As we approach the end of another school year, I want to take a minute and testify to the effectiveness of homeschooling.
My wife and I chose to homeschool after converting to Catholicism in 2006, when our first child was 6 years old. She and I both attended public schools for K-12 studies and had no experience with homeschooling.
The #1 factor in our decision, which has persisted through the years, was the desire to keep our kids safe from destructive influences that ruin many children’s lives before they reach adulthood. Contrary to the attempts made to make homeschooling families seem ridiculous modern schools have problems with violence, sexual immorality and drug use–and many other issues. I taught in private Christian schools and these problems were present there as well. We know that our children will struggle through all kinds of sins and problems over time–that’s normal–but life-destroying dangers are different. We wanted to keep our children safe from these things.
The #2 factor (yes, #2) was to have the opportunity to evangelize our children and initiate them into the Catholic faith. We wanted to have them home so that they would have the opportunity to read the Scriptures, participate in the Sacramental life of the Church and learn the teaching of the Catholic Church. We did not want their formative years influenced by non-Catholics, even atheists.
The #3 factor was to enjoy the opportunity to be together before going our separate ways as the children reached adulthood. We desired to build a strong family that could work together and help each member succeed regardless of his or her unique circumstances or challenges. I also wanted my children to be able to pursue excellence at their own pace and not in a modern, individualized grade school program.
The #4 factor was to introduce our children to classical studies that would not be a part of any modern school program. I knew that the classical liberal arts, classical philosophy and the humanities helped me to become a confident Catholic in adverse circumstances and I wanted my children to at least be familiar with the writings of history’s wisest and best men.
In 2024, I can confidently say that homeschooling has allowed us to achieve these goals.
Here’s a quick summary of where we’re at:
- Jonathan (24) just graduated as an ROTC Cadet with a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Carolina (Charlotte). He commissioned as a US Army officer last week. He was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2016.
- Elizabeth (22) is an ROTC Cadet entering her senior year at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs) and just finished an internship with the U.S. Senate in Washington, DC. She was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2017.
- David (21) is a Combat Engineer in the US Army Reserves and is a junior studying Business Administration at the University of North Carolina (Wilmington). He was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2018.
- Mary (19) was admitted to the University of North Carolina (Charlotte) after finishing her high school studies, but chose to stay home and spend a year studying at the local community college. She is scheduled to head to Charlotte next fall. She was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2020.
- Samuel (18) is finishing his last high school course before entering the Army Reserves and going to college next year. He was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2020.
- Jacob (16) is finishing his junior year in high school, and is planning to join the Marines and go to college (ROTC) when he turns 18. On his 11th grade standardized testing, he scored in the 97th percentile. He was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2020.
- Joshua (14) just finished his freshman year of high school, ans
