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Where Have the Children of Yesterday Gone?
By Elizabeth Odach
Ah . . . the first day of school has arrived! I excitedly woke
up and went downstairs to pourmyself a cup of caramel coffee. In
that brief moment a bit of nostalgia came over me as Iremembered
the excitement I had as a child of the approaching school bus. So
like an eagerchild at Christmastime, I watched out my window for
any sign of life.
How did I, for that brief moment, forget what I had learned
concerning the truth about thepublic schoolshumanistic teachings?
This particular teaching has brought a wedge betweenthe family and
God. What about the two books that have helped me in my resolve to
keep
homeschooling: the Bible and Home Schooling: The Right Choice by
Chris Klicka? Nowonder Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would
bring to our remembrance everything that
the Lord teaches us; He knows how we are prone to wander.
God understood that as one who was brought up in the public
school, I would have
moments of relapse. This is why the Bible and books concerning
homeschooling are sovitally important to read on a daily basis, for
they keep our vision fresh. They remind us of
the why in homeschooling.
So, did I see the school bus? No, instead I saw a car pull up to
my neighbors house to pick
up their kids. I was disappointed yet relieved due to mixed
feelings regarding the bus. The
school bus was not exactly the safest place to be when I was in
school. Today that hasntchanged any; in fact, the situation has
worsened since those earlier days. My own school-
day memories are filled with some good moments, but mostly they
are filled with anxiety.
Public school was like a social club: you were either accepted
or mistreated; there was no inbetween. It especially was not a
place for a Christian, for you were to leave Jesus at the
door.
Has it gotten any better? No, it has not. Yet with all the
issues going on with the publicschools and the more than 2 million
children who are homeschooled, the school bus still
remains an American icon to many people!
To get back to my moment, I finally made my way back over to the
couch to spend some
time with the Lord before the rustling of papers and the opening
of new books began. Ah . .. there is such a newness on the first
day of school, a newness that is similar to the first day
of the new year. I started rummaging through the pages of my
Bible, and as I did asubheading jumped off the page. I felt a peace
and excitement as I read the words Christ
is better than philosophy, much like how I had felt as I had
watched out the window for theschool bus. God replaced my misplaced
excitement with the true excitement . . . HIM! I
read on and came across this verse, in which I saw a picture of
the public school. In
Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul warns us, Beware lest any man
spoil you throughphilosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of
men, after the rudiments of the world, and
not after Christ.
A peaceful delight came over me as I came to the conclusion of
the whole matter: it isbetter to have Christ as the foundation of
your childs education than to have mans ideals
as the foundation of your childs education. Yes, the public
schools may offer much as far as
clubs, sports, etc.; however, in Matthew 16:26, the disciple
Matthew warns us: For what isa man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man
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give in exchange for his soul?As homeschooling parents there is
much work to do as we
look for gym, music, and art opportunities for our children, to
name a few, as well as
seeking out sound curriculum in which our children can excel. As
I pondered this I wasreminded of the words of a song I learned as a
child: On Christ the solid rock I stand; all
other ground is sinking sand. Parents who are striving to follow
Christ stand securely onthe Word of God.
Another example of how our childs education must first start
with God can be found in
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge.So where do we startwhen it comes to our childs
education? God! We need to seek Him for what is best for our
child, for it is not about us; it is about them!
As I look over America, a question comes to my mind: Where have
the children gone?
What I mean by that is that the teens today that I knew as
children are barely recognizable.
When they were children they were so vibrant, carefree, and full
of life and color, just like acrayon. But now its as though the
colors on the canvas have faded to a dismal gray. Its asif they
grew up too fast, learned about things that they were too young to
learn about or
shouldnt have learned about. Somewhere down the line they have
lost their innocence. The
twinkle in their eye has disappeared, and in its place is a
tired look. A child in need of rest .
. . Gods rest. A longing for home, you might say.
In Ecclesiastes 12:12, Solomon warns us, And further, by these,
my son, be admonished:of making many books there is no end; andmuch
study is a weariness of the flesh(emphasis added). In Psalm 127:45
we read: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.Happy is the man that hath his
quiver full of them: they shall
not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the
gate.
What is a loss of innocence, and is there hope? Webster defines
innocenceas knowing no
evil, without guile, free from sin, evil, harmless, not guilty.
Webster defines lostas ruined,destroyed, missing, no longer held,
seen, or heard. When you think of the Columbineshooting incident,
does this not sound like a loss of innocence? Even for those
children who
escape the clutches of death, do they come out unscathed? I
believe not. I see many withlimps due to exposure to wolves. Some
who once walked with Christ have walked away.
The children of America who attend public schools are missing in
action as their minds,
hearts, and souls are being taken captive by an education system
that does not have inmind the Masters plan, which can be found only
in the Word of God. In Matthew 22:37,Jesus said, Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and withall thy soul, and
will all thy mind.How can our children do this when the teaching
of Christ is nowhere to be
found in the eight hours of instruction they receive? We need to
change course and directour children back home, where education
truly begins.
Malachi 4:56 states: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of thegreat and dreadful day of the Lord: And he
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I
come and smite the earth witha curse.As Gena Suarez, Publisher
ofTheOld Schoolhouse Magazinesays, Home where
they belong.
Elizabeth R. Odach has been blessed with a wonderful husband of
fourteen years and amiracle child whom she has had the privilege of
homeschooling for seven years now. She ispresently working on a
novel, which should be out next year. She enjoys writing,
drawing,
and making bead buddies.
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