A witness in school?

I stumbled upon this blog today and I found an interesting article that argues the idea of children being a witness in a public school. I agreed with this article wholeheartedly. It is ONE reason we homeschool our children. Years ago I was confronted with push to put my kids in public school to be a witness. People can really make you feel like you are too sheltering, too controlling or worse not allowing them to witness for Jesus. But the truth is, and my great deep thought analogy..is how can the branches be stronger than the tree? They can't! Until my children are on their own..they are branches given to me to mold and tend to. Someday they will be a tree and they will have to stand up for their beliefs. BUT to expect children in a public school setting to stand for whats right? I wont go around trying to pretend I have "SUPER Christians" for children we all want to fit in and be liked. . children that stand on their own unashamedly. No..like most people they tend to want to blend in with their surroundings. Maybe not to the extreeme of what is going on..but I think of me in situations. I know for me..sometimes I wont say anything to people. I prejudge their responses or I am afraid of what they will say or think? I know I am supposed to be better than that but I am not.
The saying: "Good apples don't make the rotten apples good, but the good apples rotten." is very true. I am sure you can think of kids in school who would goof off in class and act up and everyone would laugh. How most of the popular kids in school were also the meanest? Everyone wants to be liked and accepted. EVEN as grown up adults. How much more would a child want that?

As a Christian I have a hard enough time witnessing and standing up for the Lord, how much more harder I would think it would be for a child to do the same.

Like a storm that breaks off the weak and the strong branches at the same time I don't want my children to face the storms until their faith in God is firm. How easily it is for children to be tossed to and fro, for their ideals to be changed and manipulated by the wolves of the world. I am NOT sorry to keep my children home away from all of that. I don't care if I am sheltering them. SOME DAY they will be out in the world on their own and will have plenty of years (LORD WILLING) to rage their faith against the storms of this world.

Ok I didn't really mean to ramble on. I guess I have sort of knack for that! HA