“Teach Your Own”

June 19, 2024

By Stephen Stone

Reprinted from Renew America

The following is an invitation to all concerned parents everywhere to DIRECTLY TEACH the young, impressionable minds and hearts of those given them by God Himself—rather than give these young minds and hearts over to others, such as government contractors, teachers unions, or other intentionally irreligious “educators” whose purpose is arguably not true education, but authoritarian control and indoctrination.

Since small children in a “God-created family” are generally considered to be God’s literal gift to their parents, and are thus typically considered by reasonable people to be rightfully under parental supervision (as opposed to the control of any other earthly power or influence), parents are generally recognized as having the primary right to act as the teachers of their own children—superior to any other interested party, player, or authority.

If there is any assumption in human history that appears to be as universally valid as the above assumption, it would be hard to identify, no matter the cultural or historical context. That is especially true in America—where parental control over the education of children gave us the strong foundation that led to the creation of our country. (See Wikipedia.org: The New England Primer; Britannica.com: The New England Primer; and the following brief clip from the Christian documentary “IndoctriNation.”)

“Before I formed thee in the belly”

In Jeremiah 1:4-5 KJV, the prophet Jeremiah writes, “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Since “God is no respector of persons” (see Romans 2:11 KJV), and thus treats all persons in much the same way so we might all be judged on the same basis, we would do well to assume that, no matter what Jeremiah recorded about himself, God likewise “knew [all of us] before [He formed us] in the belly” and gave each of us unique gifts, talents, skills, aptitudes, missions, and purposes in life that define who we are and what we are meant to be.

This premise is critically important to the education of small children. Contrary to what many parents may naturally assume, even their youngest child is more mature (and thus more fully formed MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY) than may be apparent due to the child’s lack of communication skill or other refined ability.

And since God created each child for His own designs and purposes, and will therefore actively bless and guide each child in its lifelong development to ensure the fulfillment of God’s designs and purposes for that child, the child’s parents would be wise to assume that God will help them in the education of that child.

In other words, faithful, wise, God-reliant parents are not alone in teaching, helping, and blessing their children. In every case, with every child, sincere parents are effectively PARTNERS WITH GOD—as becomes evident as each child grows and exemplifies divinely-given gifts that may require special care and wisdom on the part of the parent. THIS IS BY GOD’S DESIGN. Neither the parent nor the child is left without a fairly clear understanding of the unique talents, interests, aptitudes, and gifts of each child as these become naturally evident to the parents more than such individual needs become obvious to “trained” governmental teachers. Because all parents (and children) are already aware of this fact through day-to-day experience, a wise parent will rely on clear indications given directly by the child, and on the day-to-day guidance of God, in knowing what each child may need in its education.

No “PROFESSIONAL TEACHER” outside the home is as equipped to make such judgments as the PARENTS, especially God-reliant ones. Such student-minded education is beyond the grasp of teachers trained to treat all students in basically the same bureaucratic, secular manner, and it should therefore be obvious that the best setting for effective education is the truly God-centered home—not a government-run school of any kind.

If parents can understand and appreciate the self-evident implications inherent in the above overriding premise of all home-centered education, they are well on their way to overseeing the details of the education of each of their children, no matter any notions by trained professionals to the contrary.

A word about legal considerations

State legal requirements for homeschooling differ from state to state, so it is vital that all homeschooling parents investigate their own state’s homeschool laws and do their best to comply with those rules without surrendering—to any significant degree—their God-given right to teach their own children in ways that are reasonable and valid. Parents should be aware that they risk encountering obsolete, unjust, insensitive laws in their state if they undertake at some point to pull their children from attendance at a public school, and they should wisely prepare themselves for any possible eventuality.

Since the burden is mainly on the parents to make a case for their right to educate their children, it is vital that parents inform themselves so they fully understand their basic rights before they agree to anything claimed by their state to be legally required. (Keep in mind that many bureaucrats tend to rely on standard procedures they enforce without genuinely investigating citizen’s rights or the validity of their own bureaucratic assumptions—causing needless misunderstandings that may require resolving before parents make any decisions regarding the education of their children.) It is also vital that in the face of significant disagreements over state requirements, parents take the time to check with the Home School Legal Defense Association (or a similar homeschool advocacy group) to verify their options, or to possibly file a complaint about any encountered harassment. As someone who has helped numerous families navigate the needlessly threatening climate created by our state’s anti-homeschooling posture over the years—and who also at one point succeeded in amending our state’s compulsory attendance law years ago to make it more reasonable—my own belief is that parents should stand firm against any seeming illegality or abuse by education officials, recognizing that the aim of the education establishment is not the education of children, but the controlling (and even progressive altering) of American culture. I would therefore suggest that you try to be cooperative with your school district in any way that supports the principles of God-given rights and freedoms and reasonable citizen independence in the face of government excess, for the benefit of all Americans. That may take a degree of courage, as well as firm reliance on divine guidance.

The education system has for years been very controlling in numerous ways. Be wise—and be smart. There are several prominent advocacy organizations that stand ready to help citizens battle government excess. Investigate all your options before you proceed with anything you are uncomfortable with.

Comprehensive plan

In upcoming weeks and months, I plan to post in some detail a comprehensive plan of recommendations for how to educate your own children from birth to adulthood—as DeeAnn and I did with all eight of our children. Our focus from the outset in our home was always on literacy, biblical values, helping our children learn to teach themselves and each other, and above all, following God’s apparent design for each child, all within the express principles and guarantees of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

I have wanted to publish such explicit guidance for serious homeschoolers for years at RenewAmerica, and the publication of this general article marks the official beginning of that effort. Look for numerous follow-up articles to come.

May God bless you in your efforts to teach and prepare your children.

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Stephen Stone is the President and Editor of RenewAmerica – a conservative media site dedicated to restoring respect for America’s founding principles.

This purpose includes not only respect for the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as written, but for the Creator and His laws.

From the time he was a teenager, Stephen has considered himself a born-again Christian, in the biblical tradition. Since then, he has devoted his life to pursuing life’s questions and challenges through seeking to know the mind and will of God, and through seeking the sanctifying influence of His Spirit.

As a result, Steve has become somewhat of a religious philosopher – one committed to approaching the truth of any subject by the clear standards of God’s Word.

His religious testimony can be found in “What does it mean to be converted to Jesus Christ,” a position statement he wrote in 2013 for RenewAmerica.