...when this country has been most religious it has been most intellectual. When people turn to God, their minds begin to open out. When they go away from God, they stop using their minds; and that is what is happening today. The godless life starves the mind.' Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones as preached in 1956, (Taken from: Saved by Grace Alone, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018, p.156) We hear grumbles on the media regularly about education: employers who find that school leavers cannot perform basic tasks, undergraduates who need teaching before they are ready to access their university course and the list goes on. Should we be concerned - or is this people just being people and never being satisfied? I would suggest to you that a brief look back at past O level papers and even the education of youngsters back in history will show that our expectations of young people are very low. One hears of young children in days gone by, being fluent in several languages at an early age. Children were taught and expected to learn. Of course, this is a very general summary and you will always find exceptions, but I think it is fair to say that we have lost the rigours of teaching and learning that marked former years. The GCSE English Language exam syllabi are written expecting our young people to have done little other than watch TV, visit the theatre/theme parks, game, go to pop concerts and read low-level trivial books. The exam boards are proud of their courses that prepare youths for the modern world. Need I say any more? Academic knowledge is in books. Each child must learn to extract and use that knowledge to the greatest extent that his or her abilities permit. Dr. Robinson Why do we have low educational standards?I won't go into great detail here, as I have already done so in a previous post. Suffice to say, the humanistic, child-centred philosophies which are at the core of our modern age shape the way we educate and think about children and indeed life, completely. Not least, they have encouraged us to please ourselves. This is endemic throughout all society as we bear the fruit of several decades of such teaching that life centres around 'me'! Sadly the fact that it doesn't and that we all have responsibilities towards God and others has been left unsaid. However, it has left a spiritual vacuum, a devastating trail of low educational standards, low levels of attainment along with low morals. Even more sadly, most parents and teachers these days are products themselves of a humanistic education and do not recognize it in themselves. They seem content with the low standards (which they consider to be high), and may even think that because of society's seeming 'intelligence', with information available so easily on tap through the internet, that there is no problem. We live in an entertainment driven societyHaving been trained to please ourselves and not have to be responsible to others, we have welcomed the many modern technological devices in our homes (nothing wrong with them per-se) and we take every opportunity to shun work that is unpleasant to us (as mankind has always been prone to do). They have given us more time to spend - on ourselves - pleasing the flesh. Now, one need never be bored. The media encourages us to have life revolve around 'my desires', and 'my wants'. Entertainment is only a finger click away. And yet we live in what seems like the worst times for mental afflictions. We forget the biblical principle that man was made to glorify God, not himself and to work. He was given responsibility to look after God's creation (Genesis 2:15). When it comes to education, children's educational materials these days (we are told) must be:
Correction is seen as damagingCorrection is not seen as good - red pens are out - as the word 'wrong' might damage our children's self-esteem. Bad behavior does not need discipline we are told, but rather encouraging and guiding. Yes there is room for both of these sometimes, but the biblical pattern is that children do need disciplining: The rod and reproof give wisdom (proverbs 29:15) Entertainment style education does not encourage children to think - to grapple with a subjectEntertainment technology 'wastes time, promotes passive, vicarious brain development rather than active thought, and is a source of pernicious social contamination.' Dr. Robinson Technology with its ever increasing attractions with games and apps may be 'fun' and entertaining and have the appearance of educating but in reality dumbs and numbs the brain. It gives the impression that knowledge is easily hand - in fact, why bother learning at all if you can just press a button and get the answer? This is a big question many are asking and it may in time reshape education completely away from learning knowledge to learning how to access knowledge. The trouble is - if we know nothing, how will we know if what we are being told is true or not? This is not the route for the God-fearing to take. The Christian must know what God's Word says. He must study it diligently. This requires time, commitment and self-denial. Are we training our children towards these things by allowing them to have easy access to computers, mobiles and games? I strongly advise against the use of television/computers/apps/games, even for educational purposes for as along as you can hold off of them. It needs to be the parents decision as to when they are allowed, if ever, in the home or used by children. Let children see you using technology profitably and not for entertainment, for example for accounts, writing, research, business. Are our children less intelligent now?I do not think they have less potential to be intelligent, but I certainly think that we encourage them to be less intelligent. We think it's cute and our children 'bright' when they can do remarkable things on our mobiles at a young age. However, we do not generally expect much of them when it comes to academic ability. Young children are capable of amazing things. The Robinson Curriculum expects them to learn all of their number bonds, for all four operations to 12x12 by the age of seven - as normal This is more than possible - I proved it - even with a child with a severe language delay. It wasn't easy - it required daily practice and yes, sometimes it was boring. But we seem these days to buy into the thought that all education needs to be entertaining. This is of course - the natural fruit of a child-centred philosophy - which sadly, many Christian parents do not recognise. We are apt to blindly follow the world as long as they don't try and teach our children evolution. Why has everyone got to be spoon-fed these days? Why has it got to be so simple and elementary? Why cannot people follow argument and reason and logic? In the past they could, and they revelled in it. Read the speeches of the statesmen. Read the sermons of the preachers. The people rejoiced in all this. But people today say, "It isn't so much that I don't like it; I can't do it." Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones as preached in 1956, (Taken from: Saved by Grace Alone, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018, p.155) Should I make my child do something boring?We might feel guilty insisting that a child sit and practice his/her flash cards, when they resist and don't want to. Or maybe we have been tempted to think that the child will be turned off reading if we insist that s/he read when s/he doesn't want to one day. Friends - these are behavior issues and they need addressing: your child will not be harmed if you insist on the daily school work being done. We do our children no favours by being child-centred in this way. Obviously our teaching must be sensitive to the pupil, that is, appropriate to his/her stage of development. The good teacher will try and make the subject come alive, but this is not always possible: routine drill for reading/spelling/handwriting and maths is hard work, and often boring. Later it's revision for exams. We need to instill good habits from day one. We must be aware of our child's moods and temperament and seek to train them to do work first time of asking and willingly. It is as much 'education' to address these issues as it is to address academic learning. The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: Proverbs 1:7 The whole of our lives, including our parenting, needs to be God-centred - based on His Word and in accordance with His laws. How do we raise educational standards? |
Welcome!After studying for an Early Years Specialism degree (B.Ed. Hons), and teaching in mainstream education, I home-educated my own children, after my husband and I were persuaded of the need to take responsibility for bringing up our children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' (Ephesians 6:4) We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This costs the purchaser nothing extra. In this way I can continue to provide free resources. Thank you for your support. Looking for a read-aloud?
Here's one I heartlily reccomend for ages 10 +. Search
All
The First book from Christina Eastwood - the first in a triology - only £5.99 (ages 8 to 13).
Now available in PRINT!
See here Now available in PRINT
See here Now available in PRINT
See here |