The Issue of Home Schooling
Yrsa Seykolova
Over the years, I've been called everything but traditional. Convention and acceptable behavior have never been my strong suits... in fact, generally, I can't stand it. There's something about 'being the norm' that rubs me the wrong way... even if it's the "pagan norm," or the "asatru norm."
But, my need for individuality aside, there are plenty of other reasons why - in spite of the fire I will draw from this statement - home schooling is a disservice to pagan kids.
There. I said it. Let the attacks begin.
Public schools teach a Christian agenda!
Our children will not receive a (insert desired adjective here) education!
THEIR kids will be mean to MY kids because they're different!
Okay, pagan moms and dads, it's time to wake up! If you live in total isolation, on some idyllic pagan commune, then please stop reading. This will, for obvious reasons, not apply. However, if you, like the rest of us, live hand-in-hand with the rest of the world (regardless of what you may want), this is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with before it causes any more problems.
Our children are not stupid, people. Tossing out the TV and keeping them at home are wonderful in theory, but when all is said and done, the practice of the idea will cause nothing but trouble. Kids... our kids, their kids, all kids... are going to grow up and become adults. Like it or not, they can't hang on the apron strings forever (but that's another issue)... Kids grow up. That's the way it works. We have two choices when it comes to how they grow...
1) We raise them with this bullshit head-in-the-sand, don't-rock-the-boat way of life, or...
2) We raise them to be kids! We send them to public schools, get them involved in sports and cheerleading and whatever else they are interested in... we get them involved in the things that pique their curiosity and we teach them to be the best they can be.
Like it or not, we are a part of this society... just as it is... and we can either work to change it, or we can continue to hide from it. For me, and I would seriously hope that this is true of other parents, the latter is simply not an option. I, for one, refuse to let my daughters grow up to be victims.
Keeping them at home for their educational career may or may not offer them a better education; that is largely dependent on the parent at home teaching the lessons. The issue here is not the quality of education. Public schools, if given the support they need from the community, are capable of offering an outstanding education. But the real issue... the place where home-schooling fails our kids... is in the social arena.
Without being around kids their age, our kids are not going to learn that people are different. They're not going to learn that it takes work to get along in a multi-cultural society. They're not going to learn that people come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. And they're not going to learn that it doesn't matter what's around your neck, but what's in your heart. If we steal our children's opportunity to learn these lessons by keeping them hidden in our hearths until they reach adulthood, then we have caused them far more harm than their interaction with the outside world ever could. Because, eventually, they're still going to have to deal with everyone else... if they don't learn how to do it, then we condemn them to a life of hiding in the shadows.
A life where they are stuck in the rut of tip-toe-ing around everyone and everything they might offend, shock, or amaze.
I said it before - our children are not stupid. Give them a chance to prove that they can be "good kids" in spite of the negative influences of our world. Give them a chance to prove that they are winners!
Because if we don't let them win, what are the alternatives?