The cons of Christian homeschooling are no different from any other type of homeschooling: limited exposure, lack of breadth and little, if any, social assimilation. Part of schooling-either public or private-is the students' access to a vast array of knowledge, points of view and opinions, many of which can drastically question or simply contradict their own. This is not a bad thing. It sets children up to be critical thinkers, to question what they are told, and to examine closely their own preconceptions, as well as those of others.
It is virtually impossible for homeschooling parents to provide the same expertise as that of an entire faculty of well qualified teachers. This is not an attack on those parents who decide homeschooling is the best option for their children; some may be perfectly capable teachers and mentors. However, unless the parents can devote as much time as a teacher does (including preparation, information gathering, etc.) as well as hold down a full-time job, there just isn't enough time in the day. Christian homeschooling has the unique disadvantage of adding a spiritual aspect to the curriculum, one which is not present in public schooling.
- The Social Aspect
Children can be cruel. They can be vicious. They can be mean spirited, black-hearted little people. So can adults, but in much more heinous and despicable ways. It's the social armor we build as children that allows us to carry on in the adult world where "playing fair" doesn't exist. Homeschooled children are forced to build this armor vicariously, through reading, television, or thought experiments, rather than first-hand experience. As we all know, there is no substitute for experience. That is not to say that homeschooled children are completely antisocial; such a claim would be ridiculous. However, while some might say that shielding children from all this pain and suffering is best for them, in reality it leaves them unprepared for when they are unknowingly thrust into a situation where thick skin is not only an advantage, but a requisite. Remember, there is no law banning, shall we say, "unpleasant" people.
- Breadth of Knowledge
As I mentioned earlier, unless a parent has the time to peruse the myriad of sources a licensed teacher must master, they simply will not have the ability to expose their children to enough material as to be unbiased and equitable. Textbooks are available for different "courses" for homeschooling parents, yes, but many teachers go well beyond the textbook when in the classroom. Using the internet as a source, which is becoming more and more prevalent from elementary school all the way to college, is not the most reliable of methods. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Wikipedia is not 100% accurate and balanced. The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry is a good beginning for teaching children about poetry in the 20th century, but it is far from definitive and a far cry from canon. Granted, the quadratic formula doesn't change, but methods of delivering it do, and so do theories of student learning as researchers learn more and more about how we learn. So, not only would the parents have to be abreast of content changes, but also up to date on the most effective educational theory, for what parent doesn't want not just the best education for their children, but the most effective method of delivery?
- Limited Exposure
Here is where we come to the Christian aspect of Christian homeschooling. Christian education is, by its very nature, limited in scope. It concerns itself with teaching content that harmonizes and coincides with its Biblical vein. Unfortunately, the "Christian" aspect tends to trump the "school" aspect of Christian homeschooling. If scientific theories-hypothesized, tested and examined in peer reviewed journals by dedicated and honest scientists-fly in the face of or otherwise disagree with the basic tenets of Christianity, they are either downplayed or outright denied. To say to a child that dinosaurs and humans walked side-by-side in peace is both an egregious affront to science and an insult to the intellect of the child. If our desire is to create critical thinkers able to cope with an ever-changing, confusing and outright uncomfortable world, we must give them the tools with which to make informed, rational observations and decisions.
How can a parent tell his or her homeschooled child that some of what science teaches us is correct, but some is not, when all that is scientific is held to the same rigorous standards? Imagine the following conversation:
Child: "How far away is the sun?"
Parent: "About 93 million miles away."
Child: "How do we know that? Did someone measure it?"
Parent: "No, it's too far for us to measure. Some scientists called astronomers figured it out."
Child: "Well, how old is the earth?"
Parent: "About six thousand years old."
Child: "But, this book says it's four and a half billion years old. Didn't scientists figure that out, too?"
Parent: "Yes, but they're wrong."
Child: "Then why aren't the astronomers wrong, too?"
It is irresponsible for parents to tell children that honestly-discovered scientific facts are false simply because adherence to tradition tells them otherwise. Christian homeschooling parents are thus forced to walk a very thin line between propagating their faith to the next generation and not feeding their children downright lies.
A vast array of research has shown that as education levels rise, levels of religiosity diminish. Interestingly, levels of empathy are positively correlated to a symbolic nature of belief, whereas they are negatively correlated to a literal nature of belief. That is, if Christian homeschooling is going to take place, it's beneficial for the children not to be instructed to believe in literal Biblical truths, but rather to explore the symbolism of Biblical stories and teachings.
In short, homeschooling is a difficult thing to pull of successfully; Christian homeschooling, doubly so. While it's perfectly acceptable for parents to home school their children, it is important that parents who also wish to teach their children about the Christian faith do so in a responsible, honest manner. To do otherwise is to effectively douse the educational fire that is critical thought, thereby leaving their children unprepared at best, and uneducated at worst.