[gymrat.chic]

by well rounded, i do not mean just academics, I am also talking about the social aspects...just to clear that up...though, who knows, you may still think thats laughable...

I certainly think it's laughable. I happen to be homeschooled and also am a part time student at a christian school. Did you ever think that there are a lot of kids in the public schools that have social issues, too? How about all the kids people to pick on, how about the kids that are doing the picking? You think that is well rounded socially? All the cliques in highschool is not a good social setting, sorry.
Sure, there are some homeschoolers that aren't there socially. But that is because their parents have locked them home and made them that way. You can homeschool and still have great social skills by being active in church, sports, and other groups.

I rather my kids make important choices earlier in life, then one day down the road being faced with some kind of temptation and not knowing what the heck to do...

I was brought up in a Christian home where I was taught what was right and what was wrong. I am now very firm and steadfast in my faith and wouldn't think twice about saying no to a temptation. I'm pretty sure I know what the heck to do... and not because I've been around those temptations for most of my life, but because I haven't been around them, I haven't been desensitized to it.

[SumItUp]

well written gymrat

[thepostman]

by well rounded, i do not mean just academics, I am also talking about the social aspects...just to clear that up...though, who knows, you may still think thats laughable...

I certainly think it's laughable. I happen to be homeschooled and also am a part time student at a christian school. Did you ever think that there are a lot of kids in the public schools that have social issues, too? How about all the kids people to pick on, how about the kids that are doing the picking? You think that is well rounded socially? All the cliques in highschool is not a good social setting, sorry.
Sure, there are some homeschoolers that aren't there socially. But that is because their parents have locked them home and made them that way. You can homeschool and still have great social skills by being active in church, sports, and other groups.

I rather my kids make important choices earlier in life, then one day down the road being faced with some kind of temptation and not knowing what the heck to do...

I was brought up in a Christian home where I was taught what was right and what was wrong. I am now very firm and steadfast in my faith and wouldn't think twice about saying no to a temptation. I'm pretty sure I know what the heck to do... and not because I've been around those temptations for most of my life, but because I haven't been around them, I haven't been desensitized to it.

again I was simply giving my opinion....there are exceptions to everything, and it sounds as if you are one of them.

I will say this...even though we get older and a little more mature, the way things are in high school is pretty much the way people are when they are older, it is just as we get older we are better at pretending these cliques and such don't exist...to me it helps prepare kids for the real world...

but again this is simply my opinion...I don't find your opinions laughable...I don't really know why that is how you view mine...but thats fine

[Sly Fox]

I will say this...even though we get older and a little more mature, the way things are in high school is pretty much the way people are when they are older, it is just as we get older we are better at pretending these cliques and such don't exist...to me it helps prepare kids for the real world...

[gymrat.chic]

I respect your opinion but laughable was just the way I happened to say it late at night.
But the real exceptions are not the homeschoolers with social skills, it is the homeschoolers with out them. People stereotype homeschoolers as having no social skills at all, when really a small minority are the ones that don't know how to act in public.

[scuzdriver]

gymrat is right on the money!

If you don't know anything about homeschooling, SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE! You have no worthwhile opinion!

[thepostman]

wow, who knew having an opinion would upset so many people...

I am not trying to change minds here, just stating my opinions...

I know about homeschooling, and I happen to have close relatives who do homeschooling...I love when people disagree with what you're saying they think you must not know anything about the topic....

I am going to stop posting in this thread as I can see that for whatever reason it makes people angry. Its not my intention to do so, and I apologize for that...I am not one of the people on this board who try to get people angry.

[scuzdriver]

I'm not mad. It is frustrating when people who don't have a clue about it, bust on it. I deal with it at work all the time and I just decided to tell people that it is none of thier business, instead of explaining about the plus sides of homeschooling.

I wasn't yelling at you, just at anyone who is clueless!

[gymrat.chic]

Not mad, just dissapointed that you have such a view of homeschoolers.

[Purple Haize]

Homeschoolers DO have a lot of issues. They are even more magnified because there are so few of them. The HomeSchool basketball tournament was hopefully not indicative to what "social skills" are being taught. WOW, so many stories from that experience. In fact, can't wait till next year to do it again. I was treated worse by those parents, players and teams then by any other school (except when I either played overseas) then I have any where else. Althogh to be fair, I was chased with a gun at at MIDDLE SCHOOL GAME!!!
That being said, my sister homeschools. I have been exposed to homeschoolers and in fact am a product of solid A Becca education. When HomeSchoolers get together for gourp outings, yes even sport, it is a good thing. However, you do make a point that needs to be raised. WHY is it a bad thing to be exposed to all the undesirable behavior at "regular" schools? Yes there are bully's, I was the victim and the propogator of that. How does one learn to deal with abherrent behaviour if they are not exposed to it? Yes, kids get picked on. Yes, adults get picked on. No, the world is not a utopia. There are Home School organizations that realize this and try to help. Unfortunately, in my experiences with several home school forms, this is the exception not the norm. Do I think Home Schoolers are bad? Heck no. But they do set themselves out for the nafarious Unintended Consequences of their decisions and more often then not, ignore it, deny it or not understand it.

[Cider Jim]

Another advantage of LCA is that they have an agreement with LU education majors and Honors Program students to provide free one-on-one tutoring (academic coaching) for the students at LCA.

[SumItUp]

Homeschoolers DO have a lot of issues.

??????? You got some 'splaining to do.

[Purple Haize]

Why do I feel like Lucy on this one. For disclaimer starter EVERYONE has issus. It seems that the majority of HS don't acknowledge that they HAVE issues. That HS is THE best and only way to educate their child. For a good example of this watch Jesus Camp. For better or worse socialising a child who is HS is the biggest issue that has to be dealt with. How do you integrate your child into an environment that you constantly preach about? That is a huge issue. How do you get that child to realize that everyone has issues and no one is superior to any other. A lot of HS have that we are better than you mentality. I can not tell you how many HS have tried to "witness" to me, especially after they find out my wife teaches at a public school AND is a member of the NEA!! As a Christian school educated person, the best thing that I did was get a job "in the world". It exposed me to different types of people, people whom I dare say had premarital sex, swore, drink, smoked, DID NOT go to church, and were general pagans. How do you teach someone to handle that? Fortunately for me, my uncles were just like that so I had prior experience.
The main rub is, if you are going to downplay and badmouth a public school system, and teach your child what is wrong with out showing them how to live with it (that whole in the world not of the world Bible thing) then you are doing a great disservice.
Again, I feel HS is a viable option. It is not however the be all end all of educating your child. Further, to take it to a logical extension, how do you go about changing and education system that is flawed with out being there to fight for what is right?

[SuperJon]

I think home schooling is fine through middle school, as long as they're involved at the YMCA or something like that where they get a chance to interact with other kids. I think once they get to high school they should go to a school outside of their hours.

I was public schooled my entire life until I got to Liberty and I wouldn't change it for anything.

[LUconn]

ok, the main thing I've taken way from this thread that is actually in relation to the ogirinal post, is that folks have heard that LCA has poor academics, but nobody actually knows why or even has first hand experience of that. Where is GMTM? Didn't he go to LCA?

[Rocketfan]

ok, the main thing I've taken way from this thread that is actually in relation to the ogirinal post, is that folks have heard that LCA has poor academics, but nobody actually knows why or even has first hand experience of that. Where is GMTM? Didn't he go to LCA?

You have seen his spelling skills.....what more do you need to know?

[gymrat.chic]

Why do I feel like Lucy on this one. For disclaimer starter EVERYONE has issus. It seems that the majority of HS don't acknowledge that they HAVE issues. That HS is THE best and only way to educate their child. For a good example of this watch Jesus Camp. For better or worse socialising a child who is HS is the biggest issue that has to be dealt with. How do you integrate your child into an environment that you constantly preach about? That is a huge issue. How do you get that child to realize that everyone has issues and no one is superior to any other. A lot of HS have that we are better than you mentality. I can not tell you how many HS have tried to "witness" to me, especially after they find out my wife teaches at a public school AND is a member of the NEA!! As a Christian school educated person, the best thing that I did was get a job "in the world". It exposed me to different types of people, people whom I dare say had premarital sex, swore, drink, smoked, DID NOT go to church, and were general pagans. How do you teach someone to handle that? Fortunately for me, my uncles were just like that so I had prior experience.
The main rub is, if you are going to downplay and badmouth a public school system, and teach your child what is wrong with out showing them how to live with it (that whole in the world not of the world Bible thing) then you are doing a great disservice.
Again, I feel HS is a viable option. It is not however the be all end all of educating your child. Further, to take it to a logical extension, how do you go about changing and education system that is flawed with out being there to fight for what is right?

You are right, every one has issues. Homeschooling isn't always the best way to to educate a kid, but it depends on the parents. Homeschoolers, at least the ones I have been around, haven't bad mouthed or downplayed the public school system. They have said that they dislike the way the public schools are run, like shying away from an education that doesn't include God, and people that want to take "Under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance.

And why would you want to integrate your child into a worldly environment anyway? As you mentioned the Bible say that you should be in the world but not of the world. Sure, we have to live here on earth, but it doesn't mean we have to be around all kinds of garbage all the time. I, being a homeschooler, have been around plenty of "different types of people" who were pagans. How do you teach someone how to handle it? First, you don't desensitize your kids by saturating them in it at an early age. When you saturate a sponge in water, what do you think comes out? Water. You can socialize them in the world and not saturate them. And second, you train up your child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.

I don't know what home schoolers have given you the impression they think they are superior to you, but I apologize for them. I am not like that and I haven't met any that have seemed like that.

[El Scorcho]

And why would you want to integrate your child into a worldly environment anyway? As you mentioned the Bible say that you should be in the world but not of the world. Sure, we have to live here on earth, but it doesn't mean we have to be around all kinds of garbage all the time.

Actually, that's pretty much exactly what it means. The only alternative is to create our own little Christian world that is separate from the "garbage" of the rest of the world. If we do that, we'd certainly be in A world, but not THE world. I think this fear of the world and the sin that occurs in it is really crippling the church and Christians, in general. I also think it contributes to the ever-increasing divide between us and those we're trying to reach.

[SuperJon]

Thank you Scorcho. I kinda stopped reading when I read that little line of hers and started laughing.

Explain to me how you're going to spread the Gospel to your little group of homeschooled Christian kids. Which one is better for the cause, being a Christian around a bunch of other perfect Christians, or being a Christian example around people who aren't?

[gymrat.chic]

All the time, I didn't say separate yourself and alienate yourself from the rest of the world, just don't saturate yourself in it 24/7!

[Stevewalt]

We don't live in Lynchburg but my wife and i choose to educate our children in the public schools because we both went to private school, I for elementary then public through H.S.(over 500 graduation class) then I went to Liberty and she for Kindergarden (30 graduation class)thru Liberty. When we started have children the whole homeschool thing was really taking off and we noticed that the christian kids were being taken out of the public schools and I being a youth pastor at the time, heard from public school kids about friends leaving and there being a real need for a positive influences in their schools. It definitly is a parental right not to send their children to public school but my sons have stood up for right in public schools (one child told my youngest son in kindergarden that Jesus is like santa he doesn't exsist he was just a fairy tale) and I (as a parent) wish more christian kids were there to back them up. This is just a synopsis of my idea of homeschooling vs. christian school vs. public school. I will say this when attending Liberty I could walk down the street in campus and could point out the home schoolers and christian educated kids vs. the public educated kids. (big fish little pond thing vs little fish big pond)

[bigsmooth]

And why would you want to integrate your child into a worldly environment anyway?

cmon gymrat...this kind of mentaility is really not right. i have no problem with you being a homeschooler. that is you and your family's choice. but as christians we are taught to minister to others and you can't do that living in a bubble. that is the biggest problem i have with christian schools and homeschoolers. if you look at the doctrines of many christian schools they say they want bible believing christians there. so if a parent wanted their child to be around christians and get a christian education would the school turn them away?? at some christian schools they would. that is sad.we as christians need to be inclusive IMO. we need to reach out to all that are not saved. if you attend LU next year gymrat do you think everyone there is a christian?? well they are not. you will also see and hear things that are not Christ-like, that are of the "world". if the parents are doing the right thing in teaching their children the right things being in a worldy environment will not be a problem. we all have to make choices in the real world to do what is right or wrong, and that is just the facts. again im not trashing homeschooling i just have to take issue with your one comment.

[gymrat.chic]

I don't live in a bubble. There are a few home schoolers that do, but not as much as you think.

I know there are people at LU that aren't christians, and I understand that. I have no problem with being around people that are like that. I just don't want to be saturated in it. We all have to live in the world but we don't have to constantly hang out with the wrong kind of people. It is easier to be pulled down than to pull someone up.
Again, I have no problem being around non-christians, I am the only girl and only christian at work, and I have to hear F this and F that, very crude humor and disses for living a Godly life all the time, I don't like it, but I'm not shunning these people, I have conversations with them and I'm not trying to quit because of it either.

[SumItUp]

In public schools, does a young Christian student have more influence on their peers or does a secular system that does not recognize God and a worldly peer group have more influence on the Christian student?

[El Scorcho]

In public schools, does a young Christian student have more influence on their peers or does a secular system that does not recognize God and a worldly peer group have more influence on the Christian student?

To answer that question definitively either way is to err, in my opinion.