Ramifications of Homeschooling

[Doris Anne Beaulieu]

Hello,
My name is Doris Anne Beaulieu. I have a website-Life’s Ultimate Test dot com-on which you can learn more about my mission to change the face of home schooling.
I attended a parochial school as a child in the 1950's. In this Catholic school I was sheltered from the realities of the world around me-from swearing, from public displays of affection, from slang. These are often some of the same things that modern home schooling parents aim to protect their children from. A superior court judge said “ In today’s threatening world, we seek to protect children from abuse, not just physical, but also educational abuse.” This protection however often leaves behind a naiveness to the surrounding world the children must eventually enter.
Children need to be exposed to real life. Parents should as a family, talk about the world openly so children may not only learn that the world holds cruelness, but so they can gain knowledge from their parents experience and guidance for adulthood.
Playing with other children, a basic aspect of childhood was something we were unable to do because of the lack of seeing children outside of their family. Home schooled kids face the same consequences. A child who hasn’t efficiently learned how to deal with childhood conflict can not deal with adult conflict.
A child could become an active member of an organization that offers compromising skills. Be it girl scouts, boy scouts or some form of sports in their community. Anything of this nature would improve the outcome.
In my school, we spent most of the day praying- in church and in class. Who is to say in home schooling the children are receiving a full education which I even lacked in a parochial school? The same judge mentioned before also said “ how can we not monitor the educational welfare of all of our children?” There should be a system, of more than just suggestions, to guarantee the children are being educated. This system should also lack so much variance from state to state.
More of my personal experience can be found in my book The Torments of the Modest Secluded Farm Life and it’s screenplay “Broken Souls.” I hope, through my experience, I can soon make a difference for children facing similar situations.

Thank you,
Doris Anne Beaulieu
http://www.LifesUltimateTest.com

[N Hester]

Most of my friends home school their children and I am not seeing what is being described in this post. One of the girls being home schooled, in her senior year, worked at UNC. She is currently attending college to become a nurse. She and her sister are being brought up in a Christian home. They do pray. I am of the opinion that prayer is the most important part of an individual's day. I feel certain that they are being taught to feel the same way. These children are getting an excellent education. Are they different in their dress, manners and deeds than the typical teenager? Yes, they are. And I, for one, am very proud of them. Their parents aren't fastening a piece of meat around their necks and tossing them to the wolves but they aren't locking them in the attic between classes either. If there is a need to worry whether or not children are getting a "full education" perhaps the public schools should be under scrutiny. I realize you are promoting your book and my comment is not intended to diminish your experience as a home tutored individual. But there is a lot of hard work involved in home schooling and I hate to have that diminished by one bad experience. Personally, I am truly sorry for you that one of the contributing factors causing your torment was too much prayer. That is sad. It must grieve the Lord's heart to know that He gave His all and there is grumbling over having to pray too much. Help us Lord.