AFTER MONDAY: Basic Schooling at Home

We give thanks to the Lord who so blessed our time together on Monday evening, as a good number shared in the first CViE Online Meet-Up, ‘Home Education – Staying the Course’.

The meeting allowed for much sharing of the joys and challenges of this educational choice. CViE is hopeful that a fruit of this will be future shared times of mutual encouragement. 

With the next Online Meet-Up set for May 6, ‘State Education – Making Your Views Known’, it brought to mind a helpful article from years ago in CViE Newsletter, Issue 30, September 2010 in which the reader was reminded that, no matter the educational choice made, all parents are bound to a course of ‘Schooling at Home’ for their children.

“Basic Schooling at Home Education is not academic teaching alone. There are many lessons which need to be taught for the good of a child growing up today in an increasingly ungodly environment. This is the responsibility of parents and their Scriptural duty.

At this time of year when many children begin school, change school or continue into higher education, parents, as well as their children, will wonder what the future holds for them. State Education, which is the norm, has rapidly declined in recent years as to its respect for the Christian Faith, but it advances the requirements of recent government policy to promote the respect for behaviours and thoughts that are contrary to Holy Scripture. The curriculum for Religious Education in State Schools seeks to teach equality of all faiths and it encourages pupils to question fundamental beliefs. The teaching of Bible facts and truths has declined remarkably. Personal and Social Education, now being introduced at an early age, can readily corrupt the mind of an innocent child.

This adds additional concerns to Christian parents endeavouring to bring up their children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”[Ephesians 6:4]. Some parents opt to keep their children from State Education and educate them fully at home. Others feel they cannot undertake this heavy responsibility and are resigned to their children having to attend State Schools. However, whatever the choice, there is basic ‘Schooling at Home’ that applies to every family.

Schooling at home is not essentially academic. It is the development of good behaviour and a sound mind, which begins well before a child reaches the age of five years, through parental love and correction. This schooling embraces the qualities of honesty, good manners, obedience, giving and sharing, respect of others, and all principles of Scriptural teaching and behaviour. Such instruction to young children, which must continue uninterrupted throughout their school life, will be a good foundation to them and a shield against what they may have to face. This is so true in Higher Education when a young person may have to live away from home, focus on their chosen subject and be surrounded with many evil temptations and deluding philosophies.

Schooling at home also includes the teaching of general knowledge regarding the nature of God’s creation and encourages involvement in beneficial physical activities. The development of a good, well rounded, personality is surely the fruit of this Schooling with the Lord’s blessing.

It is reported in the daily press that a survey by the ‘Eden Inspires Campaign’ of two thousand children across the UK showed that a majority of those children stayed more inside with computer games and television than playing outside or visiting places of interest. Many had never visited a farm or knew that cows did not hibernate; neither did many know that conkers came from horse chestnut trees. On the same day it was reported that many rural ‘garden produce stalls’ are being removed by the owners from their front gates because payment is not being made for the produce taken and the payment ‘honesty’ boxes are being stolen.

State Education today is not there to teach specifically what the good and bad qualities of life are. Sadly it has to promote that nothing can be said to be actually right or wrong, but children must think for themselves what actions they should take. It is vital that children are taught at home the truth and practice of Holy Scripture as was Timothy [2 Timothy 3:15]. Through the Lord’s blessing may they grow, not only to be profitable hearers of the Word, but doers also [James 1:22].”