Michael P. Farris, Esq.
Chairman &
General Counsel

Retreating or Engaging?

Volume 51, Program 16 3/22/2004

Is homeschooling actually helping society, or is it a refuge for people who have rejected society? Join Mike Smith on today's Home School Heartbeat as he tackles this question.

Mike Smith:
First, a little history: homeschooling has enjoyed massive growth since its reemergence 25 years ago—changing from a small group of families and a few thousand children to one where an estimated 2 million children are now receiving their education at home. Over these years homeschooling has continually silenced the skeptics by proving that children educated at home can succeed both academically and socially. But despite these successes many critics continue to contend that homeschoolers are retreating from society. Quite to the contrary, homeschoolers I know are training their children at home in order to engage with society, not retreat from it. These parents have decided that maturity is a necessary requirement for successfully engaging the culture. Retreating is the last thing on the mind of most homeschoolers. Christians face tremendous pressures from a world which is losing its moral foundations and a state-supported education system which has largely adopted a secular worldview. Regrettably, in the view of many parents, government education has become a hindrance to training up a child in the way he should go. Many homeschoolers have accepted the challenge to produce godly children in a lost and dying world, and we are seeing great success in this area for many families. And until next time, I'm Mike Smith.