No, you didn't. I was referring to something another poster said.
-
Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
public schools
- Thread starter SolaSaint
- Start date
- Status
No, you didn't. I was referring to something another poster said.
Thanks for the clarification.
Not really, I can't think of any reason for a "Committed Christian" to put ones kids in a school like I described...can you?
I do not think there are good reasons for public schools. However, until the church can rise up to help and provide alternatives for parents who are unable to homeschool for one reason or another.
Having a public policy that breaks up the education monopoly would help churches provide better options for parents.
Finances. Being in the world and not of it. That's two directly affecting me.
I agree, but until there is a better option homeschooling is the ONLY option.
That is your mere opinion and is not anywhere close to being fact or authoritative.
Are you saying those are reasons you can't homeschool? Finances is no excuse. I'm not sure what you mean by being in the world and not of it.
Then help me out here. Give me ONE example of when it would be ok for a Christian to put their kids in a public school like I described.
That's not for me to say. I'm just saying your opinion isn't the last word on the issue. It's your conscience, nothing else.
Of course its my opinion. Thats what every post on here is, someones opinion. But can anyone on here tell me how their concious could think its ok to put their kids in a public school setting like I described.
Sapper Woody
Well-Known Member
The area one is in will determine heavily whether or not the local public school is a safe place for children. When I lived in Kansas, there were a lot of public school students in my church, and they all were good, Godly teens. On the other hand, I have seen places where the Christian School teens were out of control.
I personally have decided that my children will not go to a public school. They will either be enrolled in a Christian school (with my involvement, to insure that nothing that I don't believe is being taught there), or they will be homeschooled, as both me and my wife have the ability to homeschool.
A problem with this "homeschool or nothing" mentality is that parents may or may not have the ability to teach their children. There are many good curriculi out there to assist in homeschooling. But the bottom line is, if you don't understand it, how can you teach it?
Other times, parents say that they are homeschooling their children, but the child isn't learning. I know of a family who's children did not learn to read until about the age of 8. The children had no learning disabilities. They just were not taught.
FAL made the statement that if a child goes astray in public school, then they never had the faith to begin with. Obviously. If I put my 4/5 year old in kindergarten, then they don't have the faith yet. And the indoctrination of what is taught in school will at the very least confuse them. Even the strongest teenager has still not had enough world experience to resist day in and day out bombardments of what they believe in, especially if they don't have a strong relationship with parents who can defend their stance(s).
As far as Christian school kids going bad, every case is different. But the ones I saw were when a Christian kid lived a sheltered life (not "in the world", as some put it) and didn't have a clue what they'd be facing when they got into the "real world". Then they got jobs and cars, and got a taste of fun (there is pleasure in sin for a season), and wondered why they weren't told about this stuff. They then went off the deep end.
Just my $.02.
I personally have decided that my children will not go to a public school. They will either be enrolled in a Christian school (with my involvement, to insure that nothing that I don't believe is being taught there), or they will be homeschooled, as both me and my wife have the ability to homeschool.
A problem with this "homeschool or nothing" mentality is that parents may or may not have the ability to teach their children. There are many good curriculi out there to assist in homeschooling. But the bottom line is, if you don't understand it, how can you teach it?
Other times, parents say that they are homeschooling their children, but the child isn't learning. I know of a family who's children did not learn to read until about the age of 8. The children had no learning disabilities. They just were not taught.
FAL made the statement that if a child goes astray in public school, then they never had the faith to begin with. Obviously. If I put my 4/5 year old in kindergarten, then they don't have the faith yet. And the indoctrination of what is taught in school will at the very least confuse them. Even the strongest teenager has still not had enough world experience to resist day in and day out bombardments of what they believe in, especially if they don't have a strong relationship with parents who can defend their stance(s).
As far as Christian school kids going bad, every case is different. But the ones I saw were when a Christian kid lived a sheltered life (not "in the world", as some put it) and didn't have a clue what they'd be facing when they got into the "real world". Then they got jobs and cars, and got a taste of fun (there is pleasure in sin for a season), and wondered why they weren't told about this stuff. They then went off the deep end.
Just my $.02.
Here is the issue, while I appreciate and share your convictions to some degree, I am not willing to impose and make blanket statements about other families. There are circumstances that unless the church does a better job in helping which are in tough situations, it could make the idea of "everyone homeschooling" impossible or extremely difficult for some.
As well, I think every family who can remove their child from the public school should. However, family situations make this impossible to have a blanket and overarching reality for each and every family.
Now first off, I want to say that I am no public school apologist and I am a homeschooler (just was interviewed by my 6th grader for English - LOL).
I sent my two oldest girls to high school for 9th through 12th grades after being home schooled from early elementary through 8th grades. They both were mature, well grounded in their faith and ready for what they each needed in the public school. My oldest girl needed some outside accountability since she was not working well at home knowing that I still loved her even if she did poorly on her attention and getting work done. At school, she challenged herself more because she wanted to please the teachers. It also helped our relationship because I was now no longer always having to be the bad guy but instead was able to be her mom and allow her to begin learning how to work away from me. A side benefit was that we discovered her great talent in art and she went on to college on a scholarship to become an art teacher. She has just two more semesters before she graduates.
My second daughter went to high school because she excelled in all she did. She became proud and needed to see that she was not the top dog all the time. She learned humbleness at school and what came easy to her came even easier to others and she had others who were better than her. It was a good experience for her as well and she learned a lot at school that she couldn't learn at home including having private voice lessons with her choir and as such, she has become one of our main worship leaders at our small campus!
Both of my girls were able to minister to so many kids - because they had a great foundation from being home for the first years of their education and they were at the point of being mature in their faith and socially that they didn't get sucked into the bad stuff but instead were instrumental in bringing the Gospel to their school. They also were a witness in just their lives to the teachers and EVERY teacher loved them and knew that they were who they were because of Christ.
So I DO think there is a good reason to send our kids to public school. I don't think elementary or middle schools are the times to send them but high school is a definite option for our kids. I'm not sure what I'll do with these two younger ones but I am totally open to sending them to the public school if that is where God leads us.
Actually 8 is probably a more natural age to learn to read than 5. I learned this when watching a friend of mine - who is a special education teacher specializing in reading - struggle with her daughter who could not read. It wasn't until she was 9 years old that it "clicked" and she suddenly was reading chapter books. It was strange but showed me that not all kids learn to read very early and that a child learning to read a little older does not mean a failure on the part of the parent or the student. This woman's daughter is now a senior at Liberty University, has been a leader through all her years there and she is going to be going on for her masters right after she graduates. She's a brilliant kid - just not ready to read at 5.
Sapper Woody
Well-Known Member
For some, it won't click to read early. I was reading at the age of 3. My brother and sisters around 5 (My Mom had more time to work with me one-on-one; I am a firstborn). But for some, that's not the case. But 8 is definitely NOT the norm. When I went to school, my entire kindergarten class graduated kindergarten able to read. It's been that way at every school I attended as a kid, with a few children being the exeptions.
I understand that some kids learn differently, and it may take longer. But a whole family (of 8 kids) not learning to read until ~8 is not normal.
Also, I know this family personally, and I know for a fact that they were slacking on teaching their kids. So, argue the evidence if you want, my original statement is still valid.
Finances are no excuse? Are you going to replace my salary so I can home school? If you don't know what I mean about being in the world no wonder you only promote sheltering your kids at home.
I know numerous families where the parents both work full time but are able to homeschool.
must be unique situations, no way we could swing it
Nope I'm not going to replace your salary so you can home school. It takes sacrifices. Some choose to sacrifice having "stuff" for their kids, some sacrifice their kids so they can have the "stuff".
I know what you are trying to say about being in the world but not of it. But young children who are learning don't have the maturity to do that. Adrian Rogers once said "You can stick a white glove in a mud hole a hundred times and you will never get glovey mud, you will always get a muddy glove".
As for home schooling kids being "sheltered", well that is just silly. The old "Socialization" myth has been proven wrong a long time ago.
- Status