Prairie Spirit Home Educators

Bats and Homeschooling

My boys and I are planning to build a bat-house to be ready for spring. It will be a school project as well as something to meet a practical need. We need to get rid of all those pesky mosquitos!

I was just thinking about our "build a bat-house" project and how many people I've mentioned it to have had that, "Why would you want to do that" response. I can't blame them, bats don't have a great public image.

It's funny how many people had that same reaction when we announced we were going to homeschool! Many still have that reaction, especially when they hear that I plan to continue through high school. Naturally, my reason for wanting to attract bats to our yard is not that I find them all that cute & cuddly, but rather they are an excellent, earth-friendly method of bug control. It is also a cool project for boys!

Sure, buying one of those propane bug trappers or spraying the yard with some chemical might be easier and certainly considered a little less strange.... I'm starting to see a lot of Bat/Homeschool parallels here!

Actually, I think I can really identify with those little misunderstood bats. Most people have never studied about or had an encounter with bats, yet they assume that they are carriers of rabies, get caught in your hair, invade your house and suck your blood. There are an awful lot of untrue myths and assumptions about home schooling too. Bats are a natural and very effective way of dealing with mosquitos. Homeschooling is also a natural and highly effective way to educate children. God thought of bats long before there were commercial sprays and bug-zappers - do you see the analogy? Parents taught their children at home long before public and private schools existed.

Sometimes I want to make people understand what homeschooling is all about and that it is not what they often think it is. I want them to see how beneficial and positive it really is. However, I realize that it is not my job to convince them. I need to follow the example of the bat! The bat doesn't care what people think or say about him. He doesn't get discouraged by peoples' preconceived notions or lack of enthusiasm or support of his efforts. He doesn't feel the need to explain his actions or justify his methods. The bat just keeps being a bat, doing what he was created to do. When we are successful at attracting bats to our yard to eat up all those mosquitos and other bugs, the results will speak for themselves.

As we educate our boys at home, we see the benefits and are excited to be on the path that God has for us. When we have finished our course, and along the way on this homeschooling journey, I pray that the results will also speak for themselves, and that the fruit of our decision and the effort we have put in will be very obvious.

Author: Teena Ens

For more information about bats and bat houses, check out Bat World