Excellence in Education

Christians and Education: Striving for Excellence

As a Christian educator, I’ve seen varying perspectives on school from different families and communities. There are classical approaches, “unschooling” methods, and, of course, the societal norms of a public education followed by university and further career specialization. Lots of options. But one isn’t necessarily better than another.

Debating Educational Approaches

There are plenty of hot debates on homeschool vs. Christian schools, different curricula or learning methods, Eastern vs. Western educational systems, etc., which I'm quite familiar with. Instead of nitpicking the various methods of education (because I can see value in each of them for different seasons of motherhood/stages of childhood), I want to take a closer look at our view of education on the whole.

Avoiding Overemphasis on Academics

I will start by saying I believe it is possible to place an undue emphasis on education, to the extent that more important things like our children’s spiritual or physical well-being are neglected, and grades are all that matter. But in most cases today, this is the exception to the rule.

Striving for Excellence

Here’s a truth we seem to have forgotten: Christians should be striving for excellence in all areas, especially education.

Those who grasped the majesty and wisdom of God were leaders in science, mathematics, and every other field out there. We, of all people, should comprehend how education does more than set us up for a nice career—it makes us wiser citizens and better stewards of the Lord’s creation.

The “bare minimum” mindset many homeschoolers have does nothing to help us take dominion. They’ll just keep complaining about how evil schools and universities are and continue to rob their kids of a stellar education built on Truth—that they could be providing at home!

The Privilege of Learning

It is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to discover what the Almighty God created for our enrichment: math, language, history, music, science, art, etc.

It’s easy to get trapped in a Christianity bubble where all that’s considered important is theological knowledge (and perhaps some conservative politics). We often group every other learning avenue under the banner of “secular education” and forget that God Himself created these things for man to explore and conquer for the glory of God and the building of civilization.

Anyone can see that culture, technology, medicine, etc., took a nosedive when Christians grew slothful and stepped out of these arenas. Do we want to sit back and “watch the world burn,” or do we want to obey God-given mandates and bring what is noble, excellent, beautiful, virtuous, brilliant, and skilled back through the wisdom that God gives?

The Role of Life Skills in Education

Why should we let the world dominate areas that were created by God for us to master?

Consider this: there are posts floating around that say people homeschool mainly because “kids don’t learn life skills at school.” I mean, you’ve probably asked yourself a couple of times why teachers didn’t teach you how to do your taxes or laundry when you were in school either. To which my response would be: it really isn’t their job to do so.

Parents should be teaching their kids these basic skills, whether they’re homeschooled or go to private school. Homeschooling may make it easier for us to teach our kids homemaking or financial sense along with their schoolwork, but that shouldn’t be the primary motive to homeschool or a reason to hate on private schools because we are responsible for passing on this information to our children anyway.

The Question of Applicability

Another question we probably asked ourselves, and many homeschool moms are facing as well, is “how am I going to use xyz?” Insert the Pythagorean theorem, facts about rhombuses, or sentence diagrams! Why DO we learn all this stuff?

Mathematics is a common “victim” in this scenario, although I’ve seen homeschool families neglect other disciplines for the same reason. Interestingly enough, we don’t ask the same question regarding extracurriculars like music or creative pursuits, where the effects, such as improvement of hand-eye coordination, memory, and better brain development, are more readily seen. And yet, we think, “Johnny’s not going to be a rocket scientist—why does he need to waste his time studying precalculus or physics?”

The Importance of a Well-Rounded Education

We don’t seem to remember that a well-rounded education is beneficial precisely because children are introduced to a variety of subjects that stretch their brain, pique their interest, and serve as building blocks. There is a concerning percentage of the homeschool community that thinks reading, writing, and basic math are all a child really needs to learn.

Education is so much more. Sometimes education involves doing something you don’t want to do, whether it's repetitive, complex, or boring. And whether it’s trigonometry or penmanship—whether you think you’ll use it or not—learning has value beyond just critical thinking or problem-solving skills.

It’s not always enough to foster a love of learning, hoping they’ll learn everything they need to because they know how to.

Sometimes education involves doing something you don’t want to do, whether it's repetitive, complex, or boring. And whether it’s trigonometry or penmanship—whether you think you’ll use it or not—learning has value beyond just critical thinking or problem-solving skills.

A Higher Calling in Education

I believe the question we should be asking ourselves is: “How do I equip my child to become a spiritually minded, intelligent, and multi-faceted individual for the glory of God, reclaiming of a degenerate culture, and the enrichment of personal and family life?”

That perspective propels us away from simply asking, “Will I actually use this?” and turns our focus from mere schooling or illustrious careers to a greater purpose.

Rethinking Homeschool Statistics

Here’s another thing to consider. You've probably heard, repeatedly, that homeschooled students consistently outperform public school students on standardized tests and in college. Therefore, homeschoolers are smarter than most.

That's only partly true.

There are more advantages and positives to homeschooling than I can count when it comes to giving your child a customized learning experience. However, it’s quite misleading to brag on the academic excellence of our homeschoolers based on standardized tests.

Challenging the “Qualified Teacher” Myth

Because here is a huge myth that saddens me every time I hear it: "Moms (parents) aren't qualified to homeschool their children."

That is patently false.

I can’t think of better people to instruct their children than the ones God literally created to raise and discipline them. And whether you need a college degree to do so, well, that’s a discussion for another time.

The Value of Outsourcing

Homeschooling doesn’t mean parent-taught, but parent-led. Parents are responsible for facilitating their children’s education, whether that means teaching a subject themselves or providing the resources they need to do so. That can include videos, coops, tutors—anything.

I don't know who needs to hear this, but you don't have to personally teach every single subject your kids are learning.

Let’s Talk

What are the most common myths you’ve encountered in homeschooling or Christian education? How has your view of education shifted over time?

I’d love to hear your perspective on how we can reclaim education as a means to glorify God and enrich the lives of future generations.