When One Sows Homeschooling, What is One Reaping?
The Torments of a Modest Secluded Farm Life ISBN:l-58721-806-2 is a book that has been put into screenplay format, that provides much insight for parents considering homeschooling. It is very important to consider the life long effects such a decision will have on the children, especially negatively. As a child who grew up in a similar situation, this is the true story of what will happen to such children if the proper precautions are not taken.
I was very much a child of the 50's. I attended a religious private school and was constantly under pressure from my strict parents that believed being " sheltered" from the world was the only way to live a pure and healthy life. I was repressed in everything that I did as I grew up in this environment. I was never exposed to any of the harsh realities that most modern children can see by just turning on a television set.
The day finally came, that I had to leave my hometown. I had to leave this blanket of comfort that, unbeknownst to me, was smothering all of my social development. I was married very young, still a child in mind and body, and I was thrown into the city and the hard tough world that I could not understand, nor could I cope with alone. I mentally became very tormented within myself as to what was right in the world-that caused me great fear of everyone around me. People were not as trusting as I was raised to believe and I found them to be of such cruelness; imagining that people were as they were left me feeling sick inside. I wanted to hide within my own shell away from everyone. How could I overcome the fears and learn to live in such a cruel world when I was raised so sheltered? Were my parents were setting me up for a life of mental therapy? Take a good hard look at the long-term affects and consider the ramifications. Will such children be able to handle conflicts in an adult relationship if they never handled them in child play when they leave their sheltered environment?
If you are considering such schooling or are just interested, please, read it and consider the consequences. I am genuinely interested in making a difference and protecting others from my experiences; I feel that through this book and screenplay I am provided with a great opportunity to do so.
How can home and private schooled children be better prepared for the world they will enter in 18 short years?
The children placed in these situations have many various reasons. Some parents place their children in these situations to keep them away from other children who may be bad influences on them-drugs, sex, violence. For many others religion plays a role; public schools really shame religion in many ways. You can't walk fifty feet in a public high school without hearing the Lord's name taken in vain and at least five swears, possibly used by one person in one sentence that would be significantly shorter if the words were omitted. Also any thing you may not take part in or approve of on moral grounds can make you plenty of enemies-you can offend someone simply by telling her that you don't think moving in with her boyfriend would be in her best interest especially considering the circumstances of then- relationship. This can make highschool an especially trying time for children with morals. These are very good reasons and I support parents who believe this is a significant reason for removing their children from such an environment, that is, if they properly perform the duties they will have following this removal.
Many children who attend private schools or who are home schooled face a harsh reality when they step out alone into the world we take for granted knowing before we're swept into it. These children don't know half of the terms commonly used in public schools; these words include ghetto, pimp, and rape. At first you may think these words would serve no purpose in a moral child's life. You're right, except what happens if they eventually live in a place where people tell them to stay out of the ghetto and to avoid pimps because they might get raped? They also hardly interact with people they aren't familiar with. What will happen to them when they have to get jobs and deal with people, sometimes upset people? They will lack the social skills necessary to do the job and not go home crying at night. This is just setting the children up for failure.
You may ask, how do I know this? Why do I care so much about making a difference? That's because this is the story of my life. I was enrolled in a Catholic school, married young, and because of my husband's job, was placed in an environment I was completely nieve to. I know how it feels and how much of an affect it has on the emotional and physical well being of a young adult. I support a parent wanting a child to be moral, but not hindering them in life for this purpose. Some integration into society must take place in order for a child to enter into society properly. This can happen many ways including sports, jobs/volunteer work, and music programs. However small, it is necessary for a child's well being and this is the point I make in my book The Torments of the Modest, Secluded Farm Life (ISBN: 1-58721-806-2) and my screenplay Broken Souls. If you are considering such schooling or are just interested, please, read it and consider the ramifications.