More than 20 years ago, when my husband and I set about our commanded duties to replenish the earth, we were soon faced with a crop of adorable children and a big decision—where now to educate them? The choices seemed bleak.

Public schools were out for us. We had both seen firsthand the violence and bullying at our public schools—ones that also failed to make the grade educationally. We wanted something better for our children.

Private schools were a somewhat better option. However, private school fees did not fit with our decision for me to be a stay-at-home mom. Also, as a private school graduate, I was painfully aware that private schools offered their own set of social challenges.

So we began to look at the newly emerging option of homeschooling. At first, the idea filled me with trepidation. Who was I to think that I would be able to teach my kids all they needed to know? Though I had attended college, I did not have an education degree. However, we agreed to try it for one year.

That was 17 years ago. What I discovered astonished me. Not only was it far easier to teach my children than I realized, but it was a fulfilling, enjoyable experience to watch my child’s mind bloom under my own nurturing. The children’s test scores soon indicated that they were thriving, so we continued the adventure.

Our homeschooling experience is hardly unique. In the past 20 years, the concept of homeschooling has taken hold in this nation. In the mid-1980s, when we began to homeschool, educational researchers estimated that that fewer than 50,000 children were being homeschooled in the US. Now, 20 years later, the Department of Education estimates that more than 1.1 million children are being educated at home. Because of varying state laws and definitions of homeschooled students, other researchers put the current figures at closer to 2 million. According to that statistic, almost 1 in every 25 school-aged children in the US is now being taught at home.

As the growing ranks of homeschooling families can attest, home education has many distinct advantages. Mounting evidence indicates that homeschooled children are often better rounded educationally, socially, and spiritually than their counterparts who learn in more traditional settings. However, there is a great deal to consider before you choose this option. We will explore these advantages as well as the challenges that face those who decide to homeschool.

Educational Advantages
Research from almost every source now confirms that homeschooled children score significantly higher on nationally standardized achievement tests than children in public schools. What is even more surprising is that they score significantly higher than the more expensive private schools as well. In fact, research by Lawrence Rudner in the Education Policy Analysis Archives concludes that by eighth grade, homeschooled students are four years ahead of students in traditional schools.

Educational officials defend these disquieting results by pointing out that homeschooled students possess significant advantages, such as stable home situations; supportive, involved parents; flexibility in the choice of curriculum; and individual attention for the student. It is not fair, they say, to compare the results of homeschooled students and those taught in classrooms where the needs of many children from a wide range of academic and family backgrounds have to be considered.

All that is true. Teachers have a tough job in the classroom, and they deserve our respect for what they are trying to accomplish. However, if you are one of those who are willing and able to devote time and resources to your child’s education, it is comforting to know that homeschooling is proven to produce excellent educational results. The very statistical advantages that the educators cite for homeschooling families are the reasons it is so successful.

Social Advantages
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, concern over the social environment in public schools was cited as the number one reason parents homeschooled. Yet one of the biggest questions that most homeschooling parents hear is the ever-present cry, “What about socialization? Won’t your child become a warped human being if he is sheltered from his peer group day after day?”

However, psychological research has now proven that the opposite is true. Nationwide research by Dr. John Taylor revealed that homeschooled students generally scored significantly higher in all areas of the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. Another independent study, the Galloway-Sutton Study performed in 1997, indicated that homeschooled students excelled their traditionally schooled counterparts in measures of four success indicators (academic, cognitive, spiritual, and affective-social). Only in the area of psychomotor (physical) skills did they fall behind.

Though homeschooled students may sometimes have less exposure to their peer group than other children, they do spend more time with their families, which tend to be significantly larger than the norm. Homeschooling fosters the sort of bonds that were originally intended as the social basis for all humans: the family unit. Ultimately, it is this type of socialization that will help them weather the storms of life.

Spiritual Advantages
According to NCES, the second most cited reason (30%) for homeschooling was the desire to provide religious or moral instruction to their children. Many Christian parents are turning to homeschooling as a way to shelter their children from the concepts of humanism and evolution that pervade the public school curriculum. Others are concerned about how the influences of the peer group will spiritually impact their children. Still others are concerned about the anti-God bias that is prevalent in many public schools. If God is not welcome, they say, neither is my child.

Parents are ultimately the ones God holds responsible for the education of the children whom He entrusts to them. This is not to say that parents cannot use schools, teachers, or tutors to help in the process; however, in the end, all of these things are merely tools that a parent can use to direct their children on God’s paths. If these educational tools begin to interfere with that goal, then parents are the ones who must look for other options. God gives children to parents, not to institutions. That gives us an awesome responsibility to consider our options as we mold these precious gifts from God.

Commitment Considerations
Although I am a veteran homeschooler, I am not a militant one. Homeschooling is not for everyone. It does involve a big commitment and requires spending a great quantity of time with one’s own offspring. It requires acceptance of the fact that your house will likely never be totally immaculate again. Homeschooling also requires sacrifices of personal time, dreams, and ambitions—or, perhaps, acceptance of new dreams and ambitions in their place.

Though you do have a lot of flexibility with homeschooling, you must always keep in mind that you must be educating your child on some level or he will not be taught at all. For some people, this is a responsibility that they are not yet mature enough to handle. For others, major health issues may interfere with the time and energy it takes. God can overcome even these situations, but they must be prayerfully considered.

Financial Considerations
Homeschooling a child means that, in most cases, one parent needs to be at home. This will mean a financial setback for many families—one that needs to be considered. You may need to move to a less expensive house, pay off debts, or reprioritize financial goals in order to accomplish this. Of course, as the children grow older, some homeschooling mothers do contribute financially, often through home-based or family businesses. According to the most recent US Census figures, 40 percent of homeschool moms work in some capacity in the labor force compared to 70 percent of mothers with school-aged children nationwide.

Homeschooling also involves financial sacrifices for curriculum and materials. According to the National Homeschool Education Research Institute, homeschool families spend an annual average of $450 per year, per child, to homeschool their children. However, some of this cost is offset by special clothing, transportation, and materials costs that the family would naturally incur if the child attended public schools. For most homeschooling families, the financial sacrifices are small in comparison to what they gain from the experience.

Relationship Considerations
Sadly, when I discuss homeschooling with people, I hear this response more than any other: “I would love to homeschool my child, but I can’t. He never listens to a word I say.”

It is true that homeschooling is much more efficient and enjoyable if you have a good relationship with your children, but this attitude is frightening. I always want to reply, “If your child never listens to a word you say, you have much bigger problems than education to worry about.” I also wonder how teachers are expected to teach a classroom of kids who are sent there because their own parents cannot control them. Some families find that homeschooling can help correct some of these broken relationships, but it can be a challenge.

Other moms want to homeschool but find that their husbands are violently opposed to the idea. Surely, it is better to submit to your husband in this matter than to endure the strife of strained marriage relationship. Homeschooling is challenging enough as it is without the added conflict of an unsupportive home environment. If a mom truly feels called to homeschool, she should provide her husband with information about homeschooling and pray that he will find God’s will for the family in this matter. Then she should follow his leading, whatever that leading is. Homeschooling can be a grand adventure, but it is one that should be carefully considered. For those who are led to accept the challenge, the rewards can be immeasurable.

Amelia Harper is the author of Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings, a complete one-year literature curriculum for secondary level students. She is also the Contributing Media Editor for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This article first appeared in LifeLine Journal, a Christian Women’s Magazine.