Thoughts on Homeschooling and Public Schooling

By: Matthew D. Dyer

    If you’ve listened to my sermons or radio broadcasts, you know that I am a strong advocate for families to homeschool their children and remove them from the government operated public school system. Recently, some of my comments and illustrations on this topic particularly when comparing public school children to homeschool children have led a few to believe that I think children in public schools have no hope because of the negative influences they face there. That is not the case. The sermon I most recently mentioned was titled An Important Message for Christian Israelites. In it, I shared an example of how fathers should limit, or even prevent exposure to individuals they believe could have a negative influence on their children. I illustrated this point with a story shared with me by a man in our Church about him not wanting certain public-school children around his children, who were homeschooled, because he expressed to me from his own experience as also being homeschooled when he was younger, that he knows of some of the bad influences that come with that interaction. This illustration led some to believe that I was saying all public-school children were bad, which was not the point of the illustration.

    I am not saying that public school children have no hope or that they cannot grow up to be God fearing Christians. What I am saying is that the public school system is far from ideal. It places children in an environment that works against Christians values and education we desire for them. While I believe children can overcome challenges by God’s grace, there is no denying that public schools place them at a serious disadvantage, not only because of poor academic standards but also because of the ungodly morals and ideologies being promoted within those institutions.

    I was homeschooled along with all my siblings; my wife was homeschooled along with all of hers; and today, we homeschool our own children. I also know countless others who were homeschooled and have grown up to live faithful, successful Christian lives. Of course, homeschooling in itself does not guarantee such an outcome, but I believe it greatly increases the likelihood of it. I have known a few homeschooled children who did not turn out well, but far fewer than those who were handed over to the public school system for their education. We must keep in mind the timeless principles that Scripture gives us:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (New American Standard) states:
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Proverbs 13:20 (KJV) states:
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

    No one can deny that children who attend public schools are more likely to be influenced by ungodly morals and to form friendships with the foolish of the world, rather than if they were homeschooled or even enrolled in a Christian school where parents can take an active role in their education. While this is not always the case, it is certainly more common. As a child, I was homeschooled, but for a time we lived in town, and I had many friends who went to public school that I had no business being around. It was these children where I was first introduced to pornography at the age of nine when one of the children in the neighborhood stole a pornographic VHS tape from his grandfather to show all his buddies. Another child in the same neighborhood tore a handful of pictures out of a playboy magazine from another child who brought it to school and came home to show all his buddies. Another child in the same neighborhood when I was visiting their home to play, I walked in on him and another boy “experimenting” sexually. To show you how naive I was, I remember when that child turned on the pornographic VHS tape that I thought that the camera man must have recorded all that with his eyes shut, because I just couldn’t comprehend why anyone would record such a thing. Praise Jesus that He was watching over me, and I had the Law of God written on my heart to know these things were wrong, but at the same time as a nine-year-old these things confused me and caused me to stumble.

    At that time, my family and I lived in a nice neighborhood. It was an all-white neighborhood, safe, peaceful, and filled with hardworking families. The children could ride their bikes up and down the streets without a care, much like the simplicity of the 1950s. Yet even in such a setting, negative influences still found their way in, largely through the public school system and because the children weren’t raised with the same values and morals I had been taught. I don’t want the same environment for my own children, and I pray that those who have the choice will feel the same. Public schools may not be the entire problem, but they certainly play a major part, and things are much worse than they were when I was nine years old.

Genesis 18:19 states:
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

    I don’t believe Abraham personally taught Isaac everything he knew. It’s likely that others among his household helped in Isaac’s education, but ultimately, Abraham was responsible for his son’s upbringing and instruction. He didn’t send Isaac to be educated among the Canaanites, because had he done so, Isaac might have grown up to live and act like them, just as many of our children today reflect the values of the world around them. I understand that everyone’s situation is different, and that school systems vary across the country. If you’re unable to homeschool your children or send them to a Christian school, whether because of financial limitations, divorce decrees, or other circumstances, do what you can to counteract the negative influences they encounter. And if possible, find ways to have greater influence over their education and the people they spend time with anywhere.

Below is a radio broadcast I did with Pastor Everett Ramsey on the subject of Christian education you might find helpful: