One of the topics that interests parents the most is the education of their children. The quality of your child’s education can change where they attend college or trade school, what types of jobs they will have and even the types of activities they can experience.
For Christians, the stakes are even higher. Your children are in school for six to ten hours a day (with extracurricular activities on site). The attitudes, philosophies, beliefs, and behaviors your children are taught by teachers or peers can shake, destroy or help build the faith foundations of your kids.
Sweeping generalizations are great, but often don’t work in education. My child had a very godly teacher in a public school. My friends have had “interesting” things taught to their kids in Christian schools. Even homeschooling has its share of questionable religious teaching hidden in some of the available textbooks and curricula.
So how do parents sort through all of the choices and pick the best option for their children? Everyone thinks their child’s school is the best, but is yours really good for your children? How do you know for sure? It can be overwhelming, even for those of us with degrees in education.
So, I was interested when offered the chance to review Education A La Carte by Dr. Kevin Leman. Leman looks at all of the options available to parents and discusses the pros and cons. Throughout, he weaves the story of his own somewhat disastrous educational experiences as well as some experiences others have had with the various options.
As I write this, the U.S. has just experienced the worst mass shooting in its history. After every mass shooting, it seems like everyone has an opinion as to whether gun control, mental health, protective screenings and law enforcement changes are necessary to stop these incidents in the future.
Let’s face it. Obedience isn’t always fun. For kids, it often means you don’t get to do what you wanted to do because your parents has insisted you obey a command to stop. If we are really honest, teaching your kids to obey isn’t always a ton of fun either. Especially when they are young, it can seem like a constant round of saying “No” and giving out consequences to a chorus of tears and protests.
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A stint working for Hearst Magazines taught me a lot about the tricks of advertising. I became fascinated by the Good Housekeeping Institute. Anyone wanting to run an ad in Good Housekeeping magazine had to submit the ad copy and the product they were advertising for testing, before being allowed to advertise.