I’ve been reading a book called Write These Laws on Your Children: Inside the World of Conservative Christian Homeschooling (Beacon Press, August, 2009) by Robert Kunzman. The book is a look at six Christian families and how they homeschool their children. Not every family fits the stereotype I know I have in my mind. Some are impressive; others leave much to be desired.
In the following passage, the author asks one father about the isolation his children face at home. How can they be “salt and light to the world” if they’re not mixing with other children on a regular basis? The father responds:
Roger pauses for a moment as he considers his response. “If the public school was a neutral ground,” he says, “I could agree with it. But public schools are not a neutral ground; public school is the enemy.”
“So the deck is too stacked?”
“The deck is absolutely stacked,” he says with conviction. “I mean, me sending my kid there is like them sending their kid to me. Do you think they’d be willing to do that? I don’t think so. The public education system, in general, is teaching exactly the opposite of what I believe. And they expect me to put my kid into their hands for the better part of every day? How silly. Now they start sending their kids to me—”
I chuckle at the offer… (p. 154)