A new resolution was submitted for the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention. Read an article about it here. It urges California parents to withdraw their children from California public schools at least until Senate Bill 777 and all other legislation mandating that schoolchildren be indoctrinated to accept various forms of sexual deviancy as normal or acceptable are completely repealed. It also urges churches to foster homeschooling and organize more Christian schools. While I find these things interesting and applaud them, there was a more interesting quote from the Christian Newswire story.
Dr. Baucham believes it is urgent that Christian parents become better informed: "I am convinced that if government schools had to recruit students by sending out brochures outlining the academic, moral, and spiritual aspects of their curriculum, most Baptists would throw it in the trash without a second thought.
I think it would be a very different world if parents didn't assume that government schools were the default. What if government schools had to actually convince people that they were the best option based on academic and moral superiority? What if parents actually compared all of the pros and cons of all of their options? Why do so many people parent by default on the issue of education?
2 comments:
I think one of the answers to your question is money. Public education is free to the student's family, private schooling and homeschooling come at a cost to the student's family. If there wasn't such a discrepancy financially (and in time, as for homeschooling), I think more parents would consider other options.
Karen,
You might be right. I know in California and other places the cost of living is outrageous. It is helpful to put your kids in school for "free". (Though really we all pay for it through property taxes, etc.) But here (Texas) many of the people that send their kids to government schools could easily afford to homeschool. (I spend about $100-150/month.) When you ask them why, the answers fall into three general categories.
1. I want my kids to be "more mainstream".
2. I want my kids to have more arts, atheletics, performance, etc. opportunities.
3. Christian children should be salt and light; the best way to do that is mixing with public school kids.
I have yet to have a parent here tell me that they can't afford to homeschool.
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