The School Duel: Feedback
Obviously, when it comes to public schools vs. private schools vs. home schools, not everyone agrees with me. That’s okay because we all know who’s right anyway. (You, the decision-making parent :) Thanks to everyone who sent in the hearty “Amens!” but I thought I’d showcase some opinions that look at the situation a bit differently than I do, whether they agreed with me or not.Apostolic Private Schools
“One piece of your argument I think you overlook is that private schools with the ‘quality education’ are most likely are not Apostolic private schools. Most Apostolic private schools are just like Apostolic colleges: not accredited and not primarily focused on education (yes, that sounded entirely too snarky, but it's for the most part true). I would rather my child learn from a non-Apostolic college graduate than a high school graduate preacher's wife filled with the Holy Ghost. And knowing a lot of kids from ‘Christian’ schools growing up, I can assure you they need a good influence in their lives too, and they need to know the truth as well.
“If I send my child to private school, it will most likely be one of the best schools for education in this area: Either the Nazarene school or the Baptist one. [My daughter] will be a witness to those kids and a ‘missionary’ there just like she would be at a public school (which if they continue to improve like they have done recently in our area, then public school will be a great option for her). As you know, just because it's labeled Christian, doesn't make it so.”
Homeschooling Pros and Cons
“You talked about homeschooling: Both of my kids have been homeschooled over the past two years. They will enter public school this year. The big bogeyman of homeschooling – ‘socialization’ -- has not been a problem for us. My daughter is very shy, but my son is very outgoing and interacts well with adults and with other children.
"With this self-imposed ghetto Christians are putting ourselves into, there are community impacts of home and private schooling. I think there are serious social consequences to restricting ourselves and our children to people that think, look, dress, talk, believe, and act the same as us. I've made an effort to know and like my neighbors -- these are the people that look after my house when I'm out of town or bring the dog in if it gets out in the middle of the day, not the people in my church who all live in another town 15 miles away. Keep in mind that the kids your child goes to school today with will be the business leader she networks with 20 or 30 years from now.
“My son (age 10) is an excellent reader and loves science and history. In math he's at about 2nd grade level. His penmanship is that of a first grader. In my opinion, homeschooling has been a disaster for him.”
A Sensible Homeschool Advocate
“As the husband of a homeschooling wife (you called that one right in our family) let me share just a few thoughts.
“We have people in all three categories in our church — homeschool, private, and public. It has been my observation that kids in public school almost never do as well spiritually as the other two categories. This could be because public schools are staffed to a large degree by teachers and administrators steeped in postmodern philosophy. Even if they don’t attack Christianity, per se, they are instilling the idea there is no such thing as absolute truth and that we are to be tolerant of all beliefs. So much for ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life…..,’ and ‘no man comes to the Father except through me.’
“Then there is the influence of the other kids. Kids who are medicated, kids who have few limits, kids who have horrible family lives, etc. Homeschoolers are often accused of not socializing their kids, to which I would reply, ‘There are some kids I don’t want my children to socialize with.’ My kids have zero problems with social behavior. Great mission field??? Yes, but expecting a child to be able to resist all of these influences is a tall order. Resisting them and taking the initiative to witness of the Lord Jesus Christ is a step beyond the tall order.
“Add to this that many Christian parents are just not all that involved in their child’s education, and really don’t know what kinds of things they are learning when they are in a public school. Granted the same could probably be said of Sunday school as well!
Sadly, it has been my experience that ‘Christian’ adults have trouble influencing their immediate world for Christ, let alone asking a child to do this. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, and true Christian children would have to have a lot on the ball to resist the overwhelming negative peer pressure.
“My advice to parents who have their children in public school is this: Stay on top of what your child is learning. Check out the curriculum, check out the books, check out the teacher, join the PTA (if it’s still around), volunteer for school functions. Watch your child’s behavior to see if anything seems to be changing. Discuss what is wrong with some of the things they are being taught if they are in conflict with the scriptures.
“I have a problem with homeschoolers that don’t give their children a quality education. We need to equip our children to operate in this world as adults. I plan on exposing my children to the theory of evolution so they will have a working knowledge of what the evolutionists believe. [My daughter], who has just completed her fifth year of homeschool has already taken two years of Latin and one year of French. [My son] is taking Latin as well. All of our children will because we (that is to say, my wife :) are giving them what is known as a classical education. The kind they used to give in public schools many moons ago.
“Home schooled graduates can run for public office; they can become teachers and teach in the public school system, they can become influencers in high places. One that I know of, who has written a book my wife uses, is a college professor.
“It may not be an option for you (as a single mom) at this point in your life; private school may be too expensive (and even they have some issues); maybe the public schools in south Texas still have old fashioned morality, values, and absolutes taught there. If public school is your choice, or if it’s the only option for you, then follow my advice above.
“Ok, off my soap box! You’re right, it is a hot button topic among parents, and I genuinely sympathize with your plight as a single parent. But, the Lord is with you! And with your daughter! And He will help and guide you in your decisions.
“BTW, how do you throw an omnipresent God out of the school system?”
Plus: Go read why one mother felt E-mail me! I reserve the right to quote you unless you ask otherwise.
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