Right(s) Training

Ephesians 6 speaks to the proper, Biblical model of the relationship between parent and child.  In the
first four verses of the chapter, the Word of God says:
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise:
3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

I would submit that in order for children to be obedient "in the Lord," that they have to know what God's principles actually are - and parents have been given the responsibility by the Lord to teach those principles and to provide a godly example.  Fathers are exhorted in verse 4 to not be provocative, but proactive, raising their children "in the training and admonition of the Lord." Children are regarded as gifts from God, and parents who love them and love God will take the responsibility to train them very seriously.

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I believe that the responsibility to teach children, according to the Bible, is placed on the parents.
Deuteronomy chapter 6 supports that:
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Throughout the country, students have had to adjust their learning environments, transitioning from the school classroom to essentially the home classroom, often assisted by parents who are staying at home either because they are working there or, unfortunately, not working due to the Coronavirus. So, families have practically overnight become part of the practice of homeschooling.

And...there are some who see that as some sort of threat.  Take, for instance, the elites at Harvard Magazine, who published a scathing article in which one particular professor, Elizabeth Bartholet, is calling for, yes, a "presumptive national ban on homeschooling."  That's according to John Stonestreet, who on a recent Breakpoint commentary, said that:

The article summarized the arguments from a recent Arizona Law Review paper in which Bartholet argues that homeschooling not only violates children’s rights to a ‘meaningful education’ and their right to be protected from potential child abuse, but may keep them from contributing positively to a democratic society.”

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council wrote that...

...Bartholet and company are trying to throw shade at anyone considering it by writing an out-of-touch diatribe about how "dangerous" it is for parents to have "control" over their children. And frankly, that should offend every mom and dad -- whether they homeschool or not. It arrogantly implies that the state knows how to raise their kids better than they do. But the problem is, children don't belong to the state. They belong to parents. And it's their right and responsibility to rear them as they see fit.

Both Stonestreet and Perkins refer to a response from Harvard alum Melba Pearson, who was homeschooled prior to attending the university.  Perkins wrote that she...

...was disgusted that her alma mater would suggest that the government, "already so inefficient and inadequate in so many areas... has more of a right to educate, care for, and control your children than you, their parents, do." It's an attack, she insists, "on the fundamental rights and freedoms that make our country (and until recently, institutions such as Harvard) what they are."

 She also addressed academic performance:

They "consistently," Melba points out, "test approximately 30 percent higher than the national public-school average in all subjects tested. [And they] consistently demonstrate higher high school GPAs, higher SAT/ACT scores, and higher first year college GPAs." How do government schools counter? With "higher levels of abuse, bullying, suicide, and drop-out rates in children and young adults..."

And, could Professor Bartholet harbor a religious bias?  Stonestreet certainly thinks so, stating:

The reasons behind Bartholet’s highly selective criticism are laid bare when she admits what she thinks to be the real bogeyman of many homeschool families: “a majority of are driven by conservative Christian beliefs, and seek to remove their children from mainstream culture.” Well, there you have it.

Our response to such “extreme religious ideologues,” she suggests, should mirror Germany, where homeschooling is illegal. And, apparently unable to hear herself talk, Bartholet concludes “I think it’s always dangerous to put powerful people in charge of the powerless, and to give the powerful ones total authority.”

In his Breakpoint commentary, Stonestreet refers to comments from Manhattan Declaration co-founder Robert George, who is a professor at Princeton. He states: "As Princeton professor Robert George pointed out, this article isn’t so much an argument against homeschooling as it for the compulsory secularization of America’s children. This kind of power grab, for which Bartholet advocates and against which George warns, is only made easier when parents surrender their God-given authority and responsibilities to the state. Outsource is one thing. Surrender is another."

The takeaways from this article and responses to it are crystal clear.  There is a misunderstanding of where rights come from.  Christians believe, as did the Founders of our country that "inalienable rights" come from God; they are not granted by government.  Stonestreet characterizes the debate: "Those who think the State grants rights seek a legal monopoly on the minds of the next generation. Those who think the State’s job is to recognize rights and protect them look elsewhere for the source of those rights." Perkins said, "...children don't belong to the state. They belong to parents. And it's their right and responsibility to rear them as they see fit." I would add that the Bible gives the primary responsibility to train children, spiritually and academically, to the parents - we can choose to subcontract elements to the church or various forms of education, but ultimately it's on us.

And, even those the evidence of homeschooling success was dismissed by that Harvard professor, nevertheless that facts are on the side of homeschool success.  Stonestreet referred to the research of Brian Ray, who surveyed "standardized test results from more than 11,000 homeschooled students over 25 years from all 50 states,: about which he surmised that “Homeschoolers are still achieving well beyond their public school counterparts—no matter what their family background, socioeconomic level, or style of homeschooling.” John points out, though, that "Bartholet dismisses Ray’s research as 'advocacy dressed up by science.'"

Finally, the pandemic, I believe, provides an opportunity to evaluate how we are operating in various areas and to perhaps revise our approach.  There may be some methods and practices that have been applied during this time that could be helpful in the future.  Perkins referred to a conversation he had with Mike Donnelly, who said: "You've got people on the Left [and] the Right who homeschool for many reasons," adding," They have children with special needs. They want their children to be able to pursue their own interests. They're not happy with the state of the public schools [or its] content..." Tony adds:

This whole crisis is opening up a whole new world to others who never considered it. And, as Mike said, "I think a lot of people, a year from now, are going to look back on this pandemic, and they're going to point [it] as a time when they realized that homeschooling is [a good option]. We like having our kids at home. We like this relationship. We [like the] flexibility..."