Why Do Many Christians Allow the Secular Government to Educate Their Children?

Now this is a question that gets some folks riled up. It's right up there with the issues of non-violence and modesty when it comes to making Christians angry. "How dare you question the way I choose to educate my children?" Well, I'll question it if it involves letting secularists have day-long access to your kids' minds during their formative years.

God has given all parents, regardless of their beliefs, a tremendous gift and responsibility. We are caretakers over our children. He has made us stewards for a few years over their minds. We also have a massive impact upon their souls. Children do not simply reside in a house with parents. Every aspect of their lives is, to some extent, the responsibility of the parents.

That said, why would Christian parents depend on government school to educate their children? (This question comes from the post "Sorry, But I Can't Stop Asking Questions").

Full disclosure: I worked in the public school system for six years as a school psychologist. Also, we have been home educating our kids for the past thirteen years.

Back to the question. Five reasons come to mind as to why Christians send their kids to government-based schools:

1. The parents still trust the schools, thinking that they are largely similar to the way they were many years ago.
2. The parents want two incomes to support a certain standard of living.
3. The parents do not believe they have the skills to adequately educate their kids.
4. The parents want their children to get "socialized" in public school.
5. The parents are simply doing "what has always been done."

My response to all of the above reasons is that none of them are valid. None. All are pragmatic to one degree or another. None are based in theological reasoning whatsoever. My challenge to all parents of kids in public school is to ask whether or not they truly know what their kids are being taught and exposed to in that setting.

I realize that some parents want to homeschool but are in a situation where they simply cannot do so (such as some single parents). That is a different situation from what I'm discussing in this post. In this article I'm questioning the reasoning behind the decision to send kids to public schools when parents are in a position to home educate.

I've never heard a solid theological argument in favor of public school. I'm still waiting.

You Don't Have to Defend Why You Homeschool Your Children

My wife Alice and I have been homeschooling our children for thirteen years (full disclosure: Alice has done the vast majority of the work). It has been a wonderful experience that we would not trade for anything. We are thrilled to have had this opportunity. Our eldest child graduated from college this year (and obviously has not been homeschooled for a while now). Our second graduates from high school in a few months. Our youngest is in tenth grade. Therefore, we are much closer to the end of this journey than the beginning.

After homeschooling for so long I've come to an important conclusion: those of us who have chosen to educate our children at home do not need to defend this to anyone.

Occasionally when I'm having conversations with various people we end up talking about children. Sometimes I'm asked where our kids go to school. I never initiate the topic of homeschooling, but if I'm asked I answer. At that point I receive one of two responses. Some people say something like, "That's cool." Others ask the unfortunate and ignorant question, "How do they get socialized?"

I used to answer by giving all sorts of reasons why homeschooling is excellent. I'd tell them that homeschoolers do just fine in social settings of all types. I'd inform them that no research exists whatsoever to indicate that homeschoolers have difficulty interacting socially with others. I'd tell them that home educated kids do better academically than their peers when they reach college. I'd inform them that those who are taught at home achieve higher scores on standardized tests than other kids their same age. I'd even bring up the fact that we are able to provide our kids with a Christ-centered education in a way that non-homeschooling families cannot.

I'm not doing any of that anymore. I don't have to defend homeschooling because it doesn't need defending. It stands as excellent on its own.

God has granted parents the gift of instructing their children. Those who choose to do this full-time are doing an honorable thing. The ones who should have to defend their choice are the parents who are relying on the secular state to educate their offspring.

To Moms and Dads: you do not have to defend your choice to home educate your kids. Your decision is an excellent one. It requires no defense.

Nice Article on Homeschooling

Click here to read an interesting article about homeschooling from someone who just recently realized how great it is.

Tired

Hi blog friends.  I haven't written anything this week because I've simply been too tired.

Today should be a fun day for our family.  Our daughter Caroline is graduating from high school.  She'll be taking part in a homeschool ceremony with about twenty other graduates.  Our school's name is Salt and Light Christian School.  Afterwards we'll be getting together with family at our home.

As for the church, no deep thoughts lately on my part.  I'm thankful that God's plan for his church is a simple one: God's people glorifying him by living like Jesus.

A Quick Addendum

Just a quick thought related to yesterday's post:

I don't know any family that A) takes part in simple church life and B) has kids who are school-aged who C) does not home school their kids.  I can't think of even one.  I'm not sure what this means, but it struck me as interesting.

A Question About Simple Church and Homeschooling

Here's a question I've been pondering but haven't yet figured out a satisfying answer:

The question: Why is it that almost all families involved in simple church life also homeschool their children, but many families who choose to homeschool do not take part in simple church life?

For example, here in Savannah we know a small number of families (some we gather with) who have embraced simple church.  Every one of those families also educates their children at home.  On the flip side, we know many families who have chosen to homeschool.  Some of these families gather in a simple manner, but most attend larger, traditional churches that run the range of denominations, styles, etc.  A good number even go to Savannah's only mega-church.

To sum up, almost all who take part in simple church also home educate, but most who home educate do not take part in simple church.

Why do you think this is the case?

Homeschooling Wisdom

My wonderful wife Alice has posted some homeschooling wisdom that comes from eight years educating our kids at home. It has been a terrific experience and continues to be so. I cannot believe our oldest is a senior this year. I'm getting old! Anyway, if you are interested in some practical wisdom about teaching at home, see what Alice has to say.

Homeschoolers Succeeding in College

According to a new research study, homeschoolers are doing very well in college. I'm not surprised by this, but it is nice to see some data in black-and-white. To look at the study yourself, click here.

Another Homeschooling Benefit

I love Chick-fil-A. Now I'm going to get to eat at Chick-fil-A more than ever because our daughter Caroline has been hired at our nearby "inventor of the chicken sandwich."

One of the primary reasons Caroline was hired is that her schedule is flexible. The key is that she is available to work during the day. Many days this coming year she'll wake up, do some schoolwork, head to the restaurant to work from 10-2, come home, and finish her studies. I'm thrilled for her because she will learn how to work out in the world, have opportunities to witness for Christ, and will also be able to save for college.

Homeschooling allows for much freedom of schedule. This is a huge benefit for families. Alice and our kids can "go and do" as they please. They are not tied to a specific building or schedule. Please don't misunderstand; we do have a regular schedule. However, home educating lets us do other things that many other families cannot do.

I'm convinced that Caroline would not have been hired had she only been able to work after three PM. There is simply too much competition for those specific hours. Since she can work when most kids her age cannot, she now has a job. Thanks to homeschooling.

Since we are on the themes of Chick-fil-A and homeschooling, I've included a couple of Tim Hawkins videos for your viewing pleasure:

I'd Move

I love living in Savannah. After having grown up in the frozen tundra of western New York State, the warmth here is wonderful. On top of that, we have an historic, fascinating city that is near the beach. The people are friendly, the food is great, and we can get to Florida in two hours. Nice.

So why would I move? I've been thinking about that recently. Quite frankly, there aren't many reasons that I would leave Savannah.

There is one reason, however, that I would vacate quickly (something like the guys in this photo are doing). If the state of Georgia ever told Alice and me that we could no longer educate our own children in our home, we would leave immediately.

In some of the more liberal-leaning states in the Northeast and West, parents' rights to educate their own children are gradually being taken away. Nowhere has a state yet said that you absolutely cannot homeschool (although Germany has), but several states continue to make it increasingly difficult. How do they do this? They do it by requiring certain educational levels of mothers. Or they require all kinds of paperwork to be turned in to the local public school system. Or they force parents to use state-approved curricula. And the list goes on.

We may ask what motivation that states have for making homeschooling difficult. What is their agenda and/or thinking? Some people in education believe that kids are better off if they are educated by government schools. This way the government can determine exactly what they are learning. Remember, the school system wants to create good citizens of the state.

Christian parents, however, are given the wonderful task of raising godly children. This is not the same thing as creating good citizens. The two can co-exist, but they are not the same thing at all.

Some folks in governmental positions are afraid that homeschooling will bring about people who are not loyal to the state government. I've even read some things that make it sound like homeschooling is dangerous because the kids might end up being extreme in their ideology.

All this is nonsense of course. Homeschooled children always do extremely well in all educational and social criteria. What about socialization you ask? Homeschoolers are fine, thank you.

Homeschooling gives parents the wonderful opportunity to determine what their children are learning. This way, all of the curriculum can be Christ-centered. It can be flexible. It can meet the needs of each child.

I'd like to live in Savannah for the rest of my life. However, if Georgia decides that homeschooling cannot be tolerated, then we'll move. Where? Wherever we can continue to raise godly children according to biblical standards.

Homeschooling and Reading

Homeschooling fosters a love for reading.

That may sound like too broad of a statement for some, but I believe it's true. The reason for this is pretty simple - homeschooling parents (usually mothers) cannot possibly teach all the kids at the same time. Many homeschool families have multiple children at different levels of learning. While the parent instructs one child, the other children need to be doing something. The natural thing for them to do is read.

I'm thrilled that all three of our kids love to read. I was reminded of this again on Saturday at our daughter Mary's birthday party. We bought her a set of six or seven books she had been wanting. When she opened it, she gave a small cry of delight. She can't wait to begin reading those books.

I take little credit for our kids' love for reading. My wife does the vast majority of their schooling. We do encourage them to read, but not out of drudgery. We want them to love it. And they do.

Two things have helped that go along with their homeschooling. First, they don't waste time sitting in front of the TV. We do occasionally watch videos, but we got rid of our cable TV subscription a while back and it is one of the best things we've ever done. Second, both Alice and I love to read so it is easy to model this in front of our kids.

Reading has many, many benefits. It opens kids' eyes to all sorts of different learning possibilities. Bobby comes to me several times each day telling me something new he has learned in a book. Reading now prepares them for reading later. A kid that loves to read will have little difficulty dealing with heavy college reading loads.

The best benefit is that people who love to read will also (we all hope) love to read their bibles. God has revealed Himself through His written word. When we instill a love for reading in our kids, this makes it more likely that they will read the scriptures.

Homeschooling, however, is not automatic in bringing about a love for reading. There are certainly kids who have been homeschooled who don't like to read. Maybe the first sentence in this post should say, "Homeschooling done well fosters a love for reading."

Regardless of how you choose to educate your children, I highly encourage you to do all you can to instill a love for reading in them. Model it for them, read to them, give them time to read, give them good books to read, discuss what you and they are reading. Reading opens a broad world that TV just cannot compete with.

Tolle lege.

Homeschool Fun

Last night we had fun as a family as we took part in our homeschool co-op's annual Open House. I enjoyed getting to know some of the other parents, watching different short performances, and (of course) looking at my kids' various projects.

Each week Alice and our three kids take part in a local home school cooperative. Alice teaches a couple of classes (British literature and sign language), while our children take four classes each. We find that this is an excellent supplement to the educating we do during the remainder of the week. Caroline, for example, is taking classes in chemistry, geography, drama, and Brit. lit.

Last evening we were treated to several different performances. Young children did something called praise dance (it was fun, but I'm not really sure what it was). French students showed what they had learned so far. Various choirs sang different songs. The best part (said the unbiased husband) was Alice's sign language class signing along to the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.

In thinking back on the night, my favorite aspect was seeing so many kids being educated according to a Christian worldview. Every subject at the co-op is taught from the perspective that the God of the bible is our Creator and all of life should be lived in worshipful response to Him. The students see the broad picture of each subject as it relates to God's rule of the universe.

An additional nice aspect of co-op is that Christian families attend who are part of various Christian denominations. As far as I can tell, those differences do not cause any disunity in the co-op. The unifying factor is Jesus Christ.

I thank the Lord for leading us into homeschooling back in 2002.

A Nice Piece on Homeschooling

Our family is a homeschooling family. Because of this, it is always encouraging to read positive things about home education on the internet. I was excited this morning to read Dr. Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, say some very positive things about homeschooling. To read his post, click here.