Should Christian parents send their children to public schools?

In my years of being involved in education I’ve observed that most of the students who fail academically or spiritually in schools (government or Christian) usually have parents who are not actively involved in the process. The more engaged parents are in the educational process, the more likely the children are to succeed; one of the assets of home schooling.

If your child is in school, be involved! Do more than chaperone field trips. Ask more questions than, “Did you have fun today?” (That used to be, “What did you learn today?) BTW, if you do this when they’re young, you won’t have to call the Dean of Students at their college to make sure they’re behaving themselves.

Susan,

Yes, we have seen it both ways. But on the Christian School, I don’t blame them for not being able to educate special needs kids. It is going to be rare for them to have the resources. At the LCMS school that some of my kids have attended (one is there now), there was a family that paid out of pocket for a one on one aid on top of tuition. They had the means to do so. There is no way a Christian School could have a teacher and one on one aid for special needs kids for the cost of tuition. But I have seen special needs kids home-schooled well. It just is not an option for our son at this time.

Mark,

My wife and I never went to public school. We both attended Christian schools all the way through college. We were dragged kicking and screaming into the public school. In all honesty, some of the things with public school have actually been better than I thought that they would be. There have been some really bad things, but I expected that. The thing that has suprised me the most is how much I have gained respect for public school teachers. Yes, they are paid way better than Christian school teachers. But they also have no choice but to put up with things that their Christian school teachers never do.

I guess I was posting to let you know that there are those of us who entered into this decision way more seriously than you give us credit for. In fact, I know I entered into it more seriously than many of my Christian friends because all they had to do was write the check to their local Fundy Christian School. I am not belittling them, I am just letting you know, we did not have that option here where I minister.

do you think I am opposed to sending kids to public school? No I’m not. I am presenting reasons people DON’T homeschool or Christian school.

I for one cannot afford the cost of Christian schools. For four kids it would be $8500/year for example.

A family member we know is “home schooling”. As of this week they had not started the work because “the kid weren’t that into it yet”.

Roger, I believe that we have spoken previously. My son also has Autism although he is very high functioning. When he was very young he started with speech and OT at public school and he also had an aide. It was very helpful for him and my wife and I really believe that he received more than we could give him at home. Special needs add a lot more considerations and there are never two situations the same. In our case we have now started homeschooling him but we are open to public school in the future if we think it will be better. Anyway it’s obvious that you are approaching your son’s education thoughtfully. I will remember you and your family in prayer tonight.

[Ron Bean]

In my years of being involved in education I’ve observed that most of the students who fail academically or spiritually in schools (government or Christian) usually have parents who are not actively involved in the process. The more engaged parents are in the educational process, the more likely the children are to succeed; one of the assets of home schooling.

If your child is in school, be involved! Do more than chaperone field trips. Ask more questions than, “Did you have fun today?” (That used to be, “What did you learn today?) BTW, if you do this when they’re young, you won’t have to call the Dean of Students at their college to make sure they’re behaving themselves.

I agree, but sometimes it IS the school at fault for being unresponsive. I’ve counseled many parents who felt they had not choice but to homeschool because the teachers and other school officials would not return emails or phone calls, or keep an appointment. Some schools are so busy jumping through federal hoops they simply have no time or energy to spend time with parents, or try to address the needs of individual children. I helped a mom and dad this last week who have been unable to have a productive discussion with their child’s teacher or principal because they are too busy trying to implement Common Core standards.

That’s why it is important to not be too broadbrush about any educational choice; rather, we should put as much viable information out there as possible, and help parents think these things through so they can make an informed choice for their family.

I’m personally not at all fond of traditional schooling, be it public or private. I think the institutionalized setting, lecture method, and arbitrary age-graded standards are about as useful as electric chopsticks. There are schools opening up all across the country that are catering to the particular learning needs of children, but not every parent has access to better schools. They must make do with what they have.

I agree, Susan. That’s why parents need to be heavily involved in the educational process. If the school is unresponsive, then you need to find another option. I’ve seen both government and Christian schools that make it difficult for parents to have any input. Sadly, too many parents just enroll their children in a school and only show up for Parent-Teacher meetings (maybe).