Education Methodology and Love

This year, I have two of my littles in school. My oldest is entering 2nd grade. She loves learning new things and the routine of a formal education compliments her natural tendencies. The routine, the structure, even the busy work….this kid loves it all! My second daughter is beginning pre-school. She has watched, somewhat longingly, since her big sis started kindergarten. Our second daughter is excited, but a little apprehensive. She isn’t as big a fan of schedules and sitting still. This will be a year of learning for us all.

I was homeschooled as child from start to finish. Contrary to what was implied, not all schools are wicked. Of course some are, but not all of them are indoctrinating for evil, money-hoarding, babysitting, brain-washing, houses of chaos. Some private schools are really quite adept at teaching children to love God and learning.  Some schools, like ours, are a huge blessing to many families. Yes, it costs more than homeschooling, but ya know what,  it costs money to build or rent buildings to hold classes in. There is electricity, water, chairs, etcetera and then, of course, paying the teachers so they can live. I’ve yet to meet an educator who was rolling in money. Good teachers teach because they love teaching, not because it is a lucrative profession. Plus bargain shopping for education is a lot like bargain shopping for healthcare, babysitters or food…it’s just not a good idea if it isn’t necessary.  In the grand scheme of things, the tuition at our school is more than reasonable. I know that sometimes “reasonable” isn’t enough, so for those situations, it is important to remember that God is good and people can be very kind. Some of the money at our school goes towards scholarships for kids who need them.  Yes, we could home school our kids and still glorify God. Yes, we could send them to another school and still glorify God. Yes, we could hire a tutor to educate them and still glorify God. There are lots of good ways to educate our children to God’s glory. 

The truth is, different teaching styles, different curriculums and different environments work best for different families and different situations.  Education is not a one size fits all kinda thing. Having options is pure grace! We don’t deserve having multiple education methods to pick from, but we do! It’s amazing!  My husband and I are looking forward to seeing which system works best for each of our 4 children. For now, we chose the school we did for good reasons and so far, it has worked beautifully for us.

My point is, education methodology isn’t a competition. Different schools cater to different situations and personalities. If you choose to home school your child, hire a tutor, or send them to another God glorifying school — that is great! However, it is my heart’s desire for every family to be blessed in choosing an education style that they can get excited about for good reasons. It is not glorifying to God to choose a particular method because we are trying to “stick it to” someone or something else (because that isn’t loving your neighbor). We need to be able to get excited because we have found a method that we genuinely love. Founding anything on disdain is foolishness. When we ignore God’s instruction, we are setting ourselves up for destruction.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  Love your neighbor. These are the greatest two commandments. The application in this instance is, make sure you are glorifying God with your education method and don’t let preferential differences come between you and your neighbor. There shouldn’t be cliques or camps. We are all God’s children, we have the same Father and that is the only team we need.

As we start school next week, I am anticipating the fun my kids are going to have, and I do recommend the school we send them to. I love it! No, no school is perfect, not even homeschooling, but that is true for anyone and anybody. Were I to home school, my kids would have to deal with my imperfections (just as they always have). That is part of  life! Imperfection is inescapable. There is no reason for it to create prejudices.

I am not just excited for my kids, I’m also excited for all the other students and all the teachers. Whenever we truly embrace loving our God and loving our neighbor, it’s exciting! This is going to be a great year!