For a moment, use your imagination to believe you are the following...
-a Christian (doesn't require too much imagination for some)
-a married person
-a parent who has almost-school-aged children
-a parent who really cares about their children's education.
Now stop. How are you going to educate your children?
There seem to be trends in how Christians decide to educate their children. They decide to send them to a Christian school, a public school, or to home school them. Which do you think is best for the children?
Obviously I am thinking about things in advance, and no, I'm not pregnant. Just curious.
Here are some characteristics of each. Christian schools will most likely teach classes with a biblical worldview and the students will most likely all come from Christian families. Therefore, there will be less significant discipline problems and "bad influences." The teachers will be Christians who are there, hopefully, to really invest in your child.
Public schools are not quite as desirable. Your child may be taught evolution, or taught how to smoke weed, or taught sex education instead of abstinence. However, they may be a light to those around him or her who don't know anything about Christ. They may be spurred on to study their Bibles more so they can discuss issues with non-Christian friends.
Home-schooling is the other option. A parent can control everything that is taught to their children because they teach them. The downside is, the child is at home alot, and unless much effort is made everyone's part, the child may be sheltered and backward when around other children. However, the children can accelerate at their own learning rate and not have to wait on their other classmates. Or if they are needy, they can get special attention.
I haven't read thousands of articles about this issue, but I will say Nick and I are leaning towards putting our kids in public schools. I grew up in public schools, and he in private. I see a deep need for kids who are Christians to reach out to those around them, and to be lights for Christ in their schools. Of course, I had a wonderful experience in public schools, having been surrounded with great Christian friends who encouraged me and each other. I feel that it is the strong biblical principles taught by the parents at home that should safeguard children when they're at a school full of non-Christians. It is a good preparation for the "real world" in my eyes, making them very culturally aware, resilient children.
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3 comments:
I'll make this quick, because I need to study. You mentioned making a decision when your kid arrives at the age to go to school. Then the positives you give for public school have to do with being a light as a Christian. Here is my thought. There is a good chance that when my child is 5 or 6 or 7 he will not be a Christian, and will not yet have a fully developed Biblical worldview. Children that age are usually mostly just influenced by school rather than being influencers. Therefore, if I was in an area where the public schools taught out of a decidedly naturalistic, humanistic, secular worldview I would think twice before sending our son to spend 6 hours a day being influenced in that way. I tend to agree with your assessment when it comes to high school. Once a child reaches 14 years old, there is a decent chance he or she will be a Christian and have a decent worldview beginning to develop. In most cases, I think public school might be a good idea. However, I would be cautious. Most of the time in this discussion I hear Christians make the case for public school by appealing to witness and influencing our culture. I agree with that, but also think that emphasis should be balanced with our parental responsibility to protect our children and to saturate their minds with the word of God (Deut 6). I think it must be taken on a case by case basis all throughout a child's education. But I would be open to home or Christian schooling in the primary grades, would tend to lean toward Christian school 4th-7th grade, and would be more open to public schools 8th and beyond. However I will encourage my child toward a Christian college (a conservative one) unless he is an extremely strong Christian, with a strong mind, and senses a calling to secular college. I have just seen to many of my friends have their faith shipwrecked in college.
Thus ends my 2 cents.
Having worked briefly in a Christian school environment, it's a misconception to think that a classroom in a Christian school will have less or less severe behavioral problems than a public or other school. Not all families who put their children in Christian school are believers, and they sure don't all have good home lives. I've always heard that Christian schools (through college level) get the rejects from other schools---those who've been kicked out for behavioral or social problems.
I think it's great that you're kicking these ideas around now. This is becoming a matter of increasing importance in the church today---mostly because people feel like they have options. When I was growing up, I don't think my parents would have ever thought of homeschooling us or putting us in private schools until we went overseas and did both. In the States, we always went to public schools. And, like you, I had positive experiences.
These are great points made by all. As you can see, there are alot of things to take into consideration when making this choice, and thankfully Nick and I have plenty of time to make the decision :) I think it does boil down to, like Amanda said, what the child is like, and also what the schools are like in your area. One may live in an area where the public school system has much to be desired and is corrupt, or where the private schools are like that. Each, like Lorie said, could have their share of behavioral problems, etc. I think Mark's assessment as far as having kids in elementary go to Christian schools might be good, and maybe to have them grow a stronger foundation in middle school and then judge from there if they're ready to go to a secular high school or college. In my walk, I would say I am so thankful I went to public high school and a state university, however I have seen friends who went astray because of these secular influences.
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