Several weeks back I made an error at the opticians. Approximately forty-five seconds into our appointment he discovered that we are a home educating family. I was taken aback to find that he was fully supportive of our educational choice. We agreed that bright children thrive and struggling children blossom when they are allowed to work at their own pace. What was ostensibly an extremely pleasant tête-à-tête left me kicking myself on the walk back home. How did I manage to have a conversation about our educational philosophy and neglect to mention the Lord? I know better than this.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of explaining away our decision to home educate with socially acceptable platitudes! Why is it so tempting to hide behind what is good? There are a host of benefits that accompany educating from home: children profit from learning at their own pace, permission to explore areas of interest sets the desire to learn on fire, families grow closer, freedom to learn and rest according to the rhythm of our families, schools appear to be overwhelmed with problems. The list goes on and on. All of these reasons are good; most of these explanations ring true for genuine listeners. Yet, in and of themselves these explanations completely miss the point of what we are doing.
Why do we home educate our children? We home educate our children because we are Christians who have determined to give our children a Christian education. After all, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). We acknowledge the command to bring our children up in the Lord and recognise that education is a means to fulfil this. We are not sounding a bell for home education per se. We are resounding a gong for Christian education in whatever form that might take.
Failing to be transparent and honest with others about the reasons behind our educational choices is an opportunity missed on three counts:
1. We Fail to Present the Challenge of Christian Education to Other Believing Parents
At the end of the day, the choice that parents make about where and how to educate their children is before the Lord. However, my concern is that most parents follow the status quo of sending their children to the government for their education because they have simply never heard a case for Christian education. After all, how can I be expected to make a choice to do something that I do not know or understand? Myths and strawman arguments abound (see my articles on the ‘Salt and Light Argument’ and ‘Socialisation’). It is a serious error on my part if I do not set before others the real reasons for what we do, when I have an open door to do so. Too many of us are so busy feeling defensive about our decision, that we fail to acknowledge an interested questioner. After all, if God is going to convict a family to remove their children from the state school system, what means might he use? Well, he might just use me.
2. We Fail to Witness to Unbelievers
My experience is that many British-born unbelievers have crossed paths with home educators at some point. Most people have an opinion about what we do that may or may not have been properly thought through. The trouble is that not all models of home education are good (although I would defend the right of the parents to make their own choices).
There is an inherent link between our Christianity and our decision to home educate: we home educate because we are Christians. If an unbeliever asks me why we home educate then I have an open goal to put to them that I am a serious believer in Christ. Granted, there may be a slightly awkward response, however time and time again, a little honesty on my part has opened the door to a deeper conversation. I have a choice: I can tickle itching ears by talking about freedom from the system, or I can publicly acknowledge my Saviour remembering that he very publicly sacrificed his life for me.
3. We Fail to Call to Our Own Minds the Reason for What we Do
I could talk for a long time about the ways in which my family benefits from home education. The road that we are walking is full of fruit. Yet on the days when the cares of the world are blowing strong and threatening to push me off the path, recalling the reasons for our educational choice strengthens my hand and feet. How can a godless educational system come close to comparing with the freedom that we have to intentionally teach God through maths, grammar and science at my best time of the day? When I remember that our purpose is to bring our children up in the Lord, the accepted educational choice of the world falls off of the chart. I am not tempted by an alternative to Christian education.
I see a need to grow in boldness as we explain to the world and the church what we are doing and why. I missed an open goal at the opticians. However, God in his infinite wisdom has given me seven children all of whom have eyes! Since my optician will only allow me to bring two children to him at a time, I think I will have a ‘take two’. Prayerfully, the next time I am able to speak with him about my family, I will be a little quicker to give an honest explanation and a little slower to hide behind what is good…
