Options and Choices
By: S. McBroom
People make many choices in their lives every day. These choices range from what college to attend to whether or not to get married or have kids. If a couple chooses to have kids, then they must decide how to educate them. Having options available to us does not mean that the ones not chosen are any less valuable. They just may not be the right ones for that person or family. For instance, I may choose to go to a certain college. This does not mean that the others are not good or even exemplary. It just means that they may not be the best fit for me at the moment.
The definition of choice is “the best or the most preferable”. An option is “a privilege of choosing as granted by the authority which usually makes that choice”. (Webster, 1959) There has been a lot of talk in recent years about school choice and how it competes with local districts. While monetarily, this may be so, nowhere in the above definitions does the word competition or any of its derivatives appear. School choice is just that, a choice. Competition is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, competition can make another situation better. If local districts are afraid of a little “competition” then maybe they know that they have work to do to make their situation better.
We have chosen to home school our daughters for many reasons. Our choice had nothing to do with this particular district. It has to do with a system that as it is now, does not work. We can provide nurture and education to our children in ways that a public system cannot. We have worked hard to socialize our children and integrate them into the community and I believe we have been successful. Their years in public school were good for them and I would not take them back, but I believe that we have come to a point in their lives where we are the ones that can make a difference in their lives academically and socially. As our children begin to think about leaving home, I believe that they have had a sound education and they can stand on their own two feet. They do not need their peers to make decisions for them and they will not cave into the pressure of the world around them when they leave our home and begin their life adventures. We have a very close family relationship and those relationships and values that we have instilled in them will stand the test of time as well as distance.
Our choice was in no way meant to be a competition. It was meant to give our children a balanced education while nurturing them in the Love and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have succeeded in doing this, I don’t believe that our choice created a problem for us or for anyone else.
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