Educating Children Pt.3: Educational Jurisdiction

OK... Part 3.. this time we're looking at the topic of 'Educational Jurisdiction.' In other words, who has God given the responsibility to for the education of His children?

Let's begin with some verses:

Eph. 6:4 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Deut. 6:4-9 4 ¶ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. {teach: Heb. whet, or, sharpen} 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Prov. 22:6 6 ¶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (This verse is very specific in the meaning of the words for 'train up' and 'the way he should go.' The education he/she receives should help, not hinder, the child to accomplish that which God wants to see happen in the life of that child, namely, that they love him and serve him for their whole lives.)

Psalm 78:1-4 1 ¶ Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. {Maschil…: or, A Psalm for Asaph to give instruction}
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

So we see that from the beginning, God's desires for the children of His children is that they be brought up in a covenantally faithful household, and a large part of the discipleship process is the how we educate our children.

We see this evidenced by what the Lord said of Abraham being covenantally faithful in the following verse: (Genesis 18:19 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.)

Again, I'll repeat what I stated in another post, We as Christians cannot compartmentalize various areas of our lives and separate certain parts of them from the counsel of the Lord. Education is not spiritually neutral. In fact, education is inherently spiritual. Few things are more spiritual than education.

Why do Men who have a desire for ministry go to Bible college or seminary? Why not go to a government college? You know why! Because they wouldn't receive an education that would edify them and help them in their desire to serve the Lord faithfully in their calling. Right?

So is it different with our children? Don't they have a calling on their lives? Doesn't God desire for them to serve him faithfully all their lives, regardless of vocation? Yes He does. And he expects, no, let me rephrase that, He commands parents to help ensure that this happens and holds them directly responsible for how they turn out. For better or for worse!

The state has no jurisdiction over your children outside of keeping the rule of law. God didn't establish state governments to educate the children of His covenant members. In fact, he established it primarily to punish evil doers. So if you've been thinking that the state does have jurisdiction over the education of your children, they don't, You Do. Assume it, and set out on the path of giving your children a thoroughly biblical education. Your children may just thank you with their life for all eternity!

Educating Children Pt 2: The Pros and Cons of Public Schools, Private Schools and Home Schools!

OK, my 2nd post on 'Educating Children.' Today's title:

"The Pros and Cons of Public Schools, Private Schools, and Home Schools"

Hopefully, I'll be able to portray a pretty good picture of what I experienced in my own life as a public school student for 12+ years, and now a homeschooling Dad for 12+ years.

What I present is no way meant to be an exhaustive list of pros and cons, and may not accurately represent what you've experienced and have seen in your neck of the woods.

I understand that public schools in wealthier rural areas out perform public schools in poorer urban areas. My portrayal is based on national averages and overall behavioral patterns in general, not one district in particular.

We'll start with the pros and cons of Public or Government Schools, and end with the pros and cons of Home Schools.

Public or Government Schools:

Pros:

• Already paid for by your tax dollars. Out of pocket expenses are kept to a minimum, and limited to such things as field trips and perhaps fund raiser events. Depending on school, you may have to purchase uniforms as well.
• All the work is done for you. All you need to do is get 'em there. Either drive them yourself or have them ready for the school bus rain or shine.
• Your days are just that, YOUR DAYS. No kids to disrupt you while watching TV, surfing the web, making calls, running errands, etc., etc..
• Frees up Mom to pursue a career outside of the home where she can find her perceived happiness and true liberation from what the Lord says matters most.

Cons:

• Unbiblical world view is taught to your child for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 months a year, for 12 years of their life.
• Negative and evil peer pressures surround your child for time stated above.
  
• Child is faced with all types of sin that most children are unable to walk away from because of immaturity and lack of time being trained by parents.
• Innocents of child is lost at an age when unable to process the things they hear and see such as: sexual misconduct, vulgar language, homosexuality, immodest dress, poor character, rebellion to authority, rebellion toward God, hatred of God, etc.
• Parents sin against child by placing them in an environment that is hostile toward what they believe and where the child will almost always be the one who's converted. A lack of charity toward our children is to sin against them.
• Class sizes are about 1 teacher to 30+ students.
• No biblical or jurisdictional authority over the education of your child.
• Parental authority in the life of the child is almost completely obliterated.
• Unnatural surroundings (age segregation) leave children ill-prepared for real world.
  
• One size fits all approach to curriculum, learning styles, etc.
  
• Virtually no one on one time with teachers unless they're deemed 'special need' or 'underachieving.'
• Slave to schools calendar and schedule.
  
• Child is forced to violate the commands in Psalm 1 which reads:

1 ¶ Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Private Schools:

Pros:

• The Same as for Public Schools, with the following added.
• Teachers try harder because they're paid better.
• In Christian Schools, at least the Teachers are suppose to have a biblical worlview. But according to the Barna Group, only about 20% of Evangelicals actually have a biblical worldview.
• Facilities are better maintained than at public schools.
• The sins of the students are more white-washed, giving the appearance of 'not-so-bad.'

Cons:

• The same as for Public Schools with following added.
• Students at Christian Private Schools act and think like their public school counterparts sending confusing signals to your child who you tell that the kids there are better because they're "Christian."
• With so many "Christian" students doing 'it', 'it' must be ok for your child to do it, or so they think.
• Many students there are there because their parents are hoping that private school will 'get out' what public school 'put in' for 8 years.
• No biblical or jurisdictional authority over the education of your child.
• Parental authority in the life of the child is weakened by time apart and by who the child views as "intelligent."
• Financial Costs. Can leave many families financially burdened, especially larger families with multiple students attending.

Home Schools:

Pros:

• Controlled environment.
• Environment conducive to learning.
• Child is taught by parent or co-op leader who is under the authority of Jesus.
• Parent-child relationship strengthened throughout school year.
• Authority of parents in child's life is established and strengthened .
• One on one time of student/teacher.
• Class size limited to number of children in family.
• Curriculum tailored to child's' learning style(s).
• Supremacy of God in academics upheld.
• God's relevance in the world is taught to child throughout school year.
• Superior academic performance on SAT, ACT.
• Higher level of performance per grade level compared to public and private school students.
• Hebrew method of discipleship (walk beside, talk beside) established in child's life.
• Obedience to commands to "bring up" children "in the Lord". (Deut. 6: 4-9; Eph. 6:4)
• Family vision impressed upon child without negative influence dissuading child from it.
• Negative or ungodly behavior can be dealt with swiftly while still trainable.
• Complete control over calendar and schedule.
• Children mature much quicker.
• Adapts much easier to people of all ages and genders.
• And everything else I missed!

Cons:

• Children can suffer if parents are lazy and undisciplined.
• Parents don't take the eduction of their children seriously enough and leave child ill-prepared for life outside of home.
• Some parents who opt for the "relaxed" method to home educate their children are so relaxed that they sleep thru entire year of school.
• Boys can suffer identity issues and become feminine with Mom doing all the educating, if Dad isn't pro actively discipling his boys on how to Men and making them work hard outside of school.
• Added cost of curriculum per child every year.

Again, these aren't exhaustive lists by any means. Just what I've seen and experienced in my own life and in the lives of those around me.

Share your thoughts and add to any list you'd like via a comment or two!

Educating Children Pt 1: The Goal of Education

In this, my first post on 'Educating Children', I thought I'd start by asking the question, "What is the goal of childhood education?", then giving what I believe the bible says is the answer to the question.

How we answer this question will set the course for how we will go about educating our precious gifts from the Lord. And remember Men (and Ladies reading) we only get one chance to raise and educate our little ones. When it's done, it's done. You can't start over!

To preface my answer let me first turn to scripture, as this is good to do being a Christian!

Let's see what the bible says about education:

Genesis 1:1 1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 2:16-17 16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 4 ¶ "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (emphasis mine)

Ephesians 6:4 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (emphasis mine)

So why all the scripture on a Christian blog you ask? Good question. Let's try and answer it.

Obviously, if this were a sermon or lecture, I could systematically expound on each verse, support it, sustain, etc., etc.. This being a blog, I don't have that liberty. But let me at least say that I chose these from among the whole bible because they begin the process of laying a foundation for the the fact that God cares deeply how we as parents think and act and how we as parents teach our children to think and act. This is called orthodoxy (what we believe), and orthopraxy (how we act based on what we believe).

We see from the very beginning that God had an ideal in mind for his creation when it came to right belief and right conduct. He wanted them to obey Him and see the world as He sees it. When they didn't and that ideal was compromised, the result was mankind's loss of God-consciousness and him becoming self-conscience. One minute he's eating fruit in his birthday suit with his lovely wife Eve, the next minute he's hiding from God with leaves covering up his nakedness that only became an issue after he became a sinner, then began blaming his wife for his sin. Sharp contrast and poor headship!

So what about us and this post? OK, here's my answer. I believe the goal of childhood education should be to help our children see the world as God sees it, and help our children to act in this world as God intends for them to act. Any educational system that doesn't lead our children toward this goal is leading them down the wrong road in the wrong part of town and only the most diligent of parents will be able to overcome what is being taught to their children. It's Eden revisited; "Hath God really said?"

Can children who are being taught at Government Schools grow up to be Godly individuals? YES they can, and I know many who have. In fact, I'm a product of the Chicago Public Schools educational system myself. But more importantly, I'm a testimony of God's grace as well! But does this educational system make raising Godly individuals more difficult? The answer again is YES! I'm just being honest. If we Christians can't speak openly and honestly on these vitally important issues, then who can? If you don't hear this from someone who loves you as a brother in the Lord, then who will you hear it from?

As Christians, we cannot, and I repeat, we cannot separate education from our faith. A good education will help to strengthen our faith, not weaken it! All that we do in this world is an act of worship unto the Lord, including how we educate our children. Consider this question: Is acceptable worship rendered when we educate our children with an educational philosophy that at it's core, teaches that God is irrelevant and that all gods are equal? I'll let you wrestle with the answer to that. But remember, God doesn't stand at the top of the list of acceptable gods. Besides Jehovah there is no other God!

So let us consider whether or not the method we've chosen for our children to receive their education will in fact accomplish the goal of educating children. Regardless of what method you choose for your children; government schools, private schools, home school, or some other, God will still hold you as the parent, and Father's especially, responsible for how your children turn out!

So let us think deeply on this issue, and when we've all made our decisions, let us pray for one another and seek to help one another in raising up a Godly generation of young people!

Educating and Discipling the Next Generation

With the school year around the corner for my family, and having just begun, for most others, I find it a good time to consider the topic of educating children. Few things are going to be as important to parents than what type of education they give their children, so I think it's worth discussing, at least for the next week or so.

I wrote a series of posts on this topic that I'll be 'reposting' this week, and will post some new material on the subject as well, so be sure and check back often. The best posts are those that spark conversation, so be sure and leave a comment, agreeing, disagreeing, or just observing!

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