Amy Nyhuis

Date Added: Friday, June 20th, 2003

I come from a very unique background, in that I attended a public school and went on to college at a private school. I was fortunate and I truly enjoyed my time at my Public School. I grew up in a Christian family, which had grounded me with beliefs and morals, so when tough decisions came, I was not afraid to stand up for what I believed in, both in social settings and in the classroom.

I remember at a young age my parents asking me what I learned in school, and if there was anything they disagreed with they let me know. We talked through things and it was easy for me to see things for what they were. By the time I was in high school, I encountered liberal teachers who were presenting fallacies as facts, yet I was able to speak out in group discussions and offer an alternative view point that most of my classmates never would have thought of on their own.

I think public schools offer a variety of accelerated learning opportunities and if you’re aware of them, you can truly get the most out of your education. Since I was the oldest and the first to go through the school system, I was able to advise my younger sister as to what classes to get involved in, in order to make the most of her situation. She took 5 years of Spanish and went all the way through AP Calculus One and Two, and she was even able to take several classes at Western Michigan University as a Senior in High School and have the state pay for it, because she had exceeded all the educational opportunities they offered her. She graduated first in her class and scored well above her average on the ACT.

Now let’s take a closer look at Home schooling. If you had asked me just a couple of years ago if I thought home schooling was a good idea, I probably would have chuckled and said, no. All ten of the home schoolers I had met in my lifetime, were how shall I say.. a little socially out there.

This is the stereo type that my friends and I had in our minds even through most of college. I remember one of my dear friends in college who I considered very socially together and spunky to say the least confessed that she had been homeschooled for several years. I was in shock. NO! I gasped when she told me. But you’re ... soo normal.

Since that conversation, I’ve been able to witness homeschooling in action, right here in Northern Virginia. My boss has been homeschooling her son for the last two years at the same time as she maintains her business and runs many other projects as well. He has made an amazing transformation from a quiet and shy ten year old to a bold and confident 12 year old who is not afraid to share his opinion in a given social situation. It was the exact opposite effect that I had anticipated. He actually became more social through the process of homeschooling. They have had him take many standardized tests, not because the state requires it, but because they want to make sure that he is where he needs to be educationally. He has excelled on every test, scoring well above the average. Not only has he improved in his education, but has also matured so much through the opportunities that homeschooling has provided. He has traveled all around the world meeting people from diverse backgrounds. He has also been involved in a homeschool network, allowing him to meet and interact with other kids his age. He has truly developed in both educational and social skills through the entire homeschooling experience.

You see, I agree that many public schools have become very humanistic in their viewpoint. That is a result of driving God out of public schools 40 years ago. Worse, they tend to impose their thinking on children. And I agree that some homeschoolers lack social skills if they do not get involved with other kids their age.
However, as you’ve seen in both of these examples that is not always the case.

As a product of the public school system, I know it is possible to graduate with a monolithic worldview and yes, gasp, be conservative and still succeed. My brother and sister and I are living proof of that. And I know after having witnessed it, that there are in fact many homeschoolers who are both socially and educationally ahead of the game.

The key with both of these situations is "The Parents." It is parents, not schools, who are ultimately responsible for shaping and molding these impressionable minds. Sadly the public school system as a whole does not adequately teach children the way I would like my taxpayer dollars to do. But don’t think for a second, that all public school kids are uneducated and brainwashed, simply because they are a product of the public school system.

Parents need to play an active role in their child’s education, whether in a public, private or homeschool setting. Parents have their children for 18 years.

Those parents who shape and mold values and morals and character into their children will see them succeed, regardless of their educational background.