in their own families.<\/p>\n
This immediate emotional response makes perfect sense.\u00a0 Parents send their children off to school and understand there to be a sort of sacred trust, i.e. \u201cWe will entrust you with our beloved children, and you will teach them and send them back to us.\u201d\u00a0 It is part of what compounds the horror of the massacre, this sanctuary was violated and the trust was broken.\u00a0 Which leaves the question \u201cWhat do we do now?\u201d If the schools are, as we fear, no longer a haven of safety for our children and security for us all, what do we do?\u00a0 Is it time for parents to begin homeschooling in order to keep their children safe?<\/p>\n
Maybe, but maybe not.<\/p>\n
While the images from Connecticut are gut-wrenching, the reality is that school shootings are exceedingly rare.\u00a0 The possibility of this horror being replayed in other elementary schools is miniscule.\u00a0 The vast majority of children will never experience this kind of violence anywhere, except for on the evening news, in their lifetimes.\u00a0 While the knee-jerk reaction of many parents was that to keep them home would be to keep them safe, I\u2019m not convinced that it\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n
Fear alone is not, in my opinion, a sufficient reason to take on the Herculean task of educating a child at home.\u00a0 The energy caused by the adrenaline rush of panic might be enough to carry you through withdrawing your children from school.\u00a0 It might even hold you through a few weeks of lessons, but that kind of frantic zeal burns out\u2026and then what?\u00a0 What is the plan for when that happens?\u00a0 Will you continue teaching them at home, or will you be re-enrolling them by April?<\/p>\n
What fear can be good for, in this instance, is causing you to take a long look at the choices you have made for educating your children.\u00a0 Is traditional schooling the best choice for them? Is it the best choice for your family?\u00a0 Here\u2019s your chance to do some research and talk to people who are actually living this life.\u00a0 Have you ever met a homeschooling family?\u00a0 Do you have a clear picture in your mind of what it looks like to teach children in your home?\u00a0 Do you know where to go for resources, textbooks, and peer groups? Do you know any homeschoolers you could talk to and get help and advice?\u00a0 This is where you need to begin, not in reflexively yanking your children from their classrooms without a clear sense of direction or a plan for getting there.<\/p>\n
As a veteran homeschooling mom, I would caution against making this important of a decision out of fear or grief.\u00a0 This is a choice best left for when you can think calmly and rationally.\u00a0 I know that you\u2019re scared by what happened to the First Graders at Sandy Hook, and this can look like the easy and safe solution to a lot of people.\u00a0 I know that keeping your children home and close appeals to the part of us which just wants to hold our babies and never let them go, but homeschooling is so much more than just keeping them safe.\u00a0 It\u2019s a commitment about which you should educate yourself, and a lifestyle you have to be willing to live, not just today but for months and years to come.<\/p>\n
Is that something that interests you?\u00a0 If you even think \u201cmaybe\u201d, then you should give it some serious thought. Then reach out to the homeschoolers in your community or over the internet.\u00a0 Most of us welcome honest questions, and are willing to advise, counsel, and even point you in the right direction when we can.\u00a0 This can be a wonderful way to live and raise your family, and you can succeed at it, but you have to do it for the right reasons.\u00a0 I\u2019m not convinced fear is one of them.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After a week of staring with horror at the painfully young faces of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, people who never thought they were homeschool parents are looking at it, many for the first time.\u00a0 They\u2019re wondering if it would keep their children safe and stop tragedy from happening in their own families. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n