Waiting for Superman?
Bad news, good news
Are you waiting for a superman to come save America? He’s not coming!
You don’t need me to tell you that public schools are not successfully teaching core academics, that nationwide 41% of 4th graders cannot read at even a basic level. That really means they cannot read at all! Well below a third of 4th and 8th grade students nationwide are proficient in reading. Math scores are about as abysmal! Nationwide two-thirds of students in government schools are not proficient in any subject! There is no superman coming to improve test scores.
You don’t need me to tell you about the obscene books that are available, and even promoted, in schools and libraries. Did you know that in most states have been long-standing exemptions to obscenity code for schools and libraries. In the last five years, some states have attempted to change those laws. This year, North Dakota’s legislature narrowly passed a bill that would have protected children from obscenity in libraries and schools, without “banning” any books, but the governor vetoed it. Even in states where it is now illegal to expose children to this pornography, some teachers and librarians are ignoring the law. There is no superman coming to transform libraries into safe-havens for children.
You don’t need me to tell you that at least 10% of children in government schools are molested by school staff, and that all too often those assaults are covered up by the school. Red states are not immune. Within the past few months, schools in Texas and Oklahoma have been shown to have been covering for such problems. Within the past few days, in Buffalo, New York, a story has been breaking of massive child abuse allegations in the public schools and an equally massive cover-up, including deleting security footage of incidents. There is no superman coming to stand guard over your children.
You don’t need me to tell you that in Virginia, Illinois, and Minnesota the legislatures have considered or are considering bills that endanger home education freedoms and parental rights. There is no superman that will guard your freedoms in the State Houses.
Superman is not coming to save us! While I am profoundly thankful for many of the policy changes of the present administration, President Trump is not superman. The task of turning America around is much more than one man can accomplish.
Red state governors and legislators are not supermen either. In the past few years, a growing number of red states have considered, and even passed, school “choice” legislation. Using government money to fund private education is not answer. It’s not Biblical. Taking someone else’s money against their will is stealing. Taxpayer funded education of any kind is not Constitutional.Virginia’s Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom on which the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is based states, “…to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.” In addition, vouchers and Education Savings Accounts invite government regulation and control of private schools. The oversight is already creeping in in Arizona, where ESAs passed just a couple of years ago. It’s completed in Sweden, where there home education is now illegal, and private schools are required to teach the government curriculum.
Figuratively, before compulsory education laws and government-funded schools, American education was a shining city on a hill. Literacy rates approached 100%. Now, the walls of education have been broken down and burned. Our children have been taken captive by Marxist propaganda and woke ideology. What can we do?
In the Bible, when Nehemiah heard of the desolate condition of Jerusalem, he sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:4). Then, Nehemiah got permission from the king to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. He gathered the people and said, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach (Nehemiah 2:17). The people replied, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work (Nehemiah 2:18b). Then, priests, rulers, and the common people, united with one purpose rose up and built the wall, each man repairing the portion in front of his house. They faced taunts, threats, and the possibility of armed attack, but they persisted, working with one hand and carrying a weapon in the other. The whole wall was completed in just fifty two days!
If we are to restore the walls of education in America, we need a Nehemiah strategy. We cannot work at this piecemeal. We cannot rely on a few people, or one strong leader. We need to all rise up and build the whole wall, each of us working in the area closest to our abilities, talents, interests, or home.
So what can we do? How can we reform schools without govt?
There are five areas in which we need to work
1. Spiritual – we need prayer warriors and a prayer network. We need pastors who will boldly teach what the Bible says about marriage, family, and education.
2. Educational
a. Home Education is the gold standard. God’s design is for children to be with their parents and for parents to teach them God’s ways, including academics, throughout the day as they live life together
b. Private Christian Schools. This is an option for those who can afford it. Regulations make it difficult to start a Christian school. Tuition is often expensive and beyond the means of many families.
c. Microschools are a resurrection of the old one-room schoolhouse. They could meet in homes, church classrooms, storefronts. Multiple ages are taught in the same room. Students learn to work more independently, and are often allowed to pursue their interests. Curriculum may be tailored to the student.
d. Church-based learning centers are more than a co-op for home educators. Families may register as home schoolers, but then bring their curriculum to a church facility, where church members volunteer to help them with their school work. Churches in Massachusetts are leading the way with this educational innovation. Some churches offer tutoring one day a week, some have five-day programs. Costs are very low, so tuition can be as well.
3. Financial. We need more privately funded scholarship funds for children to attend one of these alternatives to public schools. We also need more private grant programs to fund microschool and church-based learning center start-ups.
4. Political. We need to recruit and elect people who will be strong supporters of real education freedom and parental rights. Then, we need to monitor the state and federal legislatures to make sure the legislation that is passed promotes life, liberty, property, and parental rights.
5. Legal. There will, no doubt, be legal challenges to changes. We need to be prepared to defend the fledgling microschools and church-based learning centers. Also, we may need to challenge unconstitutional restrictions on educational freedom that are already in place.
No one can accomplish this alone. We need army of volunteers. Maybe you give 5 minutes a month. Maybe you can volunteer every day. Maybe you can give 5 dollars. Maybe you can give $5 million. Where is God calling you to help rebuild the walls of education? If you are interested in having a part in rebuilding education without government, even if it is a very small part, join a local group promoting and working toward these goals. If you are not sure where you can get involved, contact me. Pray, then rise up and join us! Let’s build the walls!