Schooling Issues

“I am so glad that I have my kids in public school.  They can be a witness for Christ there.  These parents who try to shield their kids from everything by putting them in private school or even homeschooling them just don’t know what they are doing.”

“It is a sacrifice but private school is the best.  We are scrimping in order for our kids to get a great education and be in the Word on a daily basis.  I am so thankful that they are not in public school where they can be influenced by so much of the world.  I don’t know what those parents are thinking.”

“Of course, I homeschool my kids.  It’s my job!  I need to oversee everything that goes on in my kids’ lives because that is what God has called me to do.  I can control the educational input and their social life as well.  This is the only way to go.  Parents who don’t homeschool are just lazy and shirking their responsibility before God.”

Have you been a part of these conversations?  Or perhaps you have actually said some of these things.   This is a very touchy subject.  The reason is that we get very passionate about our children.  Each family has to make the decision for schooling by seeking to ascertain what is best for them.  The reasons for choosing public, private or homeschooling are varied.  The problem is that we elevate our reasoning to be truth for all other families.  When we do that, we tend to judge what others are lacking to do for their children because they are not measuring up to our standard.  This leads to prophecy.

The Bible is full of prophecy about the future and warnings of the consequences of not following God’s way.  When on the topic of schooling, people’s prophecy, not God prophecy, begins to take place.  There are those who would condemn a child to hell because the parents did not send him to private, but public school.  Then there are ones who think sin will abound in a child’s life if they are not homeschooled. Still someone else may speak out about the “bubbling” effect of homeschooling on a child, and how he will never be able to face the world.  Words begin to be exchanged between moms about this matter until one or two walk away sure their children are doomed because of their bad choices.  This does not promote the Gospel but destroys it.

Should parents be concerned about the education of their children?  Yes, of course they should.  Is the idea of getting an education for your children overwhelming?  Does it mean more than it should?  Our responsibility before the Lord is to do what is best for our children.  In some cases this may mean homeschool, for others it may mean private and still for others it may mean public.  There is room for every choice that is made by every parent.  More importantly than all of this is the real responsibility we have which is to reach the heart of our children.

It is not going to be homeschool, public school or private school that determines how the heart of the child develops.  We have to become more concerned for the hearts of our children and then share those concerns with others.  We need to be praying for one another as parents and praying for each other’s children.  Eternity is what matters.  Pointing our children to a Savior can be done regardless of where they get their education.  There is a very prevalent idea that if you homeschool your child will follow Jesus because he has been protected from the world.  You can protect children to a certain degree but you cannot protect them from themselves.  We are our own worst enemy.  A private school where the Word of God is used on a daily basis is what motivates some parents. They think that when the Word of God is prevalent in the child’s life, he will not fall into waywardness.  But there is no guarantee that the child’s heart will be open to the Word on a daily basis.  What about being a witness in the public school?  This will not happen if there is not an effort by the parents to be involved in reaching the heart of the child.

“Hear, O Israel:  The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children…” Deuteronomy 6:4-7a  So parents, this is not about reading, writing and arithmetic; this is about God.  This is about reaching the heart of our children with the truth of who God is and how we are to respond to Him.  It is time in the body of Christ that we have more conversations about how we are reaching the hearts of our children with the Gospel.  That is more important than where they are going to learn to read.