Disclaimer: this post is not meant to offend anyone of a different mindset. Since it’s my blog I have the freedom to say what I want. You can ignore it or read on…
A few days ago I felt saddened by the fact that someone I know, whom I thought was a close friend, chose to slander me and my family in regard to our life choices. I just wanted to clear the air with everyone about the issues that were brought up.
Homeschooling
Yes, my husband and I have chosen this form of education for our children. No, they have not always been home-schooled. At one point we had been actively involved in the local public school, but after a lot of prayer, research, and conviction, we feel this is the best option for our children.
We do not follow the exact schedule that a public school would experience. We have a lot of flexibility in our day-to-day routine, because I am teaching multiple subjects at three different age/cognitive levels. So, if we are still in our pajamas at 10am, that’s okay. We can still get our math, language, spelling, and history done before we leave the house.
Staying At Home
I used to be a full-time working mother, and I missed out on so much. So, I have chosen to stay at home and put my children and my home first. I could easily go back into the work force and run the rat race like so many other burnt-out moms, but I have chosen to sacrifice a second income for invaluable time with my children. They are only little for a short period, and when they’re all grown up, I can’t get that time back. If I don’t put all of my energy into training and coaching my children, no one else will do it. In my opinion, this is a major deficiency in our society today. Parents have become nothing more than strangers to their own children. They need to invest their time (and not just their money) into these precious lives. Children are going to remember the time you spend with them. Period.
Self-Employment
So many people keep asking when my husband is going to find a “real job” and get back into the work force. In moments of worry I, too, have been guilty of asking the same question. But, realistically, we have been surviving on an “anticipated” income. We have learned that there are no real securities in this life. A job can come and go. In this economy, more jobs keep disappearing and moving overseas. But, talent and skills can never be taken away. As long as there is a need for graphic design, social media, and web design, my husband will always have work to do.
Homesteading – The Road Less Traveled
Well, we are not there just yet. But, our hearts have been prepared to learn to live off the land. We have been reading, studying, and learning from others how to live frugally, how to live conservatively, and how to have a minimal impact on society. Start small, change your mindset, and then change your lifestyle.
Patriotism
We are die-hard Patriots to the core. If we had lived during the Revolutionary War, we would have been extremely involved and sacrificed our lives. We believe in a limited government, we believe in family first, and we believe in the Creator who made the world and created us all equal. We are in the minority these days, as it would seem, because we hold to ideals that do not seem “PC” in today’s culture. We want to have abundance and freedom, but we also know the importance of sacrifice. We love free enterprise, and we hold to the values of health promotion and disease prevention as primary, whereas treatment is needed in critical cases.
My mind is clear. My convictions are as strong as ever. My choices are solid.
May you have the conviction, the vision, and the passion to live your life clearly.
Becoming Process Driven 
I could not agree with y0u more my sister.
Homeschooling encompasses over 3 million children in the United States, with the average student grades of 3rd to 10th. The top main reasons why a parent would home school is: 1. They feel that the school system is nothing more than an organized, or often disorganized, public discipline/day care system. 2. Parents often feel they can teach better, more insightful, and life/career related curriculum studies to their children that would be more practical in life, than traditional secondary schooling. 3. Parents feel that their children are bored, or passed-up in school, whereas their students often have to wait for the other students’ in school to “catch up” in class, causing their child to wait needlessly to learn in class on a regular schedule.
In my experience, I have found that homeschooling offers the Charlotte Mason approach to realistic teaching, in conjunction with real life skills. Many students graduate high school or drop out only to find they really have no idea what life is all about; things like paying bills, being a responsible citizen, groceries, budget, medical care, the law, and even basic communication skills of letter writing or correspondence are challenges. Students who receive home schooling, actually go grocery shopping like a math assignment, watch and participate in bank deposits in person, and learn how to address and speak communication with cash register complaints, refunds, making change, and filling out forms for customer service. So the idea of Charlotte Mason curriculum design is fluid and practical.
One of the last key elements to home schooling that is a far advantage over traditional school is the value of time. An average student in school spends 6-8 hours in instruction…at home that equates to 4-5. If you eliminate all the recesses, lunch breaks, hallway time, and other misc. activity, you actually spend more time learning, than socializing in school as a student. In addition, the quality time spent with parents is priceless; students are more opt to learn at home in comfort, with monitored subjects of approval by parents, than being bombarded with everything in a race track curriculum, only to retain very few lesson, and some not approved by the parents ethics and morals.
That is probably why major universities such as Stanford, Pepperdine, and some Ivy League schools do look at HS students in applications more seriously, as they have come to know that HS students tend to be more savvy in education, and can adapt, overcome, and apply real life skills to education, rather than graduating and being shy, timid, and spend forever looking for a career or goal, not quite fostered beyond the textbook.
As far a patriotism…within my nuclear family growing up – that is an understatement. The Bagube’s have always been strong voiced and opinionated. To each and every person is their own voice; we may argue a lot, disagree immensely, and debate forever everything and anything, but will will always agree to disagree. Our father taught us the price of freedom, and it is not free by any means. If we wanted to be a billionaire or a trash truck driver, it did not matter, we were free to try, dream, explore, and even fail to learn along the way the very ideology of freedom and being a patriot. I could not love my country more than anyone else does in my family, even though I can disagree with politicians and laws from time to time, I will always be an American, born free and will die to stay free, no matter what happens. I will always proctect the innocent, feed the poor, and help the helpless, it is my right as the values installed within me, and I will always fight for others rights to express themselves to be free, even though I may disagree, I will never let anyone stop them for being who they want to be…
The Bible says there is nothing greater than to lay down your life for your friend, and my Dad always told me he shed blood in 3 different wars for the very idea of everyone and anyone he fought for as an American to be free – in whatever they want to do in life.
So charge in sister, speak your mind and stand your ground. I wish others had the same drive as you, this world might be less troublesome.
George
LikeLike