Homeschooling has benefited the lives of countless students across the nation and around the world, and it has benefited my life as well. I have been given the opportunity to exceed the expectations of educators, achieve life skills that tend to be lacking in our society, and lay a firm foundation for my moral beliefs and my relationship with God. I would like to share some of the ways that homeschooling can benefit others, just as it has benefited me: life skills, job and workforce experiences, a Godly foundation, ministry outreaches, and higher education opportunities.
When you look at the newer generation of young adults, you can easily observe their common struggle to master basic life skills. Things like cooking, cleaning, dealing with other people, and taking care of children are all things most young adults will deal with sooner or later. However, as a result of their attendance at a public school, few young people are given the chance to properly learn these skills. With homeschooling, I was given the satisfaction of learning how to cook, bake, properly deal with others, and take care of children. All of these things will benefit me later.
When it comes to jobs and the workforce, most public-schooled kids are unfamiliar with that environment and seem to have a lack of interest when it comes to physical labor and the satisfaction of completing a job. Even at a young age, I was given the opportunity to do several different kinds of paid jobs both at home and for other people. And now, because of that training, I have been able to maintain a successful neighborhood business and can also handle new work environments, such as when I became a paid tutor. It is benefits like this that the public school cannot offer, and I know other homeschoolers have enjoyed these benefits as well.
Homeschooling is also the best way to instill values in your children. Instead of sending one’s kids to school for the day and letting their minds be influenced by their worldly peers, at home parents can prepare their children and educate them about different worldviews and the implications behind them. Homeschooling is also the best way to teach children Biblical perspectives about some of the bigger issues we face today, such as evolution and abortion. Without this foundation, kids in today’s culture often simply accept whatever is promoted out in the world, and they don’t know how to answer some of the big questions that face us as believers.
Once a Godly foundation is established in a child’s heart, homeschooling allows for wonderful ministry opportunities as well. If a student were involved in the public school system, there wouldn’t be time for daytime outreach opportunities, and generally there wouldn’t be a desire to do so either. Because of homeschooling, I have been able to visit many different high schools and colleges and successfully present the pro-life argument to pro-choice students, who are mostly opposed to our outreach. I have been able to witness many great things, including the transformation of a student’s mind and heart toward abortion, as well as be there when a pregnant woman decides to keep her child. Students listen better to other students, and homeschooling is the best way to win the minds of the next generation.
Finally, homeschooling opens a door for bigger and broader learning opportunities. Within the public school system, many students cannot focus on what they enjoy doing academically or go forward with it until they have graduated from high school and begin college. But as a homeschooler, I have been able to experience the joy of pursuing advanced skills to equip me to do what I love best—while still in high school.
More and more colleges now offer ways for high school students to take college classes, and this is a great opportunity for homeschooled students who have an interest in something specific and want to go forward with it. Since I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted to be an American Sign Language Interpreter. And because of homeschooling, I was able to start taking classes at age 13 and have continued to take classes so that I can become certified.
With homeschooling, there are no limits. One can acquire a Godly foundation, minister to others, learn basic life skills, become familiar with the workforce, and soar academically. Countless numbers of people have been able to experience these things, and I myself am witness to the tremendous empowerment of homeschooling. So instead of asking myself, “How has homeschooling benefited my life?” I prefer to ask myself, “How hasn’t homeschooling benefited my life?”
Christopher Wuehler is the second son to graduate from the Wuehler family’s Adonai Academy. Dually enrolled in high school and college, he received a Deaf Studies Certificate and will receive his AA from Sierra College next spring. Next fall, he will transfer to California State University Northridge to pursue his dream of becoming a Certified Interpreter for the Deaf. He was blessed with an internship in Deaf Studies and also works part-time as a tutor. He is one busy young man, and his family is very proud of his accomplishments.
Copyright 2010. Originally appeared in The Old Schoolhouse®Magazine, Fall 2010. Used with permission. Visit them at http://www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.
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