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Homeschool through High School?

 Lyndsay Lambert

Texas Home School Coalition Association REVIEW © November 2004

Some years ago, I was visiting with a friend who was teaching her oldest child at home. She shared with me that her second-born had expressed a desire to attend kindergarten at the nearby public school. Realizing that she and her husband were considering it, I asked her what I thought was a pertinent question, “Would you let your son play in the street?”

She was shocked at the thought.  “No, of course not!”

My next question was, “What makes you think that your son should make an important decision such as where he should go to school when he doesn’t have enough wisdom to play in the street without potentially getting hurt?”

            Later I began to think about that analogy. How far can you take it? What about high school? I see teenagers playing football in the street quite often. They seem to manage without problems. 

            However, I came to the conclusion that allowing teenagers to make the decision about where they should go to school would be like allowing blind and deaf teens to play in the street. They do not have the capability to assimilate the information needed to make the necessary judgments.

            As my husband and I travel around the state, we hear from a number of home school parents who have decided to allow their teens to go to public school. Unfortunately, we have talked with many who have come to regret that decision.

… but my teen wants to go to public school!

We parents need to understand that we are responsible before God for decisions made concerning our families. We need to lead our families based on what we believe is best, following what we believe is God’s will rather than allowing the direction of our families to be determined by the whims of our children.

            As our children enter their teen years, they are growing into adults. They need to learn to make decisions. We need to consider their opinions as important, treat them with respect, and listen to them. However, we need to not be like politicians, who see which way the wind is blowing before they commit to going a certain direction. Rather, we need to be like statesmen, who discern what is right, determine to follow it regardless of the consequences, and then present their reasons to the people.

           One definition for persuasiveness is “working around another’s mental roadblocks.”  What if we are unable to bring our teens around to our way of thinking? We need to have taught our children about the principle of authority. They need to understand that we are all under authority and that God places authority over us for our protection. They need to understand that their parents are their God-given authority.

Keep in mind that the junior and senior high school years are the toughest times for young people, from the standpoint of peer pressure. Often people take the position that our children need to be in public school to be involved in the spiritual battle and be witnesses for the Lord. We can usually fend off that argument with our elementary-aged children by explaining that we do not believe that you should send children to war. But can we make that same argument with our teens? Of course! They are still very susceptible to the influence of their peers. I believe that the high school years are some of the most challenging years from that perspective; the pressures to conform are much greater during those teen years, and the temptations are much greater than at any previous time in our children’s lives.

We need to recognize that our young adults are like those blind and deaf teens playing in the street. As their God-given authority, we are responsible to guide them and protect them from things that could harm them, no matter how appealing those things may seem to them at the time. We need to remember that one day we parents will stand before God and will have to take responsibility for the way we led our families.

… but I am concerned about being able to teach upper-level courses!

One of the most unexpected results of home schooling my children was how much I learned in the process. I was able to learn along with my children about many subjects. There were many topics--about which I had no prior knowledge--with which I became familiar as I taught them.

             Sometimes, however, our students need more than we are equipped to give. Maybe you have a math whiz, and you had problems before you got to algebra. I know that I was not able to teach my son, who was very interested in computers, anything about computers. In fact, he was the one who taught me! Before he graduated, he audited a college-level programming class, and later he apprenticed with a friend of ours who taught college classes. At seventeen years old, he helped grade master’s-level programming projects.

       There are now many upper-level course options available, such as the following:

·         Home school classes – Many local groups have co-ops and classes available for high school students.

·         Classes at local private and public schools – Many private schools will allow students to take a class or two and continue to be at home the rest of the time. Some public schools are even recruiting part-time students.

·         Tutors – Even in a smaller town, there is probably someone who is an expert in the field your student needs to study.

Multimedia or college classes – Online classes, video courses, or dual-credit classes at community colleges can be pursued.

           Please use these options with prayer, with care, and in moderation. I know of some home school families who have enrolled their children in so many outside opportunities that it would be hard to make the case that they are still home educating.

Am I saying that it is never right for a home schooled student to go to public school?

No. I cannot say what God has called you to do. My encouragement is just to not make that decision for the wrong reasons. Homeschool through high school? It is not always easy. You will have bad days; you may be tempted to throw in the towel. But before making the decision to allow your teen to “play in the street,” be sure that it is God leading you in that direction rather than discouragement, fear, or whims (yours or your children’s).

Remember your calling. If God has called you to this task of home educating your children, He will equip you. And do not forget in the dark what God has shown you in the light.

Meet Lyndsay Lambert

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