Much is changing on the American education landscape. Two things are happening simultaneously. Revolutionary, radical, increasingly anti-biblical changes are happening in American schools, at a faster pace than ever. And, the school system is falling apart.
Since April of this year, the number of US children schooled at home has increased from 3,000,000 to 60,000,000. Less than half of US colleges say they will open for in-person classes in the fall, and that percentage is dropping.
Over the last 2-3 years, more states are mandating what they call "LGBT” education for American primary school children. Based on the recent US Supreme Court Bostock decision, Christian colleges are a hair’s breadth away from losing Title IX monies, and being subjected to the accommodation laws for the same reason that Christian funeral homes were forced to accommodate transgender employees.
After the coronavirus hit the brick and mortar universities, (see this article and this article), Forbes Magazine is calling this “the end of college as we know it.” The college bubble has already burst.
It seems that the whole world is turning towards homeschooling now — especially the Christian world. Over just the last four weeks, I have spoken via Zoom and in-person with Christian pastors, leaders, and families in 20 countries about home education and family discipleship. Last March, my wife and I participated in two homeschooling conferences in Nepal — the first in the history of that nation! Next week, members of the Generations team will participate in a Zoom conference with a hundred homeschooling parents in Uganda, Africa! The question which keeps occurring to me is this: what is God doing through these earthshaking circumstances — the disease, the economic upheaval, the education stymie, and the social unrest? God turns everything upside down so that He can turn things right side up. He shakes everything so that that which cannot be shaken will remain (Hebrews 12:27).
At the other side of this present crisis, I believe the worldwide homeschooling movement will increase from 3,350,0000 (of which 90% is in the US) to at least 10,000,000, maybe 50,000,000. Here are the basic things I believe God is teaching us, and I want to share these things during our free online homeschooling workshop with Israel Wayne, Shari McMinn, and Mike Donnelly next week (click here to register now for the free workshop!):
- It doesn’t take a government-trained professional to disciple a child, or to invest the one-on-one time necessary for basic learning.
- The one-size-fits-all, mass-produced, institutionalized, centralized, and standardized system is massively inefficient and ineffective at education.
- Academic competence is a derivative of character and faith in the Christian family. Seek the kingdom of God and focus on faith first, and the good grades and good job will be added unto you!
- Healthy family relationships are better than haphazard peer contact when it comes to producing the best socialization for your child.
- Intentional discipleship of our kids must include life integration and interesting opportunities for your child to apply what they learn in the family economy, family garden, family outreach, etc.
- The entire world has just collided with a socio-economic-academic paradigm implosion, which has immediate implications in the area of preparing our children for career and life. If there was ever a time to get out of the box when thinking about college, mentorship, and discipleship, the time is NOW! The time to rethink everything is NOW!
I hope a lot of folks will come to realize that this is God’s wake-up call. This is our opportunity to stop, and to rethink and to renew our minds according to the will of God.
Getting Back To The Real Reason We Homeschool
As Christian parents, it's our job to ask the hard questions, and I think it's time to take a step back and really ask ourselves why we homeschool in the first place. Because let's be honest, it's a tough road to walk. If our vision and purpose for homeschooling is only for the sake of academics, we can get burned out really fast.
My wife Brenda and I have been homeschooling for 25+ years now, and though it's difficult to list all the pros to homeschooling, I've done my best to summarize it in this short 3-minute video — I hope it's an encouragement to you!
Next week (August 4-7), we're hosting a FREE ONLINE WORKSHOP to provide ideas, equipping, broad-based principles, and encouragement, so you can set a new direction for your children’s academic program in the 2020-2021 school year.
We have pulled together a group of experienced homeschoolers, who have walked this walk, to present next week’s workshop. Israel Wayne, Shari McMinn, Mike Donnelly, and myself (Kevin Swanson) have a combined experience of 140 years with home education. I couldn’t think of a better mix to bring a vision for homeschooling in the next generation. Here's a quick overview of what we'll be covering:
- Day 1 (August 4th, 9am PST) This Is Not School: How to Stop Schooling and Start Discipling + Homeschooling FAQ Q&A with Kevin Swanson
- Day 2 (August 5th, 9am PST) Congrats! Your Kids Are Already Learning Worldview...but Which One? + Q&A with Israel Wayne
- Day 3 (August 6th, 9am PST) 5 Veteran Strategies to Homeschool with Sanity + Nuts & Bolts Q&A with Shari McMinn
- Day 4 (August 7th, 9am PST): Homeschooling by Faith: The Three Faith Tests Every Homeschool Parent Faces + Homeschool Freedom Update & Q&A with Kevin Swanson & Mike Donnelly
Will you join us next week for this FREE ONLINE WORKSHOP?