School Options

There is a growing number of parents asking about school options and possibilities as values and ideals shift in the culture and thus in schools.

Janet and I, in rearing children many years ago, had the decision that all parents face which is how to be compliant with the state about education as well as adequately prepare our children to be responsible and productive citizens – assets to God, state, boss, spouse and society.  We found our drivers in God’s Word that press the ideas of exalting God constantly, daily focusing on His Word, fleeing false teachings, and being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  We opted for church schooling and homeschooling.

Today there are still the Biblical principles that must be weighed but there are now many negatives pushing school rethink: things such as the WOKE agenda which includes CRT, 1619, and Social Justice; sexual perversions such as homosexuality, gender identity, and free love; and the rising use and abuse of drugs.  In many ways, the innocence of childhood is being attacked and lost.  Those negative things have brought forth many questions and ideas.

It is my belief that it is the primary responsibility of every parent to first educate their child about God and salvation followed by education about morality and manners and then followed by education about the way things work – math, science, wordsmithing, music, etc.

There was a day when all schools were church schools which began to change when Horace Mann propagated the idea of public schools that were at first very parent managed.  Over the course of time, however, the state has taken a larger role until today it is actually more accurate to call our schools “state schools”.

In the 70’s in Nebraska there existed only a few schools outside of those public.  A pastor in Louisville, NE took on the powerful state education system and won but at great cost.  Since that battle, parents and churches have been given the freedom to educate their children in alternative systems and there are many who do so with the number growing every year.

Today there are basically two alternative school offerings: the 5 day in-class style offered by a church (Catholic schools like Skutt) or by a private school (OCA) or the homeschool model.  A few years back the state of TX experienced a new model of education which blended an in-class school with the homeschool type.  The new style is often referred to as a “university model”.  There are currently two such schools in the Omaha area and some SSB kids attend each.

How they work is that a family registers with the state as homeschooling but also joins other families in a group school for some in-class time.  Being part-time in-class means that the homeschooled students are all studying from the same books and under the scope and sequence of a common teacher.  The student goes to class on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday or other for instruction, interacts, experiments, specialized classes and fellowship and does school work at home the other days under the tutelage of their parent(s).

The system seems to be good on a number of fronts for the parents are kept at the center of the child’s life, the parent gets the help they need to tackle some subject areas and specialty areas in which they are not competent, and the child gets a broader education due to different teachers and interacts with other students.  Another plus is the lower cost as teachers are only working part-time.

The challenge for some homes is that the parents need to be engaged teaching/mentoring some days so in most cases they can’t be full time employees outside of home.

While alternative schools are used by some, not all Christians are so moved as not all parents have the same circumstances and beliefs and thus not all have the same convictions.  It is the challenge for Christians to still love, serve, and stand together for the cause of Christ despite using different school models for the educating of their children.