Are your homeschooled teens motivated to change the world? Do they even know that they can? It is crucial that our teens catch a glimpse of what God is doing in the homeschooling movement. Home education was His idea from the beginning (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Colossians 2:8; Psalm 1:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Proverbs 22:6). If we correctly convey to them the impact they can have in the world, our children will realize that they are part of something very big, something very special. They will begin to understand the privilege and responsibility they have in being a part of this world-changing remnant of Godly young people.
It is my sincere belief that one day God will mightily use home educated children to turn this nation back to Him. These are the children that are being taught the true (unedited) history of our nation and Founding Fathers. They are being educated about how important Christianity and freedom was to our Founding Fathers, and about all of the miracles that took place to birth and protect our nation. Our Constitution drips with acknowledgments of our Creator, no matter how often the liberals try to deny that fact. How many Americans really understand that "Separation of Church and State" is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution? It simply is not there!
Taking God out of the classroom and all textbooks--not limited to only history and science--on the basis of something that does not even exist in the Constitution ("Separation of Church and State") has had a derogatory effect on the children of our nation. If "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10), what does that say for a complete educational system that intentionally omits Him?
The typical government-educated student believes what he is told, without questioning it. Non-thinkers are crucial for a socialistic society, the very society the "progressives" (socialists) wish to produce. They are succeeding. The truth be told, they are very pleased with the results they are seeing. They are not in the least bit concerned with statistics that repeatedly confirm that the level of education is dropping or that test scores continue to fall accordingly. What they are really trying to accomplish--indoctrination and socialization--they are succeeding at beautifully.
Our homeschooled children know true science, not the "science falsely so-called" which leads to error (1 Timothy 6:20-21). Have you ever considered that evolution is not even scientifically a "theory?" It cannot be repeated and is not testable. It is truly only a hypothesis. (You would think that evolution-supporting "scientists" and teachers would be familiar with the "Scientific Method!")
With knowledge of the truth, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I am anticipating the day that the homeschooled generation begins to converge on Washington and take our nation back for the Lord. We are beginning to see the first fruits of this in the recent election of homeschooled students to various state political offices. It is the beginning of what I anticipate seeing much more of, in the years to come. I believe that God is up to something. I am amazed and encouraged that God is leading a very large number of home educated young men, from all over the nation, to be "Statesmen."
We, as homeschooling parents, need to make sure our children understand what one man can do to affect the culture. To bring this point home, it shouldn't be very difficult to see what "change" one man elected to our highest office can manage to bring about in a very short time.
We need to make sure our children are ready to step up to the plate and swing with all of their might. It is very important that they understand that they can, indeed, change the world. If we set the bar too low, they will reach it, but what a loss to our country that will be.
I challenge you to take inventory of what you are doing that will prepare your teen to change the world. Do they have character issues that need to be addressed? Are they approachable, and a joy to be around? Do they speak well? Do they know many things about many topics? (The best way to accomplish this is to have them read good books about a wide variety of subjects. Find a "living" book about World History, American History, the Sciences, etc. A living book is one written by a single author who is passionate about a particular subject. It is written in vivid language that keeps you engaged and makes you want to recommend the book to others.)
Don't bore your kids to death with stale textbooks. If learning is not exciting to them, you need to consider what (and if) real learning is taking place. Are they learning just to be tested? The government schools are doing this ("teaching to a test"). Is that even ethical? If our children learn something just because it is on the "scope and sequence," or on the test, they most likely won't remember it and certainly won't be motivated to learn. Do you remember anything you were forced to learn in school? It seems that too often we worry about what they might "miss" if we make a detour from the "typical" high school education. Look around you and see what "typical" is producing. We have the time, not to mention the responsibility, to do much better than just "typical."
Ask God to give you a glimpse of what His plan is for your children's lives, especially during the early teen years. Then, once you understand what God is planning, mold your curriculum and extra curricular activities to complement this plan. Will they need to speak in front of people? Then get them involved with a speech and debate club. NCFCA and Toastmasters are two such organizations. If they are afraid to speak in front of people, they never will. How can they impact the world if they are scared to speak? If they feel like God wants them to be a journalist, have them read the writings of the best authors. (Reading the classics will benefit them greatly.) They will pick up accurate and excellent writing skills just by being immersed in them.
If God is leading your child into politics, begin having him read the writings of our Founding Fathers and the Constitution. Have him attend a TeenPact Leadership Schools State Class at your state capitol. If Law School is in the plan, make sure that he attends one of the very few law schools in this country that actually studies the Constitution and not "case law." Since most law terms are in Latin, it would be an excellent help to include Latin in his curriculum. There are programs, like Wheelock's Latin, that can be learned in a summer by an eager high school student. They will thank you. A byproduct is that they will be able to figure out almost every word they ever hear, since most of our English words have Latin roots. That is why Latin used to be taught in schools. This, of course, was unprofitable for producing a "dumbed-down" society that embraces socialism. Thus the reason it went by the wayside.
I think many homeschooling parents are doing what I was doing when I first began the journey. I just wanted my children to be smart, get a good ACT score and get into a good college. I have since realized that it is imperative that I train and prepare my children, not only for 4 years of college, but for the rest of their lives. I was much too short-sighted. Isn't that the ploy of our enemy? Satan would love for us to get distracted with grades, scores and college admittance (the temporal) and not be honing in on what is most important (eternal).
If our students are to "catch the fire," we need to begin igniting them. Then we need to fan the flames. A good book for them to read is Do Hard Things, by Alex and Brett Harris. Pray for your children. Pray with them. When they hear you say that you expect them to change the world enough times, they will begin to believe they can. Nothing is impossible with God.
Have a funeral for "I Can't." We did this when our children were younger. We buried a slip of paper with the words "I Can't" written on it, in a small cardboard box with a lid. I used some "funeral lingo" to make it a fun and lasting experience. The funny thing is that they actually tried to dig it up a short time later and it was GONE! They didn't even tell me that until years later, but it really affected them.
Teach your children that they are here for a purpose, that they are among the "few" that are homeschooled, and that it was God's plan that they be so. Encourage them to really contemplate what that means. Maybe we are re-writing the history of our nation and we aren't even aware of it. Maybe the next generation will read about the part homeschoolers played in turning the nation back to the principles of the Founding Fathers. With God, all things are possible!
Christy Hooper has been a homeschool mom for 14 years. She is dedicated to equipping and encouraging homeschoolers everywhere to "homeschool without compromising." You can visit her blog at: http://www.homeschoolwithoutcompromising.tumblr.com
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