Laying a Foundation in Childhood

Even more important than teaching basic mathematics and reading skills to children is the imparting of a worldview. Basic beliefs concerning God, man, and the world are established in early childhood (though they are certainly subject to rejection later in life).

While teachers at your local elementary school may not be consciously teaching an Intro to Philosophy course, they are imparting a worldview to your children. Regardless of whether it is the worldview to which you adhere, the establishment of a worldview is the proper prerogative of parents (Deut. 6).

Not only is it their prerogative, but their responsibility. Somehow, many in our culture believe that parent cannot and should not "impose their values" on their children. But children will inevitably develop a worldview consistent with those who are most influential in their lives. They are not a "tabula rasa" (blank slate) that can only be painted upon at their own choice. They are the proverbial white sock tossed into the washer of colored clothing. They will quickly take on another color.

It is for this reason, first and foremost, that I believe the home to be the best venue for children in their early childhood years. This allows the parents to retain the mantle of influence and to not only start imparting a worldview to their children, but to give the broader tools of learning and wisdom needed to engage other people with other worldview and operate on a more substantive level.

As a secondary matter--a consideration that will weight against public schooling all the way through this series--public education had dramatically worsened in the past generation. Students must now take AP classes in high school to attain some of the basic skills required of their parents in elementary school. This matters most to me at the most tender ages. Even if I later send my children to public schools, I want the to have a robust intellectual foundation to go with their worldview.

I want to teach them basic philosophy, a classical language, civics, grammar, and reading comprehension in elementary school. I want to inculcate within them a love for learning, rather than a toleration of it. This will come, in part, through my own enjoyment of learning.

It will also come by allowing them to follow their creative pursuits in their elementary ages rather than following a standardized path. If I am teaching them about our Founders and little Nebuchadnezzar decides that he is fascinated by John Witherspoon, then I will assign him a project on Witherspoon and let him follow that rabbit trail to his heart's delight. Also, if he finishes an assignment early, I will either let him play or will assign him more work. I will not make him wait for others to catch up.

It is important to deal with relevant critiques of whatever my position is, and one such critique is that home-schooling often produces social awkwardness and narrow mindedness. I have seen plenty of examples of both. My initial response is that: (1) The priority in childhood is to impart a worldview, not social skills, (2) Children can form social skills with siblings just as well as with non--familial peers, and (3) whatever tendencies toward social awkwardness that remain can be mitigated by getting children involved in the community.

As for narrow mindedness, this can be offset by not only logic, but how to employ logic charitably. For example, everyone and everything must be given its due. Every person you engage has intrinsic worth and is worthy of both respect and love. Their arguments must be acknowledged, fairly represented, and given due consideration.

All of that said, and with my opinion laid out, I believe it important to acknowledge that sometimes, home-schooling and private schooling just aren't realistic options. They may not be affordable, or both parents need to work. Perhaps it is a single parent household, or there are behavioral needs that require additional expertise. Whatever the reason--even if there is no reason--what do you do as a parent to supplement public school teaching in a way that remedies its deficiencies?

First, you make sure that your child is sitting under the preaching and teaching of your Church. Preaching is God's means to not only instruct one's fallen thought patterns, but to transform them with real power. Likewise, teaching--especially catechizing--uses biblical truth, mediated through historical wisdom, to create that theological "coat rack" upon which all truth may be properly understood.

Second, you must supplement the role of the Church in developing your child's worldview with your own teaching. Perhaps take time each day to help your child not only with their homework, but to think through both their homework and social interactions in a wise and biblical manner. Ask them plenty of questions regarding their teachers' belief systems (which inevitably seep into their teaching--we can't ever cut off our core beliefs from anything else).

If Ms. Anderson tells you that the book you are reading means whatever you want it to mean, ask you child if the author of the book saw it that way. Ask them if the teddy bear is in fact a teddy bear and not a hippo just because they say so. Make sure they understand that part of reading comprehension is trying to understand the intent of the author, not simply falling back upon the desires of the reader. Draw them back to the Scriptures, where God speaks authoritatively and clearly. Our goal as Christians is to try to comprehend His truth, not replace His voice with our own. In the process, you are teaching your child to distinguish between objective truth and subjective intepretations--a must for interacting with learning material and others.

There is much more that could be said about these matters, but let is suffice to say that I prefer home-schooling in the early childhood years, but do not regard any other form of schooling as wrong or entirely detrimental to children. They simply require more work in terms of instilling a worldview, countering the vast influence of and exposure to a teacher's worldview, providing additional tools for learning, and exciting educational paths of interest.

The fundamental responsibility of Christian parents is to make their children "wise unto salvation in Christ Jesus," recognizing that "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:15-17). Of course, it was Timothy's mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, who taught him these things.