Graduated from Homeschool:Now What?

If you have any familiarity with my blog, than you know that I have strong convictions against traditional schooling for children, and that I believe that they belong at home being taught by their parents. But what about the issue of higher education upon graduation from high school? That is the topic that I will address today.

There have been many instances where home educated students have transferred to institutions of higher learning and met with great success. In fact, you can read a Washington Post article about this matter here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032101451.html?hpid=opinionsbox1 . I am pleased with these kinds of examples. They speak well to the long-term and steadfast success of homeschooling as an educational option. I am not sure however, that this scenario offers the best situation for our children, and I will explain why.

As it is written in Gary North’s  article “The Dorm Key Ritual”,
“I’m not going to contribute one dime to send my child into that moral cesspool. That place is a recruiting ground for atheists, feminists, Marxists, and envy-driven anti-capitalists. I refuse to put child under their authority. That place is a meat-grinder.”

As homeschoolers we spend years protecting our children from evil influences and moral relativism by keeping them at home. We pour our heart and soul into teaching them the Word of God and life-affirming values. Is college _really_ worth throwing all of that away?  I urge you to read the rest of  “The Dorm Key Ritual”. You can find it in it’s entirety here:
http://www.visionforumministries.org/issues/education/the_dorm_key_ritual.aspx .

Now, it is indisputable that some jobs and careers require training and a college degree. So clearly higher education cannot be dismissed entirely, particularly for our young men who desire to provide for their families or future families as doctors, lawyers, and the like. Our society needs Christian leaders in these fields and many others. I simply propose that better alternatives are available. To quote Gary North,

” There are a lot of things you can do. The problem is, most parents don’t perceive the existence of these highly practical options, and among the few parents who do, most do not have the strength to persuade their college-bound children to implement any of them. The peer pressure is just too great. I don’t mean peer pressure on the students. I mean the peer pressure on the parents.”

Here is a commentary written by Doug Phillips of Vision Forum Ministries discussing a better option for higher education. This article can be found here: http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/2007/10/3021.aspx .

College Plus: An Important, Cost-Effective Higher Education Option for Christians
There are many reasons why parents and students today are considering a new paradigm of higher education for their sons and daughters: For some, the cost of brick and mortar college is prohibitive; others point to the fact that an increasing number of college students are woefully undereducated and unmarketable even after four years of the university classroom; some observe that the college culture is a cesspool of immorality that leaves few unscathed; there are many who recognize the religious nature of higher education, and object to any pursuit of knowledge and truth which requires Christians to drink deeply from the font of wisdom provided by atheistic, evolutionist, humanistic, or even compromising Christian professors; still others aspire to achieve the benefits of higher education by using a model of training that incorporates biblical principles of mentorship, accountability, and presuppositionally biblical education—one which does not divorce the student from the family, the church, or real-life responsibilities, and which allows him to cultivate real-life business and training experiences, and to more carefully tailor his education to practical and spiritual objectives.

In one sense, the present educational crisis is a gift of the Lord. It has forced Christians to go back to the drawing board and reconsider their very philosophy and methodology of higher education in light of biblical priorities and principles. Crisis has forced the question. Now the door is open for true reformation.
One of the organizations that is stepping up to the plate to equip reformation-minded parents is College Plus! To my mind, they offer one of the most effective higher education alternatives in the nation. Students enrolled with College Plus! have the benefit of earning a college degree for less money, in less time, and with tremendous flexibility. In fact, College Plus! students benefit from an individualized, mentor-directed approach to education reminiscent of the approach used at the time of America’s Founding—one which produced the most literate and educated generation in the history of this nation.

In describing their own goals and objectives, the team at College Plus! explains the following benefits of their program:

Perspective: College Plus! takes a decidedly different approach from traditional colleges to obtaining a degree in that they see it as a means to an end, and not an end in itself. They see a degree as a powerful tool that can and should be used for God’s glory through all of life, not just in the pursuit of a career.

Family Influence: Since these studies are completed nearly 100% at home, the major influence is within the context of the home and family. As topics are studied and tests prepared for, the student has the opportunity to discuss material with their parents and their College Plus! coach.

Mentor Influence: Our Founding Fathers’ education was normally in the context of individualized mentoring and apprenticeship. Through College Plus!, your student has access to a personalized degree program and a coach who will assist them and their parents through every step.

Time: It is well within the realm of possibility to obtain a regionally accredited Bachelor’s degree (the highest accreditation level attainable in the US) in two years or less. Many students even complete their entire degree before graduating from high school. With the two years that their peers are still spending in school, a student who takes this route can gain valuable workplace experience through internships.

Cost: Utilizing distance learning methods and credit-by-exam techniques, College Plus! puts the total cost of a college degree at typically less than $15,000 with few exceptions.

Not everyone needs a college degree. But for any and all who would be benefited by obtaining a degree, College Plus! should be carefully considered. I am very grateful for the hardworking and principled team at College Plus! and am pleased to recommend them and their important service for your consideration. The leaders behind College Plus! are not only Christians of great character, but they have established a program with a proven track record for success that allows Christian students the most flexible, cost-effective approach to earning a degree on the market today.

For more information about College Plus! contact here:  CollegePlus! 830.885.5432 or  http://www.collegeplus.org/

Of course there are other options for young adults upon graduation from high school rather than college. For instance, young men can learn a trade by training under someone at an internship to develop livelihood potentials. Also, young ladies should remain in the home to continue preparing to be a keeper-at-home for their future husband. But I wanted to be sure to let people know that the status quo is not always what is best or what we have to do. We are not sheep after all, we are people. Children of the living God.