by Diana Dow
Synopsis: Parents have been given the responsibility of teaching their children. Much thought and prayer is required for them to make the best educational choices for their family.
"Six-Year-Old Brings Knife To School." That was the headline that caught this momma's attention. There was no way I was going to send my five-year-old across the street to a school where weapons were being brandished by six-year-olds. I wasn't the only one who started their homeschool journey over a seemingly silly incident. There was the mom who told me she pulled her child out of school because he was served green eggs and ham while learning about Dr.Seuss. I chuckled and tucked that amazingly creative idea away to be used at a later date. Then there was the mom who told me she wanted to homeschool so she wouldn't have to get up early to take her kids to school. Admittedly, that momma was being honest, if nothing else.
If these seem like pretty lame reasons to homeschool, they are. Perhaps they would be better described as excuses to take the plunge. If the six-year-old with a knife, green eggs and ham, or sleeping late were the only reasons for choosing to homeschool, it wouldn't be long before one's child would be placed in public school. Homeschooling is hard. Parents who choose to homeschool need something more than an anecdotal excuse to undertake and continue this challenging task.
So why do families homeschool? Let's go back to the beginning and see what God says about educating children. A child is a heritage (i.e., gift or reward) from God (Ps. 127:3). God has placed that child in the parents' arms to bring him up to respect and reverence Him (Eph. 6:4).
God has given parents the responsibility of training (teaching, educating) their children (Deut. 11:19). God has commanded that the child obey his parents (Eph. 6:1). God has said that the obedient child honors his parents (Eph. 6:2) but the disobedient child brings shame upon them (Prov. 29:15).
This beautiful gift that God has given parents brings with it great responsibility, but He does not leave them without instruction. He tells parents they are to teach their children by talking to them—when they sit in their homes, when they walk down the street, when they go to bed at night, and when they arise in the morning (Deut. 11:19). Teaching children takes time. It takes effort. It takes consistency. This is God's plan.
As a parent, I am to teach my child about God. I am to teach about the world He has created (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics). I am to teach who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. I should instruct my children on how we view ourselves as members of society (history, geography, literature). To do this, I must give my child the tools that he needs to learn in his youth and to carry that learning throughout his life (reading, writing).
While it is the parents' responsibility to teach their child, they may delegate some or all of his education to someone else, as with Samuel being taught by Eli or Paul being taught by Gamaliel. If a school or an individual will teach the child about God's creation, His history, and His ways, then the parents may delegate as they see fit, keeping in mind that the parents are ultimately the ones responsible to God for their child's education.
So why do families homeschool? Having considered God's word, researched the available options and spent much time in prayer, some determine to invest their time and energy into educating their children at home. Others have done the same and have chosen to delegate the teaching of their children to someone else. Both will need the strength and courage that can only come from their relationship with God and the gift of prayer. May we all pray for wisdom to make the right decision, strength to carry out what lies ahead, and courage to stand firm when others cast doubt. Whichever method we choose, let us support one another as we work towards the same goal, bringing our children up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
