This week, Beyond Bathtime (I blog that I contribute to), is covering School Choice.
Every parent must decide how they will educate their children, and this blog has collected input from moms who have chosen homeschool, Christian school, and public school. I especially thought Erin Davis, who is still undecided, had a really great post about thinking through the options.
I wrote today about our decision to send our kids to public school. When our first child was born, I had recently retired from my Christian school teaching job, which I absolutely loved. I had always pictured my little Lindsay attending a school just like that one. But, then we moved to an area that didn’t have a great Christian or public school options, and most of our friends were homeschooling. I loved and respected these friends, and thought they were doing a great job. Had we stayed in that area, I probably would have chosen to home school–at least for a while.
But after a couple more moves, we landed in the place we now live, which has great public, Christian, and homeschool options. Ultimately, it was God who directed our little family over ten years ago. God leads each family uniquely, not uniformly, and impresses hearts distinctly with his Truth. If God hasn’t done this for you yet, keep listening as you read your Bible and pray and talk to other godly friends. He promises to light up the individual path he wants you to take (Psalm 119:105). He won’t leave you in the dark!
So how did God direct Ken and me? When we first made the decision to send our kids to public school, it wasn’t because we thought they were strong in their faith or ready to withstand the world’s philosophies. But we did have a strong desire for our kids’ school years to be spent building spiritual muscle. This was the thing that God kept impressing on our hearts, and it’s still our goal a decade later. When our kids leave home, we want them to be ready to “stand firm in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” (Phil. 2:15) And what’s the best way to build up strength? It’s to lean into the resistance, not sidestep it.
Read more about our public school decision here.
You're brave to write about it, Shannon! We've made the same decision, really for the same reason. I don't always feel the freedom to talk about it, which is unfortunate as we feel as strongly about how this is God's best for our kids as those who have chosen to homeschool. Faith has to be practiced and we agree that even our children need to learn to trust God in difficult situations. Well written!
Thanks, Joy. Glad that God has given your direction, conviction, and peace, regarding your school decision. I think there is so much value in talking about why we're doing what we're doing. Not so much because we're trying to persuade each other, but because we can help each other think clearly. I love Romans 14:5, in which Paul is responding to people who are in conflict over an issue. He says, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” It's as if Paul draws a line in the sand and says, “Get on your own side and make sure you are on the side God told you to get on.”