Each time there is another school shooting, we parents want to grab our children and find a safe place, I hear of others who suddenly want to homeschool their children. Is this a good idea?
We all want to protect our children. Sometimes it is tempting to build a bomb shelter for a house, isn’t it? Let’s seriously think about the safety of our children.
The first thing that we need to remember is that safety is of the LORD. Here are just 4 of the many verses in the Bible showing us that our protection truly comes from God. I still have moments of fear, but I have learned that nothing will happen to me without the knowledge (and permission) of God. Anything that I view as bad in my life has a good purpose in my life. I know that God loves me, and I know that I can trust Him to give the best situations for my life. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this truth. I am sure many others do also.
Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Proverbs 21:31 – “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” (Some versions say safety is of the LORD.)
Psalm 4:8 – “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
I still have moments of fear, but I have learned that nothing will happen to me without the knowledge (and permission) of God. Anything that I view as bad in my life has a good purpose in my life. I know that God loves me and that I can trust Him to give the best situations for my life. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this truth. I am sure many others do also.
2. Do not make decisions out of fear. A blog I read recently shared wise advice – “…there are only two types of decisions: Decisions made out of fear and decisions made out of growth.” (You can read the article here.) Making a decision on the basis of fear is foolish.
Here is an article detailing steps in making wise decisions. I highly recommend that you work through each step as you make choices. It is very possible if you take the time to consider schooling for your child, you will realize the benefits of home education, but it is imperative to slow down and think carefully about a choice of such importance.
3. Evaluate your family and analyze whether your child’s school is safe for your child. More than physical safety should be considered. What about these areas? (Listed in alphabetical order for convenience.)
Emotional Safety
Dr. Joshua Straub speaking of his book, Safe House, says, “Your children need to be given freedom and boundaries.” Dennis Rainey and Dr. Straub discuss the concept of emotional safety in these broadcasts.
A key truth mentioned in the broadcast of Family Life Today was not only “Do unto others as we would have them do unto us”, but also to take the time to understand others in the way we want them to understand us. It is so easy to give our children our answer without doing the detective work needed to understand them.
Let me quote Dennis Rainey right here. “First of all, you—as a parent / both of you, ideally—need to have a commitment to Jesus Christ and surrender to Him and what He wants you to do according to the Bible. Secondly, as you begin to live that out, you offer a commitment to love your child—and that’s that understanding portion you are talking about, where you listen beyond the emotions of the moment.”
Proverbs 14:29 says, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding.” And as Dennis Rainey points out we do not have to be perfect emotionally. We need to be growing to be more like Christ. It is a process. Spiritual and emotional growth takes time. Your children will learn with you too!
We must consider the emotional safety of our children in a traditional school, as well as in our homes. They need to know they are heard and understood.
Mental Safety
Is the school one where everyone can have a personalized focus on developing his intellect? Is your home?
Instead of primarily dwelling on grades for a test, help your child acquire the skill of learning. This has been one of my biggest academic goals, to teach our childeen to learn independently. If this skill is developed, one can learn ANYTHING. As a result, transitioning into college can be enjoyable for them rather than a huge area of stress.
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Honestly much time in a traditional school setting is directed at learning whatever information fits into the school’s “box”. Frequently parents d9nt even know what is in the box for their chils’s education. What does the school determine to be important? Is that your goal – to fit into whatever is deemed valuable by the powers that be? Or do you want to develop your child and his personal strengths and interests?
Perhaps we should look at the school system and observe what is being produced. Do we want to reproduce those results? What other results would we aim for?
Physical Safety
Of course, part of your child’s safety does pertain to his physical surroundings. Is the environment healthy? Free from problems that bring injury?
Typically the traditional school does moderately well in this area, as far as the building being safe. Chemicals are not sitting around. Sharp edges are not exposed. These are just standard expectations.
Some of the physical safety concerns that don’t seem to be resolved well are concerns about bullying and school security. You will need to be attentive to learn about these problems. If your child is being physically harmed, what is being done about it? Are these incidents being handled quickly and firmly?
Security in schools is a topic that arouses a wide variety of responses. Some people think that there should be guards that are armed. Others think that guns have no place in the school. Period. There doesn’t actually seem to be much rational conversation on this topic these days. Parents need to communicate and look into what they think is reasonable and speak up to their schools and those in charge.
As one checks these safety concerns out thoroughly at the school, he should also critique his own home. Do you meet the same expectations that you expect from your local schools? One must be consistent and ask if the home is safe in those areas also.
There is another kind of safety that I seek for my children. One that shoyld take top priority.
Spiritual Safety
I have chosen to base my beliefs on the unchanging standard of God’s Word. This means if I am teaching my child, I need to align my teaching to what the Bible says. The Bible is my absolute standard. If there is a conflict with what I am doing and the Bible, I am the one who needs to change. Is your child’s school safe spiritually? Is your home?
Each of these aspects of safety must be considered in our thoughts as we consider safety as a reason for choosing to home educate. We need to understand that we cannot ever make a decision that will make our children safe from every kind of harm. Trust in God as the foundation for your family’s safety. You won’t be disappointed.
When a shooting in a school occurs, it is easy for one to jump on the “I would be safer having my children at home” bandwagon. As you can see, many aspects need to be considered in this choice. Home education is the best for our family. Is it your best option?
If you have questions as you make decisions about the education of your children, I would be glad to help you as you consider what is best. Feel free to leave a comment for us or to ask questions on our facebook page or twitter.
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