You Made a Good Choice

Despite what you may have read elsewhere, statistically homeschooling does not give your student a better education than a public school. In fact, studies have shown that the best we can say is that homeschooling is not an academic disadvantage.

The good news: You're not "ruining" your children by homeschooling.

Your children will probably do well academically, just like every other family in our socioeconomic bracket. Which leads to the "bad" news: You didn't make a superior choice by homeschooling. You made a good choice. In fact, my sister laid out a few points about her experience and then asked why more people don't homeschool.

I'm aware of two "giants" in the homeschool research world. The National Home Education Research Institute promotes a great many studies that point to homeschool successes. The International Center for Home Education Research Reviews takes those reports and rips them up a bit. I found the analysis of why there's not more homeschooling research to be fascinating.

I bring this up to encourage you.

First, you made a good choice to homeschool. And, should you ever decide that homeschooling isn't working for you, you can move forward in freedom and confidence that another school option is also completely viable. It's always best to do what God has called you to do and what helps your children thrive, but the model you select doesn't matter statistically. The other social, emotional, spiritual, personal reasons should absolutely be taken into consideration.

Second, let's not misuse statistics or other information. We don't need to undermine our position on things that way (homeschooling or otherwise). Homeschooling is a great option. There are many benefits. Let's stick to the positives when discussing our choice with others.

Third, it's good to be challenged. This is something we prize here at Sonlight. In fact, reason 14 NOT to buy Sonlight reminds us that "we want to be fair when other perspectives merit discussion. We want to encourage students to think critically and to act with gracious humility toward those who hold differing views and perspectives." May we be open to discovering the faulty ideas we've entertained so we can walk ever more in truth and converse productively with those who disagree.

Keep up the great work. And may your family continue to experience many benefits from the time you spend homeschooling and learning together.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian