Evaluating the Options: Homeschool

This leaves home school as the last educational option to be examined. Homeschool makes sense for parents who want to provide their children with a Christian education but cannot find or afford a good Christian school. Homeschool is extremely affordable, though it requires extensive parental oversight. Homeschool is therefore usually chosen by more traditional families where the mother stays at home with the children. Home school directly applies the commands of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Ephesians 6:4 for parents to teach their children and provide them with a Christian education.

But like Christian school, home school is not a de facto Christian education. Parents who home school must make sure they themselves possess a Christian worldview to impart to their children. This should be the case regardless of where parents educate their children. God has given parents the primary role in educating their children, and sending children to a school is nothing other than parents relegating authority to other teachers. Homeschool is therefore a completely viable option, but it requires that parents be prepared to educate their children in all subjects.

One of the benefits of homeschool is that it can be efficient. Homeschoolers can work at their own pace, meaning students who are strong in a particular area can get through material quicker and focus on their weaker subjects. But home school families must be diligent and make sure their kids do not fall behind in any subject.

The quality of homeschool can therefore be limited by the parents’ teaching abilities, knowledge, and materials. Parents should seek to use the best homeschool materials available for their children, and parents should also seek to be the best teachers they can be. But the fact is some parents make better teachers than others, and all parents know some subjects better than others (not to mention some children are more motivated than others). This becomes a problem as children get older and study advanced subjects. How many parents can teach systematic theology, ancient literature, Latin, and advanced chemistry?

This is where homeschool groups can be helpful. They can provide high-quality teaching for less cost than a full private school. The division of labor means children have teachers who specialize in a particular subject. Not to mention, these groups foster community among students. This sort of interaction with other children should also stave off the charge that home schoolers have poor social skills. Students usually meet a couple times a week with a teacher, and they do most of their work at home. This is close to a university model of education, and it is really just another form of Christian school.

Homeschool therefore seems to be a good option for providing a Christian education, especially while children are young. But as they get to middle school and high school age, many parents will find that they simply are not equipped to educate their children in all subjects at a high level. This may be a good time to consider switching to a good private Christian school.