"There is no neutrality in education."
I seem to be posting a lot of rather controversial stuff recently. I guess I tend to be good at that. Maybe it's my preggo hormones...At any rate, I couldn't help but also link to this post on education by KimC. Before you pick up the rotten tomatoes to throw, please read the post and ponder it in light of Scripture.
I think I have to copy and paste almost the whole thing here because, well, it was just that good:
To put it simply, we believe that God has entrusted these children of His to our care, with a charge to train them up in the way they should go (Prov 22:6), to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4), to speak of Him with and to our children when we rise up and lie down, in the house and out, through every part of our days and our lives (Deut 6:4-9). We can't do this if we send them away for 8-10 hours/day.
There are other issues at work as well: the inherent corruption of the government school system is a big one. The system was conceived upon the tenets of Marxism and Darwinism, is paid for by theft, openly indoctrinates children into secular humanism and all the abominations that flow from it.
I would love to hear about the "negatives" of homeschooling. I think that many of the standard objections are based upon the false presupposition that institutionalized schooling is a good thing and homeschoolers ought to try to duplicate it in their homes. These people miss the point: we are not trying to do school like they do, but better. We are educating our children in an entirely different way because we have entirely different goals.
If you are not a Christian then this post was not written for you. The commands God laid on His people to raise their children in His fear have no hold on you.
If you are a Christian and you were hoppin' mad by the time you finished reading this post then I'm glad you are here. I am not pointing my finger at you, yelling that you and your kids are all going to hell. But I do want you to stop and think - again - about your decision to let your children spend their early years in a godless institution. Would you send your children to a Muslim school just because some of the teachers were professing Christians? There is a preponderance of evidence available to prove that the modern public school system in America is firmly grounded in the religion of secular humanism. Why is that any better?
Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me." There is no neutrality in education. Textbooks publishers are not neutral. Educational methods are not neutral.
There is a right and a wrong in this issue. We must use the Bible to judge between right and wrong, and we must act in clear conscience (Rom 14:5). Each of us will answer to God for our decisions (Rom 14:12). You will stand before God and answer for the way you raised your kids. I will stand before God and answer for the way I raised mine.
This is my statement of what we sincerely believe the Scriptures to teach. If I am wrong I humbly invite you to demonstrate this from the Word of God.
Read the post in its entirety and the ensuing comments here.
Graphic from AllPosters.com
posted by Crystal Paine at 9:10 AM
31 Comments:
Thank you for sharing Kim’s blog with us Crystal. I needed the encouragement regarding home schooling today. We have a precious four year old daughter and my husband and I feel strongly that God has called us to home school. My husband graduated from a public high school and college, and I from a Christian school. However, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has called us to “train up our children” at home.
I have felt a lot of pressure recently from friends and others Christians who think our sweet Savannah should go to a “good pre-school”… I do believe however that each father and mother needs to seek the Lord regarding all areas of their children’s upbringing. With one of the most important being their education. There isn’t a cookie-cutter mold for raising godly little ones.
One question: what are some books that you believe are “must reads” for parents just beginning a home schooling journey? Thanks bunches!
Sheri: I think being a first-time homeschooler is a lot harder than a second-generationer. I feel like my parents paved the way for me and made it so much easier for me to dive into homeschooling myself. Think about what you're paving for your grandchildren!
As far as books, there are a lot and I'd love to hear from others on what your favorites are.
One of my personal favorites is Teaching the Trivium by the Bluedorns. Even if you are not at all interested in classical education, some of their beginning chapters giving a very seasoned and Biblical defense of home education for Christians are worth the price of the book and more.
I have a number of other books on home education I hope to read soon - in all my spare reading time. ;) too many great books, too little time!
What a great post!! Now that I'm a mother of two, I've been thinking alot about homeschooling. They are still young now, but my son is already picking up things so quickly...like numbers, letters, colors, shapes, etc. It's scary how impressionable they are even at a young age and sometimes it's a bit daunting to think of the great responsibility that we have been blessed with. Kudos to the writer of that post...it takes alot of faith to put it out there like it is. Not many people are willing to do that!
I am all for homeschooling and agree with her, but I do not get how the sentence being paid for by theft, fits here any more than our roads, the parks, and other things. It may be wrong for us to be taxed, but even by the bible, the roman government was just as bad if not worse about taxes and it addresses this very clearly. I know this is conterversial also, but I don't think that saying they are paid for by theft is a good way to convince our opposers! We use the roads, so we deserve to pay.
I completely agree Crystal! As a fellow second-generation homeschooler it is normal to homeschool :). Even negating the spiritual reasons (which are many!) it would seem so strange to send my children off to school every day :).
As for books, "Homeschooling: The Right Choice!" by Christopher Klicka is GREAT for giving you confidence in your desicion to homeschool. It will give you a lot of information to gently share with those who don't understand. "A Mom Just Like You" written by Vickie Farris with her daughter Jamie Farris Metzgar is always very encouraging when I need a litle boost :). "When You Rise Up" by R.C. Sproul Jr. is a really inspiring book and if you are looking for the nitty-gritty "how-to" book, "The Ultimate Guide To Homeschooling" by Debra Bell is really good. Of course the Bible, God's words to His people, will give you infinitely more strength and wisdom than all of these books combined so ground yourself in the Word :)! I could go on but these were some of the ones that I found were good enough to buy for my home library.
I loved Kim's post and completely agree! I bet she got some interesting comments from that one ;).
I loved being homeschooled (I only was for a short time, on hiatus from Christian school) but my parents had a very hard time being adequate teachers, since I was in junior high at the time and they weren't equipped to teach algebra or chemistry.
Is there a solution for this? Are there places for homeschooling students and parents where they have access to, say, a chemistry lab, or a Spanish teacher, or something along those lines while still homeschooling? Or do you think it's possible/preferable to keep one's education up enough to teach one's child high-school math when the time comes?
Heart of Wisdom also has some great books on teaching your own.
P.S. Crystal....send me your phone number!!! :-)
Kathryn: There are TONS of resources out there for homeschoolers - co-ops, private tutoring, online classes, video classes, you name it. You can also often opt to take one or two classes (such as chemistry, etc.) from a local Christian or private school. The possibilities out there are endless and the resources and helps are tremendous.
Although I DO think parents should seek to be well-read and well-educated in order to help stimulate and facilitate the best learning environments, they can also learn along with their child or provide additional support and outside help in certain areas whenever needed.
Kathryn, I'm copying and pasting below an answer I wrote last month on my blog to a similar question:
I would love to homeschool my children but I do not have teaching ability. My husband and I do not know how to teach academics. My math, reading, and science skills are limited. What do you advise parents who do not have good reading or academic skills? -Anonymous
Hi, Anonymous!
Honestly, though some people may disagree with me, I do not think you have to be academically brilliant or even above-average to homeschool. Contrary to what those in the education industry might proclaim, you don't need a teaching degree to teach. If you love your children and are willing to make the sacrifices of time and effort to teach them, I don't think you need to worry too much.
For one thing, homeschooling has advanced so much in the last ten or fifteen years. There is so much curricula, help, and support out there. If you are weak in a subject, there's plenty of resources available. For instance, Algebra was not my forte. I struggled through Algebra I and when I got to Algebra II, trying to work from a textbook and understand it was just too much. I wasn't learning it, I wasn't grasping the concepts, and my parents didn't remember enough to be able to tutor me in it nor did they have hours on end to spend in one-on-one teaching time. So, they purchased a video curriculum for me and that solved the problem! In addition to a myriad of courses available by video, there are also internet courses, private tutors, or homeschool co-op classes. No parent should feel intimidated by any subject with all the help that's available today!
Second of all, you can learn along with your children. I firmly believe that education shouldn't stop at the end of high school or college; education should be a lifelong pursuit. I love learning new things and am excited to homeschool in order to study and learn new things right along with my children! I think that next to the a love for the Lord, one of the greatest gifts my parents passed on to me was a love for learning.
Thirdly, you don't have to be an expert in a field for your children to excel in it. My parents were so good at giving us a strong foundation in the academic basics and then allowing us, as we got older, to pursue things we were especially interested in and gifted in. And they didn't just allow it, they strongly encouraged us in these endeavors.
My older sister has always been very musically talented. Realizing this, my parents paid for her music lessons for many years and then, when she was interested in writing and arranging music, they purchased a keyboard and computer program for her so she can further pursue this. She went on to teach piano to many students, get an undergrad degree in piano pedagodgy, a Master's in music from BJU, and has done a lot of composing, arranging, and orchestrating for three different music companies. She is currently serving with her husband in a Christian school in Taiwan and also working long distance writing, arranging, and orchestrating music for The WILDS. Neither of my parents knew anything about writing music, but by encouraging Brigette in her interests in this, countless lives have been impacted through her ministry in music.
It was the same with me - though my interests were much different. Writing music would be just about one of the last things I'd try to do, but I always loved writing, being entreprenurial, and anything to do with computers. My parents encouraged me greatly in these areas giving me my first computer when I was 15 and fully supporting my desire to publish a newsletter for young women. There is so much I learned in those early years that have enabled me and prepared me to be doing the things I do today. And those things would never be possible were it not for my parents early on encouraging me and pushing me along in developing my God-given interests. I could go on and on about things they did for me in this regard, and also talk about each one of my other siblings and how they did the same for them, but the point is that, although they didn't know a lot about these various areas of interest each of their children had - writing music, desktop publishing, flight training (my younger brother is a pilot and flight instructor, and in his last semester of his undergrad studies in aeronautical engineering), - by encouraging and supporting us in these endeavors, providing us with the lessons, tools, and resources that they could, we have each excelled.
However, I don't think that them just encouraging us or providing resources has been the reason we have excelled. I wholeheartedly believe it is the result of them putting our spiritual education above our academic education. Scripture says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." All the academic wisdom and knowledge of the world cannot compare with the Wisdom from Above. Laying a solid foundation of a love for the Lord and a Biblical worldview is the greatest gift you can pass on to your child. No academic training or equipping can compare. Impart the Word of God to your children, ground them in it, and teach them to love the Lord their God with all their hearts. Give them this gift and the gift of a love for learning and I doubt you will have many worries regarding their academic education. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."
Just a quick note from a former homeschooler. We felt strongly convicted to homeschool our oldest, then we have quite a gap and then the next 4. We never felt nearly as convicted about them. It was very hard when God started changing our path towards Christian school. I homeschooled the oldest through 5th grade. Now, however, God knew what was coming in my life and that thats what would be best for the children at this time in their lives as well as mine. I think we need to remember to follow the Lord's leading on this and not be more committed to a certain lifestyle or homeschooling rather than the Lord's leading. (I am NOT talking about giving up because of a few rough days.:)) I will say that one of the best things about Christian school (and nothing is perfect) is the godly men teaching middle and high school. My 8th grade son has 5 primary men teachers and I am grateful for the incredible godly influence they shine. They add so much to his father's example. This particular school is very aware of the feminization of society and boys are so encouraged to be manly according to God's vision of manhood.
Your anti-public school agenda is another shot at secular society which you want to elimnate. I'll speak out, I see the larger picture. I'm not a fundamentalist, so your motives and actions (by you and your kind) to force secular society and non-fundamentalists into a shamed repression, and to create a uniform fundmentalist nation, calls me to speak out. To you everything is right or wrong, to me this is your lack of critical thinking and a by-product of your liminted experience in the world.
Back to the larger point, fundamentalist, dominionist homeschooling is a bane on America and the results are your intolerant and very anti-human behavior. Dangerous to the country in every way. Especially for women. You have had a totally homogenous life and it shows in your propaganda pieces between recipes and scriptures. There is such a political agenda here. For one, as dominionists, you seek to eliminate public education anyway, so this article is just buttressing your aims, as usual. there's nothing spiritual about this. If you posted all the dominionist prejudices and dark aims without the softness of recipes and such, even the "ladies" here would think you were off your rocker. I fault them not, they're just not as educated or savvy about your political agenda and misuse of a religion.
I had just read Kim's article before I visited here! :)
I really enjoyed it. I like the "black-and-white" aspect of it, and I agreed with her 100%. For me, it's hard to find a gray area with homeschooling.
Martha Artyomenko,
There is a big difference between tax-funded roads and tax-funded public education. We all need and use roads--those who do not have children or who choose alternate forms of education for their children do not use the public education system. Roads and parks, by the way, are morally neutral. The secular humanism that is increasingly invading public schools is not. I don't think it's logical to compare the two.
Actually, Angie, you might want to re-read the post. Kim clearly says that it was written to Christians. I don't expect the secular world to believe or adhere to the standards set forth in Scripture because the Bible is not their guidebook. I pray for their salvation, but I cannot expect them to see the truths in God's Word unless God opens their eyes.
As an aside, as far as I know, I'm not a fundamentalist or a dominionist. I don't even know what the definition of those two terms might be. I always find it interesting when people label me as something and try to put words into my mouth.
If you stick around here long enough, you'll see that it's hard to stick me in a box. I defy labels. :) I seek instead to be a follower of Christ and to glorify Him with my life.
And by the way, there is no political agenda here. The only "agenda" I have per se is to glorify the Lord with my life and to encourage and build up women and to seek to encourage people to hold everything up to the light of Scripture.
If you don't like what you read here, you don't have to read here. It's that simple. No one is forcing anything upon anyone here, but I promise that as long as my husband continues to encourage me to blog and as long as the Lord provides time and strength, I will continue to share what I believe and to seek to build up and encourage women. I will not back down, I will not be deterred.
"Though none go with me, still I will follow... no turning back."
Now, back to the topic of homeschooling... :)
Of course the people who started to home school back in the 1980's and now there are the second generation of people doing it are ALWAYS to find reasons to homeschool -good for them.I have always admired those who did it whether for a year or all the way through high school.What I can't stand are those who belittle Christians who choose not to home school and it is those people that actually make the home school movement wierd snd people like me dislike them.
As a former public school teacher, I find this debate very interesting. I often felt that being a Christian in a public school was one way to shine God's light into a very dark place. While we haven't made a decision about schooling for our child, I believe that part of my responsibility in "training up my child" is to teach him to share the love of Christ with those who are lost and searching for something more meaningful than secular humanism. I believe that public schools give parents and children one opportunity to share God's love with others.
Hi, Beth!
You have to seek the Lord with your husband for your own family, but I did want to mention that I believe there are many opportunities to allow our children to be salt and light without subjecting them to the humanistic and godless propaganda being taught in public schools. In addition, until children are grounded in their own faith, I do not believe we should be sending them out as "evangelists."
My husband and I have discussed homeschooling in the past, and it seems to be the direction we'd like to go. However, that's after we pray about it and if we feel that's where God wants our children. This isn't black and white to me. They aren't just MY children, they belong to God first and foremost.
I don't believe that when a child goes to school for the day that he/she leaves her spiritual and moral values at the front door. I believe that child takes them with him wherever he goes. By the time that child starts school, ideally he/she would have an armor of faith. I certainly don't believe that Christian parents who have children in public/private schools love the Lord or strive to follow scripture any less than Christian homeschooling moms. I know both homeschooling and public schooling moms and honestly we're all just people living in this world, trying our best to live God's way.
Okay, I'm definately feeling the preggo hormones as well...can you tell? If we are following the Lord than He will make each of our paths straight, right? So why not agree on that and live at peace with one another, ya know.
Crystal-
This isn't exactly regarding homeschooling, but I've been meaning to leave you a little thank you note. When I first came across your website, I have to admit I was taken a little bit back and this was a whole new world to me. But you always encourage others to look at things through the light of scripture and even though it stung my pride, I took the challenge and found a new way to look at my role in the world as a female and as a Christian. I'm not married or a mother yet, but I have no doubt this recent instruction was the hand of the Lord. I thought my note would maybe be a little helpful, just in case you feel like you are only preaching to the choir or fending off attacks. God Bless You and your family! Jayne
I am a conservative Christian and a former public school teacher. I have no idea what this "secular humanist agenda" is that people like to say is being taught. I taught my subject: English. The math teachers taught math, the science teachers taught science, etc. I frequently hear homeschoolers say that public schools have this hidden agenda, but I have yet to see it.
I do realize that each teacher comes in with his or her own set of beliefs, but please remember that no religion can be taught. My students always knew that I was a Christian; I just couldn't teach them from the bible. If a teacher is a Wiccan or Hindu or Muslim, the same rule holds true.
The important thing to remember is that by law, no student has to participate in any assignment that the parents object to. If I was teaching a novel that a parent didn't like, by law I had to provide an alternate reading assignement. This holds true in all subjects. Parents and students have many rights within the public school system.
Now I will say that I believe education is a decision to be made by each set of parents for their children. If you truly believe you are called to homeschool, then I have no problem with that. The same with parents who choose to send their kids to public or private schools. I think it's a personal decision that no one else really has a right to question. You know what is best for your children.
I have no children, but I can honestly say that I'm not sure how I would educate them if I did have them. I think it really would depend on the schools in our area. Many schools are overcrowded, which is a huge problem. When I taught at the high school level, I had 35-36 students crammed in every class. That was just too many to give personal attention. And discipline is always a problem with that many students. But I've also taught at a school in which the classes were small and more intimate, and that is an environment in which many students thrive. I doubt I would want to homeschool for the sheer reason that I would want my kids to have access to teachers trained in their subjects and all the equipment necessary for all subjects (such as labs or sports teams or art classes). But whether or not my kids would go to private or public school, I just don't know.
There are many strong Christian kids in the public school system. If the parents have a good, solid relationship with their kids, then the kids behave and believe in a way consistent with their upbriging. Public school really isn't some huge, humanistic minefield that I think many claim it to be.
Wow, this is a great post. Crystal, I'll say again that I greatly admire you for standing up for what's right, in spite of all the negative feedback you get. Keep on speaking the truth!!
I and my 4 younger siblings were homeschooled, so this issue is close to my heart.
Many of the objections I hear to homeschooling have to do with the "socialization" issue: for some reason, people have this notion that children need to be extensively socializing with their peer group. Now, I'm not saying kids should never play with friends their own age, but I believe children need to spend time primarily with their FAMILIES, and not with groups of children their own age. God's design for children centers on the family.
Children need to be taught the truth of the Bible, and its values and morals, before they are able to be "salt and light" in the world. That's what childhood is for-- learning! Not only do children need to learn how to read, write, and add, but most importantly they need to learn about God and they need to develop godly character. And that's what godly parents are for-- to teach their children these things.
The bottom line is that the Bible places the responsibility for teaching and molding children on the parents, and I just don't believe that sending children out into a morally corrupt enviroment for 8 hours a day is the way to fulfill that mandate to "train up a child in the way he should go."
I was more than half way through college when I got married. Never did finish. We homeschooled our 3 chldren. My husband has 2 bachelor degrees, one in nuclear technology and one in electrical engineering. He is smart, but not a genius. I am probably average. Our oldest has his master's in electrical engineering (3.75 gpa upon graduating); our older daughter is currently finishing up her master's in biology (having 3.75 gpa), and our youngest has finished 2 years at a junior college in science(4.0 gpa)and now working for awhile till she decides what to do next. SO my answer to the amount of education mom must have to successfully homeschool, is that it can be done with just high school plus some very excellent teaching materials, of which there are many. I have always loved to read, so once you teach your child to read well plus do math at least up through pre-Algebra, and the child knows how to study and learn from books, etc. they should do ok ...however, in many places there are other parents, retired teachers, etc. one could hire or trade with perhaps to cover the things we might not feel capable of doing ourselves.
We did let the older 2 attend high school for a few courses and then they began college early. It worked out pretty well for our son, but not for our oldest daughter. The youngest daughter began college at 18 after being taught at home entirely all her years. I think that is preferable. I see ways the public schools negatively influenced our older 2. My main question to those who feel their little babies ought to be soldiers of the cross when going to public school, is why they would send out unprepared soldiers to war? It is a war, a spiritual one and if children were already ready to go at age 5, 6, 7 or whatever...then why do they need parents?
There is a posting with the title of Public, Private, or Home-School? at the Pulpit Magazine that offers additional food for thought on the matter.
I agree with Ewokgirl. I completely support the right of parents to homeschool if they want to. But I don’t see anything wrong with public schools. I went to public schools from preschool through college and emerged with my faith completely intact. I never encountered any sort of agenda, with the exception of college, where there’s a lot of liberalism and political correctness. But the thing is, I don’t think kids, especially teenagers, are as easily influenced as adults tend to think they are. From the time I was 12 or so I knew exactly what I believed because my parents and CCD classes (which are basically Sunday school for Catholics) had taught me well. By the time I was in college I was certainly confident enough in my beliefs to know if what my professors were telling me was bunk. If you give your kids a strong foundation at home you shouldn’t have to worry about them going astray. When kids do go astray, it’s almost always because they didn’t get a strong foundation in their faith from their parents.
I do have a question about the logistics of homeschooling. Many homeschoolers have large families. How is it possible for one person to homeschool that many children at one time?! It would be like, say, teaching four different grades simultaneously while nursing a baby and having a toddler running around. I just don’t see how that’s possible. I just have one child so far, an almost 3-year-old, and it’s hard even to do housework sometimes with her running around and getting into everything. I don’t see how I could possibly homeschool older children and watch her at the same time.
Also, when families homeschool, isn’t it almost as stressful as being a two-career family, in the sense that housework and errands would have to be done in the evenings and on weekends? If you could afford it on your husband’s salary, would you ever consider hiring someone to clean so that you could focus on homeschooling? I know that hiring someone to clean is obviously not in everyone’s budget, but I’ve been wanting to ask you if you think it would be ok if you could easily afford it while still living on one income, or if you think housework should be the wife’s job or something. A lot of Catholics also homeschool, and Kimberly Hahn, a Catholic author who homeschools her six children, didn’t want to send her kids to public school, and said she could either pay Catholic school tuition and do the housework herself or hire someone to do the housework and homeschool the kids. She decided homeschooling sounded more fun than cleaning. :) Now I’m sure that’s not the only or main reason she and her husband decided to homeschool, but it’s a factor. Just wondering what you think about that.
There's so much I could say on this issue, but I'm busy with living life today, so I'll let others chime in if they'd like. What I encourage everyone to do is to think through this Biblically. Try to put aside your own presuppositions, experiences, and so forth. And think Biblically. Spend some time reading Deuteronomy 6. Meditate on it. Ask God to give you His wisdom. Don't look to other men for wisdom but to the Word of God.
I asked my husband what his response would be to the whole "salt and light" argument for sending your children to public schools last night. His answer was brilliant and maybe someday he'll have a chance to share it here. He's much more eloquent than me (probably due to the fact that he spends a lot of time in the court room!!)
At any rate, for those who may have not read all the comments on Kim's blog, I encourage you to do so. Especially this one from Kim:
On the subject of sending our children to be "light and salt," to witness to the other students in public schools, is there ever an example in the Bible of sending children out to witness? Christ sent grown men, and as a reader pointed out they seem to be consistently sent in pairs or more throughout the New Testament.
Secondly, I would point you again to a Muslim school. Would you send your children there for the purpose of witnessing? What if they were nice Muslims who only wanted your child to get a good education, reject silly Christian doctrines, and go to Muslim heaven?
I don't think the "light and salt" argument can be used as a Biblical case to send children into the mission field.
The presence of Christian teachers within an institution does not make it a godly system, any more than bringing a Filet'o'Fish into my home and feeding it to my children makes my home a McDonald's.
The fact that you or your grown children went to public school and "turned out fine" doesn't mean that you should send your children to public school. I have done many foolish things in my life but I certainly won't hold them up as examples to my children or willingly let them follow in *those* footsteps.
And the philosophy behind the modern public school system is not the stuff of conspiracies. Even the textbooks they hand you give the credit to great humanists and Darwinists of the time.
Bottom line:
Now we fall back to raising our children (our duty in this case is first to our own children) in the fear and admonition of the Lord; training them up in the way they should go; speaking to them of His works at home and abroad, when we lie down and when we rise up.
How does public school actively contribute toward this charge God lays upon Christian parents?
Of merit is to consider that none of us as genuine believers comes to Biblical understanding on all points at the same exact time in physical or spiritual age. Also, even with God as our Abba Father, we can still be as the Pharisee lawyers knowing and arguing points of the law ~ while totally missing the Spirit of love we are to be portraying in Christ.
I was public schooled with many accolades(sigh ~ dung in comparison to God knowing me and my knowing God). My family was not equipped to think or do otherwise. Even in being "churched in doctrine not totally Biblical" and when not yet "saved", any wrong teaching such as the world being millions and millions of years old and evolution thoughts of coming from fish and monkeys waved as red flags of lies before me, praise the Lord. God, in His sovereignty in drawing me to Himself, used teachers(one example: my kindergarden teacher later became a neighbor, my closest friend and mentor, and my sister in Christ as God's plan for my life unfolded over the years) and some students and their parents in that drawing. We homeschool solely because it is what God has revealed to our family over the years(which did include the beginning years of public schooling over available Christian schooling...home education wasn't even something known to consider) to do; He has always had the free reign to change our circumstances. Can it be agreed that it is good to let God be God in the lives of the vessels He formed and as He works all things with believer and unbeliever alike in His perfect way and timing and in seeing details we cannot ~ for His glory?
twpHi, My husband is a public school teacher and we have chosen to homeschool our ouwn children. He has aplace there to be a light and a witness and has had many chances that are totally God given. Children on the other hand aren't that strong. It doesn't take much strength to pull someone down, but it takes a lot to pull someone upright. the chances of my children being pulled down into the world are greater than the chance of them pulling someone up into the Lord. A great book I just read is by John Taylor Gatto titled The underground history or american education. He was a public school teacher for years and years, even awarded new yorks teacher of the year and he quit. I don't know what his faith is, but this isn't written from a Christian perspective, but it is truly eye opening. for those who think there is no agenda, that the schools are neutral, this will make you think again!
I just wanted to post one more thing here because I know I have really stirred up some controversy here and elsewhere by posting this. I know this is a hot-topic and I know that in posting this, I will make some people infuriated. That is not my goal. I'm not here to say "Everyone should homeschool and if you don't homeschool you are sinning."
My goal is to make people think - think Biblically - about the educational choices you are making for your children, about the influences you are allowing them to be exposed to.
Very few people think through these things nowadays and if I can challenge just one person reading this blog to re-think what they believe concerning education and thus to protect their child from the dangers lurking out there in the world, I will be grateful.
My husband and I believe with all of our hearts that homeschooling is the very best choice we can make for our children. This is not something we came to lightly. We know that it means a lot of sacrifices, a lot of hard work, and a lot of effort. However, we believe that this is what God has called us to and we cannot refuse to follow His leading in our lives.
Some day we will stand before the Lord and give account for our actions as parents. As parents, we are responsible for the influences we allow in our children's lives. Knowing what is being taught in public schools, knowing the agenda behind government education at large, knowing what our children might very well be exposed to at an early age, knowing the risks involved just in allowing our young little precious children to be in someone else's care for the majority of the day, we cannot feel right about sending our children off into this environment. Like I always say, if something happens to my child, it is ultimately my fault. I am responsible before God to protect these little ones He has entrusted to me.
My husband went to public school until sixth grade. It was a small school in a small town - supposedly harmless, right? Guess again. He learned more vulgarity and was exposed to more garbage than a person should ever have to deal with in their lifetime. You would not believe the things that most third-graders coming from non-Christian homes can teach your children about. I've been shocked at some of the stuff he has told me and I know he hasn't told me the half of it.
Because of all of this, we are choosing to homeschool our children. To us, homeschooling is not a "school choice", it is a way of life. We are teaching and training our children in nurture and admonition of the Lord from birth.
However, please notice that in all of this, I am talking about US - not you. I don't have to give account for what goes on in your home or for the way you raise your children. If you've sought the Lord with your husband through His Word and truly feel He is leading you in a different path, I'm not here to judge you. That is your decision.
Yes, I feel very strongly on this issue so I can't help but be passionate about it. If you don't share my views, that's okay. :) It's not a life or death matter and I believe there will be plenty of people who were public schooled or sent their children to public school in heaven.
But, since this is my blog, I can't help but share what I am passionate about. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, I just hope that those of you who were offended or upset will know that my intention is not to be offensive, my intention is to make you think and examine why you do what you do and why you believe what you believe.
I know I don't always express things in the most eloquent manner so thank you for bearing with me! And thanks for being here and reading.
Well said, Crystal.
Beautifully put, Crystal! And, a great post with which I wholeheartedly concur!!
Crystal,
I would love to hear more of your husband's response on children being salt and light in the public school system. I realize that this is a very tenuous proposal, but then, I have seen and known public school students who were salt and light to the uttermost.
In the whole equation, Scripture DOES give us examples of children and youths who were effective witnesses in the midst of utter depravity: Esther was sent to the court of a pagan king. Shadrach, Mishac and Abed-Nego were sent to the idolatrous "government schools" of the pagan king. Samuel was sent to minister in the Temple. Jesus Himself went to minister to hostile crowds at the age of twelve.
I agree with you, of course. There is NO neturality in education, ever, and parents have the awesome responsibility of educating their children, whether by themselves or through other agents that the parents oversee (and honestly, external agents are almost always involved- even homeschooling parents "outsource" by using various curricula, hiring tutors, etc.) ...
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