School's out for Summer

Today is the last day for the kids to go to the "big school" -- the end of the year for homeschool kids that head over to the local elementary school once a week for fine arts and peer interaction. We have two days left at the Hagerman Academy.

I'm incredibly proud of my wife and her commitment to homeschooling. When Michelle and I were first married, we'd never heard of homeschool. Our plan was for her to raise babies at home until they started school, then head back into the workforce and make some money. Nine years later, we still haven't implemented that plan.

I'm no expert about homeschooling, or about formal education as a broad topic. I know that to most of the world, homeschool families like ours are perceived as extreme wackos. Critics of homeschooling continue to denounce the practice as an affront to common sense and sound education.

"Oh, you don't have a teaching degree?"

"Aren't you afraid that your kids won't know how to interact with other children?"

"What are you going to do when faced with algebra?" [ good question :-) ]

"No band or sports for your poor kids, right?"

"You ARE going to stop this kind of education before high school, aren't you?"

It's true that homeschooling is a different deal than traditional public school. I don't confess to have a great answer to every question above.

But then again, for all the questions people have about the merits of homeschooling, there are a few questions to raise about the public education system too, even here in Iowa (where schools are considered excellent). Are standardized tests scores going up or down? Are American public schoolchildren among the brightest in the world, or thought less of now than 30 years ago? Are you alarmed about the incidence of drugs coming into the school, or guns, or scantily clad young women, or child molesters posing as teachers? I have no concerns about these issues at the Hagerman Academy.

My kids are pretty good kids. They read better than most kids older than themselves. They can hit a baseball and play a piano. They are learning to make good decisions about what they watch, how they spend their money, and what they do with their time. They can talk with adults without having to be forced out from behind mom's skirt. And most importantly, they know a little about their Creator and the Son who wants to be their Savior. By the grace of God, I think we're doing OK.

So congrats kids, and their teacher, on another good school year. What should we do to celebrate?