SALEM, Ore. (BP)–Concerns over sexual permissiveness, the teaching of questionable philosophies, violence and drugs in public schools are some of the reasons Brian Ray spells out in his new book for avoiding public schools.
But it’s not just the absence of negative influences that led Ray and his wife to teach their eight children at home. The author of the “Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling” sees the home as the most conducive environment for close discipleship of children.
A certified instructor who has taught college-level classes, Ray said he used to review the schedules students from Christian homes followed while they were growing up. Those who attended school outside the home never had the same kind of time with their parents as those who were homeschooled, he said.
“You can never replicate that if your child is gone six to eight hours a day, five days a week,” Ray said. “People can make the excuse that if their child gets home at 3:30 and they spend three hours with them, don’t rush off to games or watch TV, they can have as much or more quality time. But it doesn’t work that way.”
Even in Christian schools, youngsters face challenges for which they aren’t prepared, Ray said. In addition to the peer pressure and a social atmosphere where peers become more important than parents, he said more than a quarter of students are enrolled by parents who think Christian teachers can “fix” their children.
“There are many other reasons, but the most pro-active and positive is that in a home-school situation, the environment is naturally conducive to (parental) discipling.
“In a sense, all education is teaching of values, beliefs and a worldview,” Ray added. “If a person has the chance to home educate his children, he can be more assured that his values and beliefs will be transmitted to his children than someone else’s.”
Two officials at Broadman & Holman (B&H) Publishers, which recently released Ray’s book, agree that homeschooling has been beneficial to their families.
David Shepherd and his wife also have eight children, ranging from ages 5 to 23. The three oldest are either in college or will enroll this fall; two have earned small scholarships.
While his wife handles the brunt of the teaching duties, B&H’s senior vice president and publisher oversees a weekly tutoring session for 15 teens. Reflecting the use of more parental cooperatives as children mature, he teaches them government and economics, while others teach additional subjects.
Their three oldest children were once enrolled in Christian schools. But they spent so much time reviewing homework in the evening they decided to do more of that work during the day, Shepherd said.
“There were both cultural reasons and spiritual reasons,” Shepherd said. “The spiritual was tied to the cultural. As parents, we believe it’s our responsibility to educate our children. The more we are involved in their schooling, the better.”
Matt Stewart, manager of church and school resources, said he and his wife decided to start homeschooling their four children — now ages 10 to 17 — nine years ago to help give their children a better chance for success.
“Our philosophy is you need to do what’s best for the kids,” Stewart said. “If they will do best in public schools, that’s where they need to be. If it’s Christian schools, that’s what you need to do. Some families can’t afford to have one parent home teaching during the day. That’s fine. Every family needs to do what’s best for them.”
Regardless of what choice they make, Glen Schultz of LifeWay Christian Resources said parents must recognize they have the primary responsibility for their children’s education.
“They cannot be merely ‘dropped off’ and expect the teachers to do the job for them,” said Schultz, the agency’s director of Christian schools. “Parents must stay very involved in the educational process. Christian schools are there to provide support to Christian parents who may not be able to homeschool.
“You don’t homeschool because the parents are best or because Christian schools are best. They both follow principles of biblical education and parents have to choose. There is peer pressure in Christian schools, but there’s peer pressure in neighborhoods, too.”
Every Christian parent faces difficult decisions when determining the best possible schooling choice for their child, Schultz said, noting it is important that parents know the principles found in God’s Word as to “how” they are to educate their children. These principles will guide parents to “where” this best takes place, he said.
LifeWay Church Resources has published a resource that will help parents understand these biblical principles, Schultz said — “Kingdom Education: God’s Plan for Educating Future Generations.”
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