My wife

homeschools our children. The decision to homeschool was

one we made based on our own convictions. This is our

first year to homeschool but we feel real good about it.

What has

amazed me is the way many people respond when you tell

them you homeschool your children. Often they look at you

like you are committing educational child abuse or

intellectually and socially neglecting your child. Many

feel compelled to tell you their convictions about

education and the needs of your children. Even people who

say it does not "take a village to raise a

child" seem to think it takes a village to educate a

child and act like parents serve only as the village

idiots. The truth is just the opposite. Parents who

blindly trust any system to educate their children

without their active involvement are the ones failing

their children. As good as any school system may be it

can not and should not replace the parent. We need more

parental control over education and less union control.

Children

are impressionable. They need more than just secular

information poured into their brains. Children need

education that honors and affirms the convictions of

their parents. Too many children have been subjected to

teachers with agendas contrary to the convictions the

child learned at home. This humorous story illustrates my

point:

A young

woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to

her class of small children that she is an atheist. She

asks her class if they are atheists too. Not really

knowing what atheism is, but wanting to be like their

teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy

fireworks.

There is,

however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Lucy did

not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why

she has decided to be different.

"Because

I'm not an atheist."

Then, asks

the teacher, "What are you?"

"I'm a

Christian."

The teacher

is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She

asks Lucy why she is a Christian.

"Well,

I was brought up knowing and loving Jesus. My Mom is a

Christian, and my dad is a Christian, so I am a

Christian."

The teacher

is now angry. "That's no reason," she says

loudly. "What if your Mom was a moron, and your dad

was a moron. What would you be then?"

Lucy

paused, smiled and said "Then I'd be an

atheist."

Do not

depend on someone else to teach your child your

convictions. If you are not actively involved in your

child's education, whether it is public, private, or

home-based, you are the one guilty of educational

neglect. Parents should be the first and primary

educators of their children whatever system the parent

chooses to use.

In general

homeschool parents are completely dedicated to their

child's education. They make great sacrifices for their

children. They are unjustly criticized and inadequately

recognized. So I want to say to my fellow homeschool

parents, "You are doing a good thing. I hope you

will continue to lead the way in reclaiming control over

education."

Chuck Griffith is

pastor of Fayette Assembly of God, 1144 Ga. Highway 92

South in Fayetteville, 770-719-0322.

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