Problems

Education (part 41)

As a movement, home schooling has some serious problems. If that statement shifts you immediately into "defensive mode," then that's the first problem. Christian day schools have at least as many problems as home schools, but they also have an abundance of critics to have to deal with on a daily basis. The sooner we all face the fact that we are needy―that we need God and the church, and we need each other―the better off we'll be.

All "movements" tend to produce extremes. Movements are usually reacting to some failure in the current system. We often don't have many choices. Reactions tend to be over-reactions, and so, the pendulum swings too far in the opposite direction. Moreover, movements tend to attract extreme personalities and thus, the "super-homeschooler" is born. Every detail is absolutized, from the kind of bran that should be in you breakfast muffins to the exact list of books that must be read. These well-intentioned personalities tend to drive a movement, rolling over whoever gets in their way. This produces feelings of inadequacy in those who can't quite live up to the standard. It also gives the movement a "black-eye," as others now react to this over-reaction. Movements can easily latch on to ignorance and to well-intentioned enthusiasm, elevating some things to a legalistic level; tying the shoelaces way too tight.

Among some [remember, I am speaking in very broad categories] there have been some monastic tendencies; a withdrawal from society into a unique subculture or Christian ghetto. Rather than being "salt and light" in the world where God has placed us, there are some gnostic tendencies to create an alternative world. As Christians, we cannot possibly reach a world that we have little or no contact with.