What are your thoughts on the best approuch for schooling our children Public , Christian , or Home ???

As a public school teacher who has had my children in both public school and christian school, and who has had many friends who have home schooled, here is my take.

I think it is very important that what your children are taught at home agrees with what they are taught in church and with what they are taught in school.

My first choice is home-school, but it has to be done right. It is not the lazy parent's way out. That is a disaster. But for a parent who is diligent and focused, it is an amazingly rewarding experience for both the parent and the child, and is academically superior in every case I have seen where the parent took the responsibility seriously and went about it diligently.

My second choice is christian school, but choose a good one. Some are better than others.

My last choice is public school. I have known of parents who raised their children in a home school environment or in christian school who sent them to public high school. This is very dependent on how strong in the Lord the individual child may be.

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Travis

Lord told us to raise our children at home when my 1st was little. I have 5 now and all are home-schooled. Most all Christian schools now are like sending them to youth group at the local mega church. Not God's Biblical plan for raising kids. Public schools are government sanctioned schools of learning the ways of this world. Many a true Christian parent has sent them off to later have nothing but grief and regret. There are many Home-School Co-Ops now and even an amazing idea known as University Model Schools, which is a hybrid of homeschooling and Christian schooling. It's very expensive though (especially if you have a house full of kids).
I came home years ago (about 10 now) and told my wife the Lord would have us homeschool our children. She said, "I can't do that". I said, "I know, but the Lord will empower you/us as we trust and obey Him." He has been more than faithful.
We use the Hooked on Phonics, Hooked on Math, & other workbooks until 3rd grade. Then, in 3rd grade we start them on a christian computer based software program curriculum called "Switched on Schoolhouse" (S.O.S.) by Alpha-Omega. It is PHENOMENAL. It is a help to a mother/teacher in auto-organizing and helping keep their learning on track, we buy them used when there are good deals for reselling used ones on EBay (full curriculums for each grade, including Bible - all with videos, reading, typing, writing, grading, planning, etc.). I can't recommend this particular curriculum enough. But ultimately, the Lord put it on our heart to train up our children at home away from this crooked and perverse generation, and He has been faithful.
Other PHENOMENAL resources are the "Titus 2" ministry website of the Maxwell Family (WHAT A BLESSING), and the "PEARABLES" stuff - WOW! You only get one chance as a parent. Pray, fast, and choose wisely your course. God has been faithful to bless us. The whole single parent income was a hurdle mentally, but again we went to God's Word and trusted Him as we take our individual roles as husband and as wife seriously, and He has never failed us but blessed us.
I know many on this forum even reject Biblical roles of men/women as "restrictive" based on other recent threads. The spirit of this age and our culture is so pervasive that we can be acting as Jezebel and Ahab in our own Christian home and not even realize it. You have to act as if you had never been born into this culture, go back and just read God's Word as a child, believe what it says, and walk ye in it. What a blessing God pours out on you when you do! The feminist spirit is as pervasive, sneaky, and entrenched as the Roman Spirit. Jesus spoke to one of the churches in Rev 2-3 and rebuked one of the churches for to.erating that woman Jezebel in their midst. And the result was sexual immorality. Has anyone noticed the rampant sexual misconduct these days initiated by the women?
Better take note, go back to the Word of God people and see what God says about men/women roles. Don't attack me and tell me about the extreme cases of "abuse" in this area. Obviously there are, but does that nullify the Word of God? If some people beat their children unmercifully, does that nullify spanking entirely? If some people chain their kids up in the basement, does that nullify genuine Biblical home training in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Don't let the devil's extreme counterfeits make you throw out God's genuine "baby" with the bath-water. That's the devils intent in sowing such tares. Are we that foolish, undiscerning, and Biblically ignorant? We have His Word and access to His Spirit through Christ. We have no excuse for such ignorance and we will give an account at the Judgment Seat. That is sobering. Time is short. You only have one life and one shot as raising children and having a family. Don't assume all kinds of cultural norms. Read & obey the Word of God by the Spirit of God.

Home-school vs conventional schooling - this potentially could become a hot thread...

In any case the question was asked.

Scripture does not teach us which school is the ideal for children. We do know the Jewish synagogue was used as a place where Jewish children were taught/educated. Later, the church continued this practice of taking responsibility of teaching their young. Back in the 1800s the gov got involved with the idea they can better manipulate the people if they take responsibility for their education. It took a while but they accomplished this task quite well.

In response to this many christian folks again took the initiative to school their own children. In the community where I grew up in IN there were no Christian schools - the public schools were pretty good back then but some thought otherwise. So one was built in 1950 and that is where I got my elementary education. It was a good school...Today, this school has embraced a sports program that differs little from the surrounding schools. In the process it is little more then a public school except that it teaches Bible and operated by local churches... Having said all this, there was a segment of concerned parents who withdrew their children and started their own school and it is doing quite well, as I understand it.

So much for history.

As I look at the education system, be it public, Christian school or home-school, all have their problems and one is going to have to make a choice and work to eliminate them.

I included home-school, yes, and for good reason. It is not for everyone. We have many in our church who did so and some did a poor job. Some of these children cannot read well and when this is the case it will hamper all other learning. The males are expected to be leaders in the church and how can they if they do not even read well?? They can make a lot of noise but it is just that, noise. Sorry, folks...

My point is that if you do decide to home-school you must teach these children well. If you fail the gov will feel justified to outlaw it. It is up to the parent.

Our children went to a Christian school sponsored by our church. After graduating from high school they went to state universities and Bible Schools/Institute. The lessons they learned in grade school/high school are those that impacted them for life. (The youngest wanted to be home schooled and in hindsight this was not good for him even though we used the A Beka video program.)

Generally speaking we feel very good about their education. Most of our grandchildren are attending schools similar to what their parents did.

My opinion is that there is no one-size fits all solution because communities differ as do their schools. This is something that requires prayerful consideration by the parents.

God bless...

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Sandra Miller

Personally we home school. My wife is (was) a public and private school teacher, along with my father and both brother-in-laws.

I feel that if you let your children go to public school for 8 hours a day, you better be ready to deprogram them for another 8 hours after school is over.

6 children, all will be homeschooled... As long as my wife can take it at least. I'm sure some of you can understand this :)

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Christiaan

I can only echo this from TWAYNE and confirm in my own experience that this is correct.

As an encouragement & exhortation, I would say this:
Anyone who has been born again & filled with the Holy Spirit should fast & pray about this matter. Seek the Lord. Anyone who thinks the Lord is telling them to place their children in the public school system, please reply back. It's like anything else-today we look at things, even Biblical matters, through Greek eyes of logic, bullet-point comparisons, & polling (even of others who profess Christ). We have the Holy Spirit accessible to us through Christ. Seek God. I'd be VERY interested in hearing from anyone who said:
A.) I'm a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ
B.) I've been Born Again from above & am a new creature in Christ
C.) I've been baptized/filled w/the Holy Spirit that God promises to all who believe & seek Him for it.
D.) I've fasted (that means literally "shut the mouth from food") & prayed about this extremely important matter of my children's upbringing for which we only get one chance.
E.) God told me to put my kids in public schools.

Don't argue about E.) with me unless you can honestly answer yes to A.), B.), C.), & D.) FIRST! If you make sure A.)-D.) are handled, then come back and tell me what you think about the matter.

proudpapa,

Do all in your power to keep your children from MIXTURE while they are in your care and personally take it upon yourself to teach them about the Lord and most importantly to walk before them in love and in the Spirit. This will take sacrifice and you and your wife are personally responsible for them.

Meditate on this extract from an article of mine and you will realize that the principle of separation is tied in with righteousness. What you want in your family is order and peace which is the kind of environment that your children will flourish in and eventually establish a relationship with the Lord for themselves.
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God brought forth everything on a principle of separation establishing an order in creation that preserved all He made. Separation is the first principle of righteousness. On the first day of creation God brought forth the light that separated darkness from darkness and it was the first day. On the second day, God separated the waters from the waters and the earth appeared. And on each succeeding day in all that He made, life was separated from life in all its forms. This is righteousness coming through order.

There is order in righteousness that maintains life. Because God is righteous, the sun comes up every morning, the earth maintains its orbit around the sun, the clouds water the earth and the earth blossoms. Because God is righteous, there are no monsters, no crossing over of life forms. Kind produces kind and all is good, just as it was when created. God set everything in its order, so life was established. This is righteousness.

Mixture is contrary to righteousness. In all creation mixture was not found except for a tree called 'the tree of knowledge of good and evil,' which became the place of man’s fall. Evil comes through mixture. Here one finds the first principle of evil. The incorporation of evil is sin. It is the nature of sin to break down order and cause disintegration. All kinds of disorder come until all the life support systems of one’s life are destroyed. The working of evil is always death.

It is mixture of good and evil that destroys righteousness. Evil can look good, but when evil comes in, it destroys all that righteousness has made. How many of God’s people are feeding upon mixture? The tree could be a book, a TV, a movie, a magazine, a philosophy or a relationship. The world today is full of mixture. It will excite the flesh but result in death for the soul.

Through mixture one loses the discernment of evil. In looking upon evil, one comes to accept evil; to experience evil, one loses the discernment of evil; and when discernment of evil is lost, evil has overcome. Not following the first principle of righteousness allows evil to enter. A prophet pronounced judgment upon a nation because they had lost discernment.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isa 5:20

God’s people must separate themselves from evil and draw the line between the clean and the unclean, between the holy and the profane. Fathers must teach their children to draw this line. The mixture of evil must be eliminated from the home and from the church. How much one allows the principle of separation to work in his life will determine how much God’s righteousness will work in his life.

Righteousness brings order and peace.

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
Isa 32:17-18

Here is God’s call to righteousness.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 2Co 6:14

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2Co 6:16

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 2Co 6:17

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2Co 6:18

Pilgrim

jeffmar,

Both your posts were spot on, and I do hope you'll continue with the "encouragement & exhortation" as you put it.

You're so right that many here on S.I. "look at things, even Biblical matters, through Greek eyes of logic, bullet-point comparisons, & polling (even of others who profess Christ)."

Beware of the many closet femnists who will crawl into this thread and leave their brown trail spewing from their americanized minds.

Apparently you're privy to the manifold schemes the adversary is making use of to promote his agenda in opposition to the Kings' order. Yet it is ever true,"To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed."

It was refreshing to read your posts jeffmar. Just when I thought nobody out there was reading those threads you mentioned. At least nobody who had the mind of Christ on it and was taking every thought captive. Sadly, so few know what God's Mind is regarding these monumental truths.

Press on jeffmar!

Pressing on,

Savannah

edit:for conviction purposes, I give my apology

Feminism is a serious problem in our culture but
I would ask that this thread stay on topic