Am I Qualified To Teach My Children?
by Cindy Short and Sue Welch, co-editors
Taken from Newsletter #375
www.teachinghome.com
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7
You have the most direct and long-term responsibility for your children before God, who commands parents to teach their children His Word, the most important thing they will learn.
Parental and Tutorial Advantages
You know your children better than anyone else and have the deepest love and concern for them.
You do not need to know everything in order to teach. Your example and enthusiasm in learning with your children will motivate and encourage them.
Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, says:
“The tutorial method of teaching has always been the superior method. Home education epitomizes this method, providing essentials for success – a close student/teacher relationship, family-consistent values, motivation, flexibility, and individualization.”
Research Findings
Dr. Ray has listed the following findings in regards to the academic performance of home school students:
• Home-educated students typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.
• Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.
• Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers, is not related to their children’s academic achievement.
• Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.
• Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.
Read the complete Research Facts on Homeschooling online.
National Home Education Research Institute
Dr. Brian Ray founded NHERI in 1990 and has compiled statistics from his own and others’ research that has been used in court cases and legislatures worldwide to promote and defend homeschooling.
Check out the NHERI website at www.nheri.org to see more information, sign up for their mailing list, order NHERI products, and make a tax-deductible donation.
