We don't need no education
I've spent quite a bit of time over the last few years considering the education system. I wrote about this the summer before my son entered kindergarten.
Recently, my thoughts have steered toward the debate between homeschool, Christian school, and public school which is a rather significant discussion in Christendom. I use the word debate deliberately because this issue can fire some people up as they have established strong, personal convictions.
My wife an I decided to send our children to public school for many reasons. Both of us grew up in public school and, for the most part, we turned out ok. Also, we feel that kids have access to more resources and luxuries in public schools than other in schooling options. Additionally, we pay taxes which funds the local education system so it makes sense to take advantage of a quality education for which we're already paying. These are just a couple examples of why we have chosen public school for our children.
With that said, had we lived in a different school district, we may think differently about where to send our kids to school. When our son entered kindergarten, we didn't have a second thought about sending him to public school because of the school district we live in. Apart from the frequent strikes, it's a decent district with adequate teachers and good programs.
I've been thinking about this a little more because my wife and I have kicked around the idea of moving to a different area (locally or nationally). In our discussion, one of the main points of consideration for where we would live is the quality and reputation of the public education system. We began saying things like, "Well, if we lived there we'd want to send them to Christian school." Why? Why would we change our minds after deciding to send our kids to public school for the reasons I listed above and more?
Fear. I realized that my decision where to send my kids to school was a based on fear. Fear of exposure to things we didn't want our children to be aware of. Fear of exposure to kids with vastly different ideals. Fear of exposure to violence, sex, language, humanism, hatred, and greed more than what they would experience in their middle class, SUV-driving, white collar, low-crime neighborhood. Suddenly, the public/christian/home school debate made much more sense to me.
I suspect that, like me, many people make schooling decisions based on quality of the district and/or some measure of fear. I've heard parents say, "We send our kids to Christian school to protect them...," and "We home school our kids because we want to have control over the things they learn and are exposed to." In many cases, I believe the parents' decision about schooling is governed by what they fear and how much they fear it. The more fear they have the more guarded they will be about their children's education. Where does the fear come from? Is it because of not trusting in God? Do we fear because we don't pray enough for the spiritual well-being of our children and have been deficient in our duties as Christian parents? Do we fear that our children will be exposed to the same evils we experienced in our youth? Should we forsake the mission field of the public school system for the comforts of Christian/home school?
I think I'll leave the discussion there for now. However, I do realize there are circumstances where it is best for parents to home school their children or send them to Christian school. For example, I have a friend who is a teacher at a Christian school. I'm sure his daughter gets a reduced, if not free, tuition because of his employment status. I have another friend whose son had some special needs at one time in his life and it was better for him to learn at home. He is now back in public school. I believe each method of schooling has its place but we shouldn't be so quick to shelter our kids from the world and not send them to public school out of fear. Above all, we need to step back and look at the way we're raising our children. Are we raising them to protect them or to equip them?
Recently, my thoughts have steered toward the debate between homeschool, Christian school, and public school which is a rather significant discussion in Christendom. I use the word debate deliberately because this issue can fire some people up as they have established strong, personal convictions.
My wife an I decided to send our children to public school for many reasons. Both of us grew up in public school and, for the most part, we turned out ok. Also, we feel that kids have access to more resources and luxuries in public schools than other in schooling options. Additionally, we pay taxes which funds the local education system so it makes sense to take advantage of a quality education for which we're already paying. These are just a couple examples of why we have chosen public school for our children.
With that said, had we lived in a different school district, we may think differently about where to send our kids to school. When our son entered kindergarten, we didn't have a second thought about sending him to public school because of the school district we live in. Apart from the frequent strikes, it's a decent district with adequate teachers and good programs.
I've been thinking about this a little more because my wife and I have kicked around the idea of moving to a different area (locally or nationally). In our discussion, one of the main points of consideration for where we would live is the quality and reputation of the public education system. We began saying things like, "Well, if we lived there we'd want to send them to Christian school." Why? Why would we change our minds after deciding to send our kids to public school for the reasons I listed above and more?
Fear. I realized that my decision where to send my kids to school was a based on fear. Fear of exposure to things we didn't want our children to be aware of. Fear of exposure to kids with vastly different ideals. Fear of exposure to violence, sex, language, humanism, hatred, and greed more than what they would experience in their middle class, SUV-driving, white collar, low-crime neighborhood. Suddenly, the public/christian/home school debate made much more sense to me.
I suspect that, like me, many people make schooling decisions based on quality of the district and/or some measure of fear. I've heard parents say, "We send our kids to Christian school to protect them...," and "We home school our kids because we want to have control over the things they learn and are exposed to." In many cases, I believe the parents' decision about schooling is governed by what they fear and how much they fear it. The more fear they have the more guarded they will be about their children's education. Where does the fear come from? Is it because of not trusting in God? Do we fear because we don't pray enough for the spiritual well-being of our children and have been deficient in our duties as Christian parents? Do we fear that our children will be exposed to the same evils we experienced in our youth? Should we forsake the mission field of the public school system for the comforts of Christian/home school?
I think I'll leave the discussion there for now. However, I do realize there are circumstances where it is best for parents to home school their children or send them to Christian school. For example, I have a friend who is a teacher at a Christian school. I'm sure his daughter gets a reduced, if not free, tuition because of his employment status. I have another friend whose son had some special needs at one time in his life and it was better for him to learn at home. He is now back in public school. I believe each method of schooling has its place but we shouldn't be so quick to shelter our kids from the world and not send them to public school out of fear. Above all, we need to step back and look at the way we're raising our children. Are we raising them to protect them or to equip them?
posted by Matt Book at
6:03 PM
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