If you look at the
numbers, more and more families are choosing to homeschool their
children. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as of
2007, there were 1.5 million students in homeschool. Religion seems
to be a major factor for parents choosing to homeschool their kids,
as more than a third of homeschooling parents say they do so to
provide religious or moral instruction. It seems to be working.
According to Exploring Homeschooling, 94 percent of students
who graduate from homeschool keep their faith, and 93 percent
continue to attend church after their high school years.
Because of this growing trend, we wanted to
hear from those who homeschool, and we asked them why they've
chosen this method of education for their kids. On our Facebook
page we posed the question "I homeschool because I…" and asked our
friends to fill in the blank. Tifaine Hash says, "I am scared what
kind of damage public schools will do to my children." Emily
Griffith Anderson says, "I believe it's part of God's plan for my
children, me, and those around us." Monica Letoto Merrifield fills
in the blank, "(I)…believe God has that as part of our Deuteronomy
6 mandate right now." Feel free to keep the conversation going on Facebook.
Top of Form
Whether you homeschool, have homeschooled kids, or want to
learn a little more about how to minister to homeschool families,
there are resources out there to help you. Here are five cool
homeschooling blogs.
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7 Sisters
Homeschool- This site was started by six homeschooling
moms who encouraged each other all the way through their kids' high
school graduations. Offering "curriculum, coaching, and other
resources, building a community of homeschool families together…and
influencing the culture for the glory of God," these women want to
share what they've learned through their years of
homeschooling.
The
Homeschool Village- Hear from a team of more than 20
different homeschooling mothers at this website that strives to
connect homeschool families through God's Word.
The
Unlikely Homeschool- Read the story of Jamie and her
husband ("the Hubs") and how they made the decision to homeschool
their kids, lovingly nicknamed "Sweetie Pea," "Super Boy," "Blonde
Warrior," "Greased Lightening," and "The Newbie," who was born last
April.
Homeschool
Share- Homeschooling parents can share educational
material on this cool site.
Kids 4
Truth- This is a site that is used by homeschoolers
and public school parents together. According to its website, Kids
4 Truth "exists to inspire and equip God's people to reach boys and
girls worldwide with the memorable, creative, leading-edge teaching
of God-focused truth."
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Do you have any homeschooled students in your
ministry? Do you homeschool your own kids? How do you minister to
homeschooling families? Weigh in on the subject using the comment
section below.
