A short list of problems in the public schools and their application to other areas
Published by tramsek July 20th, 2006 in UpdatesJust a few issues that I see in the government schools and I’d like to apply these concepts to other areas of our lives.
1) Children are segregated by age
2) Children are separated from their parents influence
3) Children of one household of different ages are broken up into different classes
4) Children are influenced negatively by their peers
5) Children are generally taught curriculum which their parents didn�t approve
6) Children are taught in large classes, typically 30 or more students
7) Children are usually in classes where the main priority is simply keeping utter chaos from breaking out. Some teachers discipline more than instruct.
Now as a Christian, notice that although these weaknesses are descriptive of the government school system, they are also indicative of most Christian schools as well. Even further, I would propose that they also describe, unfortunately, many local churches to which our families belong. Iââ?¬â?¢m referring to the Sunday Schools for children, the churchââ?¬â?¢s Bible clubs for kids, AWANA type programs, ââ?¬Å?childrenââ?¬â?¢sââ?¬? church, youth groups, Jr. High groups, High School groups, etc.
Notice that even in many of our local churches, as soon as we walk through the church doors our families are broken apart. I believe the world tries to break up my family enough as it is, I certainly don�t want to go to church and have my family broken up again. Yet that is exactly what happens in thousands of churches around the country. A family of seven walks in and one child is sent to the nursery, another is sent to the 3rd grade class, another is marched to the 6th grade Sunday school, a fourth trots off to the Jr. High group, and lastly a teenager goes to the youth group. Age segregation is not taught in the Bible. This philosophy came from evolutionist underpinnings and was instituted in our public schools by the framework of humanist John Dewey and other founders of the government school system. The church has simply taken cues from the public schools and copied aspects of that system.
Iââ?¬â?¢m not saying that all of these types of groups are evil, but Iââ?¬â?¢m asking Christians to step back and take a big picture look at what is happening to the institution of the family in the world, in education and in the church. Many Christians who have come to see homeschooling as the best way to instill a love for God and His word into children are starting to look at the local church and ask some pointed questions. Negative peer influence, or ââ?¬Ë?socializationââ?¬â?¢ is a big reason why lots of us homeschool. Rather than seeing socialization as a weakness of homeschooling, it is actually one of its greatest strengths. Our children are being socialized by godly adults (their parents). And we can supervise the socialization they have with other children (their siblings and friends). Just as we protect our children physically from harm, we see our responsibility as protecting our children from spiritual harm.
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A lot of these types of programs are really just teaching ââ?¬Ë?Bible storiesââ?¬â?¢ to our young children and unfortunately are disconnected from the ââ?¬Ë?real worldââ?¬â?¢. We need some real curriculum that will ââ?¬Ë?reconnect the Bible to the real worldââ?¬â?¢. Also many of the ââ?¬Ë?youth groupsââ?¬â?¢ in America are simply places where ââ?¬Ë?funââ?¬â?¢ is emphasized over a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the reasons why we are losing our children as they get older is because weââ?¬â?¢ve fed them with so much ââ?¬Ë?funââ?¬â?¢ that they have built up a desire for self-gratification. When the reason why they come to church is because it is ââ?¬Ë?funââ?¬â?¢ then sooner or later they will realize that they can have much more fun with the world. The churchââ?¬â?¢s idea of fun can hold a young childââ?¬â?¢s desires for a while, but the worldââ?¬â?¢s idea of fun is so much greater (that is, pleasing to the flesh). The fun of the church cannot hold a candle to the fun of the world. Once teenagers get a hold of that concept, you see them leaving the church.
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The issue is becoming that a lot of what we see as wrong with the public school system is also in the church. Even homeschoolers who try their best to keep their children from harmful peer pressure by educating them at home are seeing the same issues while their children are at youth group or Sunday school, etc. I believe God is prompting fathers and mothers to see the problems of age segregation, amongst other issues, and giving them a yearning for something more, something different.
God is leading many families (fathers in particular) to have a vision for a family friendly or family integrated meeting of the church. An assembly of believers where families are welcomed and encouraged to sit together as they worship the Lord through songs, teaching, fellowship, prayer and the breaking of bread. I believe this can be a very healthy environment for children to see their parents worshipping God and fellowshipping with other believers.
Some might object, ââ?¬Å?But children need teaching on their own level. They canââ?¬â?¢t understand everything the pastor is teaching.ââ?¬? I would agree. But the solution is not to break up the family by segregating them into separate classes. Rather, remember it is the parentsââ?¬â?¢ responsibility to educate and disciple their own children. Good church leadership would encourage fathers to disciple their wives and children. Even the teaching time can be geared to equipping fathers to that end. So when children do have questions about the sermon, the parents can be the ones to explain it to them ââ?¬Ë?on their levelââ?¬â?¢.
Again, the Bible is clear that children are given to parents, not the government, not the schools and not even the church, primarily. Parents and fathers in particular, let me encourage you to boldly take back the ââ?¬Ë?outsourcingââ?¬â?¢ of your childrenââ?¬â?¢s education, not only in academic things but also in spiritual things. Fathers, ask God to give you the wisdom and courage to be the spiritual leader and primary discipler of your wife and children. May God grant you the grace and conviction to bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
In appreciation of this article I relay this to you.
I designed and implimented an age-integrated Sunday School class at our church. The church was relatively small but had quite a few “age appropriate” classes.
I “advertised” this class by telling as many parents about it that I could before the class was scheduled to start. Many were skeptical but agreed to “give it a try.”
The first Sunday, most of the parents and their children attended this class. It was then determined that most of the “other” classes did not need to meet. The teachers and children of these “other” classes thus met in the A-I class.
Within 3 weeks the only “other” S.S. class was that of the Senior Adults. God truly blessed the A-I class. The parents and children had more fun interacting and learning with each other than they ever had in segregated classes. Many, if not all, testified of this. And parents and children were brought closer together as a result.
I praise God for that experience.
8) Children learn early on that grades, not learning, matters most.
9) Children are led to believe that textbooks are infallible.
10) Children are taught that collaboration of thoughts and ideas with other children is called cheating.
I believe that it is the responsibility of the parent to become more active participants in the daily teachings of their children. This article is a basic outline of subject matter that fathers and mothers should be thinking about. I do agree with the integration of age groups for Sunday school, but am willing to accept that my own church does not do this for us. I have my little ones at home all day and homeschooled for preschool this past year and felt fine that sunday school morning was “okay” to separate everyone. Sounds so much more ideal to get more hands on though with my babies and their sunday school teaching. Sunday schools should welcome the parent’s participation more than it does because of the more important teaching going on there than the public schools (which allow for volunteering!). Hmmm…that really gets my mind processes going.
THank you for the blog. I think that a lot of parents in this country need an awakening when it comes to how much information goes in to their children that they are unaware. We must trust the Lord with our children, admonish our husbands to lead more in that area, and be much more active in guiding our children in the way that they should go. Right now, is the majority really even concerned with that or are they merely “trusting” the teachers and babysitters to be teaching them properly for us? Basically, we need to take on our parent roles more than our money-making endeavours.