Friday, October 7, 2011

Education

Before I continue writing this post I just want to start out by saying this is a controversial subject amongst Christians today....and it also seems to be becoming "another" cause for division (sadly). As I write I sincerely am not trying to offend or cause offense but merely to share some of my personal experiences with both.

Both my husband and I grew up in Christian homes and attended the same private Christian school. We both have fond memories of those years, the high standards and quality of education. Rules were rules and we were expected to toe the line always with respect and obedience....if we didn't, well discipline was waiting for us. As a result we learned to fear and from that fear came a healthy respect for all those in authority. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" Proverbs 9:10....as it is with our littles they first have to fear us before they start to obey us and we teach them in love with grace and the result is respect and obedience so it is as followers of the Lord...we first obey because we fear Him and that fear grows into love and we obey because we want to please Him. If we as parents can get a hold of our childrens' hearts, they will want to obey and please us....but I am off on a whole 'nother rabbit trail.....

I've heard some argue that a private Christian school education limits the future choices of the children, etc. First of all one must take into consideration that "private" means that the public school boards cannot step in and dictate what we must teach our children thus keeping out all those unwanted and unnecessary subjects as sex education and all that that entails, theories of evolution and all that nonsense giving us the opportunity to teach our children from a Biblical viewpoint. Inorder to remain "private" sometimes a choice must be made thus sacrificing something "good" inorder to keep something "bad" out...in the case I am thinking of the choice that had to be made inorder to keep sex education,etc. out was that the school could not be registered with the province. As a result, when we now wish to enter a higher school of learning we have to challenge the entrance exam or pass the SAT's....not really a big deal 'though it would be loverly to just step in!!! :D Again not my point.....
Was everything perfect? NO! but what I am trying to say is simply that a private Christian school education is not a "death" sentence for your children IF that is the direction the Lord leads you.

Now that I am grown with a family of my own, all of whom are now of  school age, I find myself in the middle of a situation I never thought of.....homeschool vs. private Christian school education. Growing up I will admit to feeling like those that were homeschooled didn't have a proper education and the oh-so -popular opinion that those kids were "unsocialized". When it became a choice I as a parent had to make for my own children it forced me to come out of that "box" and see things from a different perspective. Anyone who knows my children knows that they are NOT shy in the least and are fully capable of carrying on a conversation with anyone they want....."unsocial" is not a word used to describe them :) sometimes we wish we could teach them "shyness"..lol. One argument I get a lot is that my kids are "sheltered" meaning they are not up on the current trends and ways of the world....and to this I gladly respond "YES!"...they don't need to be.....if that is what "sheltered" means then I proudly stand up and proclaim my kids "sheltered! We will teach them what they need to know when they need to know it.....I do not agree with all the methods out there of homeschooling but I do agree that homeschool can work and does work for many. To those of you who do homeschool and love it...hats off to you!! It's not easy.....but please remember that this road is not the road God leads everybody and be very careful,kind and considerate in your judgement of others.

This year God has enabled our brood to head to a private Christian school just down the road from us...and what a blessing!!!! The girls are loving every minute and their attitudes and schoolwork have improved 100%. The teachers are amazing and I am in constant contact with them about the girls and how they are doing everyday......they are God-given helpers who are working with me and assisting me in training up my children for the Lord. I've  heard it said that this training should be done only by the parents and we should never have anyone else influence our children......and at times like these something somebody once told me comes back to my mind. It went something like this...."God sends along help just when we need it the most. At Sunday school age, He sends along the Sunday school teachers; at school age, He provides the teachers and so on....these helpers are not there to DO the whole job, they are there to assist you in yours and when done in the will of God these helpers are a real blessing in your life and your childrens." I will be the first to admit I am a homeschool dropout...hahaha but not for a minute do I believe that makes me a failure as a mother or a Christian. Simply that for our family right now, God has provided a different road and I thank Him for that. There are definitely pros and cons for each of these roads....and there are definitely success stories for each AS well as failure. The one thing we need to remember is what does God want for my family?

Before I finish this post...I will just give my thoughts and personal opinions on the public school system. First I want to say that I have never attended public school and so I cannot offer anything from personal experience like I have for homeschool and private Christian school.....but what I am going on is the Bible and the personal experiences of others. I have heard and seen with my own eyes the differences in the quality of education they offer....I believe the influences and goings-on there would not be God-honouring and then I don't like sex education and/or acceptance of things and practices that are clearly blasphemous and in direct disobedience to God. Again I stress that we need to be very very careful in our judgement of others and just because someone attends or attended there does not mean they are automatically wrong or failing.....God leads in different ways. I have several Christian friends here and there who attended public school all their lives and are today serving God and raising their families for Him and what a blessing and encouragement they are!!

I guess the point I am trying to make is one which the Lord has really been working on in my own life.....follow God's plan for my life and remember that that plan is not going to be the same for everybody else. God sees the heart and I can't and I don't have the right to judge others when it should be taking up all my time and attention keeping my own backyard cleaned up and my feet on the path God is leading me....and believe me that's a full time job ;)
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1 comment:

  1. Well said....
    My husband reminds me often, "As long as we can lay our head on the pillow each night, and know that we are right with God... that's all that matters". Just keep following day by day:)
    Praying for you and your sweet family:)

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