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Encouragement for Education 

© 1999 by Sid Galloway
Updated January 2002
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Personal Philosophy of Education
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     Everyone, in some way or another, educates at home, both academically as well as spiritually. The question is simply how much and why? Some parents provide help with homework that was given to their child by a public or private school teacher, along with spiritual training through family discipleship. Others have chosen to expand the academic training at home so that it becomes the primary source of education for their children. The reasons vary for the educational choices of different parents, from a desire for increased academic excellence to a desire to ensure the social and spiritual character of their little ones. But sadly, many parents have not carefully and prayerfully examined sufficient evidence in order to make their decisions.  The result is that some homes, in their efforts to do good, fail to provide what is best for their children.

    For example, some parents of public and private school children do nothing more than drop their kids off at school and expect the teachers to do it all.  They don't help with homework, and they don't do anything to control what kind of friends become the primary socializing environment for their children.  On the other extreme, are a few home schooling parents, who so over isolate their children, that both academics and socialization are hindered.  Balance is the key principle. 

I Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits."
Proverbs 12:26 "The righteous should chose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray."
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."

So why do we encourage all parents to get involved in their child's education?
The primary answer is simple: Socialization.    

Ever notice that when one person yawns, every else is also tempted to yawn?
My wife, Linda, and I desire to socialize our children toward the image and character of God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ (John 14; Rom 8:28-29; Eph 6:1-4). While we want our children to have an awareness of the ways of the world, we do not want to simply allow them to absorb, through social osmosis, the rebellious character of the youth sub-cultures that now dominate our society.  In my ministry as a Biblical family counselor for nearly 20 years, I've seen an increasing percentage of "Christian" children (even pastors' children) who have picked up the world's selfish, disrespectful, even violent patterns of attitude and action. They roll their eyes and challenge authorities, without even knowing how to make a respectful appeal.  By the time the get their first job, they're virtually guaranteed to get fired, or at least fail to get promoted.  Their mistaken goal in life is personal happiness, more than personal holiness for God's glory and the blessing of others (Luke 9:23-26).  These symptoms, which mirror those of the society at large, manifest in direct proportion to the amount of time the children spend in what Luther called institutions "in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God".  Without the Word (counsel) of God, how can any child develop the self-giving character of Christ.  Therefore, to the degree that your child is influenced by selfish and rebellious influences, to that same degree you as parents must actively provide a counter influence.  Passive parenting will not work.  Please see the two messages: "Survival of the Coolest", and  "Child Training:  Changing a Burden into a Blessing".

Academic excellence is the secondary reason why parents' should be actively involved in their children's education.   Not everyone can or even should homeschool.  But it has many benefits.  Homeschooling has allowed Linda and I to adapt curriculum to the unique needs and abilities of each of our six children, according to his or her own pace.  We've had the privilege to home educate our children for over a decade now, and have found it to be one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives, and theirs.  Even though they each have their own friends from church, the neighborhood, and homeschool associations, each one our children is very close to us and very close to each other.  Sibling rivalry is a rare thing for them.  They love homeschooling, and none of them are "itching" to enter a public or private school system.   

Linda and I have written this brief note of encouragement, because we've known so many good families struggling with their children both socially and academically.  And folks, homeschoolers are not exempt from these struggles.  We could write volumes about our own mistakes, and as the Lord allows, we will.  Yet, some who are struggling are loosing the hearts of their children.   Some homeschooling parents have failed to develop a close relationship of love, trust, and respect with their children.  

We realize that many parents (especially single parents) cannot home educate, and some married couples have decided that homeschooling is not best for them.  But remember, that simply means they won't be the primary source for their children's academic education.  They can and must provide a significant amount of personal involvement to protect against the many destructive forms of socialization, which if left unchecked, can end up saturating any child's environment and heart.  As the nightly news regularly reminds us, public and private school teachers cannot sufficiently replace passive parents.  So please don't forget the contagious effect of yawning.  Social, spiritual, relational osmosis is inescapable.  Therefore, you must be the active, loving manager of the influences that surround your own little lambs.  That is our primary responsibility as parents, and with God's biblical counsel you we change what seems to be burden into a wonderful blessing.  When that happens, others will see the fruit produced and be drawn to join the Father's family as well.  Your family can be the most effective evangelistic tract you could ever share.

Psychoactive Medications becoming the most common form of correction for lack of self-control and other attitude and behavior problems. (An interview with Dr. Peter Breggin of John's Hopkins University).
http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/3/29/65250

Family Research Council has three new tools to help parents, grandparents, educators, and clergy understand America's education woes. They're called: Making Your School Family-Friendly, Moms and Dads School Survival Guide, and the Channel One Packet. All are a "must read" for everyone who wants to stay abreast of the efforts to improve our education system.

Peter Breggin, M.D., & David Cohen, Ph.D.,
YOUR DRUG MAY BE YOUR PROBLEM: HOW AND WHY TO STOP TAKING PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATIONS. 1999.
[Please note, Peter is not a Christian, so his "spiritual" views are generic and unbiblical. But, in August of 1998, I had the privilege to speak at a conference along with Peter Breggin and others. My personal discussions with him convinced me that he is one of the most sincere, committed, and knowledgeable experts in the realms of neurology, CNS biochemistry, and psychopharmacology. So I believe his works are well worth reading in order to balance the prevailing propaganda about biopsychiatry and medication.]
April 2000 Interview with Dr. Peter Breggin, psychiatrist and author of "Talking Back to Ritalin" and "Toxic Psychiatry" - about the use of psychoactive drugs in children.
The following is a sample of the Q & A:
Question: "That’s interesting. You’ve basically implied that they’ve turned our schools into something other than schools. What do you think the government has in mind by turning our schools into little clinics?"
Breggin: "It’s going to get even worse if Hillary follows her plan that I describe in Reclaiming Our Children." JAMA - Feb 23, 2000 (Journal of the American Medical Association) "Trends in the Prescribing of Psychotropic Medications to Preschoolers", Julie Magno Zito, PhD; Daniel J. Safer, MD; Susan dosReis, PhD; James F. Gardner, ScM; Myde Boles, PhD; Frances Lynch, PhD.
Context - Recent reports on the use of psychotropic medications for preschool-aged children with behavioral and emotional disorders warrant further examination of trends in the type and extent of drug therapy and sociodemographic correlates. WND REVIEW of the JAMA report.

You can request a copy of a 7 pp., editorial by David Powlison, Ph.D. on "Biological Psychiatry" from The Journal of Biblical Counseling.

And be sure to see our companion articles:
"Are Psychotherapies Coherent Science or Religious Philosophies (What did God Do Before Sigmund Freud)?"

Medicine & Counseling: Can biological problems of the brain prevent the fullness of the Holy Spirit & His fruit? Gal 5:16-25 The history of counseling in the Church is a simple story of how biblical beliefs and practices about progressive sanctification of the soul (Greek = psyche) were replaced by the world's prevailing philosophies regarding the soul and relationships. These philosophies subtly changed into pseudo-scientific psychologies. Now a new solution is "promised" for the problems of life and relationships. This new promised panacea is based on the erroneous belief that the etiology is somewhere in our brains not our souls, thus the cure must somehow be drugs. In order to discern truth from error on this issue, a number of crucial questions must be answered both Biblically and scientifically . . . . . . . . (full article)