A reader sent this article to me about the late realizations of some homeschooling families who were surprised and heartbroken that things have not worked out as they’d hoped. I thought it made some very valid points.
Regular readers and listeners my be aware that we are very supportive of homeschooling in general although we recommend that people need to be sober about it. Homeschooling, by itself, doesn’t solve anything. It presents its own opportunities and challenges.
Lisa and I have homeschooled all the way through high school and have been very pleased with how our approach has worked. That said, too many homeschooling families make the mistake of thinking that sheltering kids from the outside world is enough. It isn’t. If you want to successfully homeschool you need to actively teach your child how to positively and charitably engage pop culture, the media and even people you disapprove of or disagree with. You can’t just keep your kids away from these influences. If you do, they will be drawn to them the second you turn your back. The Catholic response to the culture, even the ugly bits of culture, is to engage it. To redeem what is redeemable and refute what must be refuted. It is not the Catholic way to run and hide from the big scary world. Christ has conquered. Be not afraid!