In a country where people are fiercely proud of their traditions, there comes a time to stop accepting the status quo and take a closer look at why you’re doing what you’re doing and whether it’s a good thing.
School is one of them.
I’m not going to go into another diatribe today about the real purpose of school. Instead I’m going to focus on another area that is often overlooked by the parents of kids in school- the removal of Christian values.
I know what some of you are thinking-
“OUR school is okay.”
And you know what? That’s great. But for how long? And not only that…how do you know it’s okay? Because you’re on the PTA? Because you read through all of your kids’ papers? Because your kids would surely tell you if something was amiss, right?
Reminds me of the adage, “Looks can be deceiving.”
Our culture is quickly changing. The lines between right and wrong are being blurred in our public schools. Many, many parents make a valiant effort of instilling positive moral values into their children, and many succeed. Unfortunately, though, it’s working less and less.
School students spend at least 30-35 hours per week in school where their Christian values are being questioned- not always openly, but insidiously. Besides the dubious things they are being taught in school, they are also surrounded by peers who are heavily influenced by the licentiousness of our society today.
It isn’t pretty.
I realize how comforting it is to think about how great your kids’ schools are, but I urge you to at least consider the possibility that you may not be seeing things as they really are.
I know that some of the things I write about can seem a bit controversial, but I write these things out of a desire to encourage and to speak the truth.
Maybe it’s time to shed some of those preconceived notions of what education is supposed to look like and take into consideration the fact that children throughout time have been taught at home without the government’s help. Just ask Thomas Edison, Virginia Woolf, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Are your dreams of watching your kids graduate from your high school alma mater worth the risk to their spiritual well-being?
The thought of bringing your kids home, out of the fray, so to speak, can seem like an impossible task, but the benefits to your child are certainly worth the risk.
But if you ask me, leaving your kids in school may well be the biggest risk of all.
Exciting news! I just published my first eBook, and it is posted on my store at Teachers Pay Teachers. Why don’t you head on over and take a look?
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There's No Place Like Home 
Although, that wasn’t the reason I bought my kids home for homeschooling, it is a challenge. It’s one of the reasons I put my kids in private Christian based schools. However, those schools weren’t providing the kind of environment my boys needed. Also, don’t forget that college is even a worst setting for Christian values. With the high amount of rapes, drug use and promiscuity that goes on campus, many parents forget that the buck doesn’t stop with traditional public school education. At the end of the day not all kids are swayed by their environment. Many kids do go to traditional schools and come out just fine. But those that don’t suffer a huge price. My oldest son had to go to his first funeral in his senior year of a friend and fellow football player who’s parents were heavily involved in school but couldn’t sway their son’s experimental drug use that led to an overdose. With that said, my oldest son feels strongly about the positives of his traditional school experience. I personally wished I could’ve homeschooled him, lol!
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That is so sad about your son’s friend. Wow. My oldest son also enjoyed his years in high school, and while I did homeschool him for two years, he graduated from public school. You’re so right about college. My oldest is a sophomore in college now, and he is doubting now more than ever. I have definitely made the observation that my kids that spent the most time in public school are the same kids who seem to struggle the most with their faith. Could it be a coincidence? Maybe. But I highly doubt it.
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My husband has been in student ministry for fifteen years and we’ve seen this to be true of Christian schools also. Hear me out, I’m certainly not saying that it always happens, but it’s almost like parents feel like they don’t have to be intentional with their time at home because the kids are in a Christian school. It’s as if they feel like that environment alone is enough to give their kids a solid faith foundation, but it’s not.
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While I’ve never had any personal experience with Christian schools (although our church is the main campus of one), I have heard the same thing. So, so unfortunate.
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Iove this, I wish more people would stop to consider all of these things before defaulting to pubic school!
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That’s exactly what it is…a default mechanism. Great way to put it!
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As a homeschool alum, I love finding posts like this! Thanks for sharing!
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I’m so glad to see that so many people agree!
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This is one of the most powerful posts I’ve read in a long time. “Intentionality” is so key.
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It really is. I think some people get so stuck in tradition that they forget to be intentional.
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You are so right about school. I think people still fall into the trap of believing their school is better than others, but there’s so much standardization happening through funding that it’s really not true. The basics are all the same, and it’s so not worth it to us to risk. Great post!
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You’re right. It’s absolutely not worth the risk. Our kids are too important.
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This is one of the primary reasons we homeschool. It’s hard enough to teach Christian values to our children when their always around. I know from experience that their not going to learn it in school though. Your friend from the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.
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Yes, that is so true. It’s hard regardless, but school just erases everything we work so hard to instill. Thank you for visiting!
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Thanks for having the courage to tell things as they are. May you have strength to continue telling truth.
Kathleen
Bloggers Pit Stop
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Thank you. It’s comments like yours that help me do that. 🙂
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This is so true. We have made the decision to homeschool our children though my background is solely public school and my husband is a mix of homeschool and public school years.
God led us to the decision to homeschool and it is a huge step of faith, totally out of the comfort zone and I hear the “OUR school is okay.” comment often around here! I am thankful the Lord will give me the strength to teach our children and He is reaffirming this decision daily. If I’m honest, I will tell you I am totally intimidated! But I know God is good and He won’t leave me or our family hanging. Here’s to breaking out of the comfort zone!
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It was not the primary reason why I chose to homeschool, but it was the final nail in the coffin for me.
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