Textbooks, the teacher substitute

Before you think I'm wanting everyone to burn their textbooks I should make a point: I am not against textbooks. They are a helpful tool. They have also become a vehicle to determine what information is shared, or not shared. They have also become a tool to determine how information is shared. In fact, the textbook series in the public arena is so comprehensive that it almost makes training teachers obsolete.

Ok, not entirely, to be fair. It just makes it really easy to just copy the masters, pass out questions, speak out to the class what to discuss and what the answers should be solicited from the students (even though we have heard that there are no right or wrong answers sometimes....the teacher always has a direction the discussion will go in) and packaged tests that ask questions on what information was thought to be important enough to remember for the week.

Modern textbooks will have all sorts of resources to use. Even in homeschooling there are a lot of varieties of programs to choose from. We can become overwhelmed in trying to choose the best for our kids. So can the public educator. So what do we do?

We do what's best for our kids! The public educator does that too! Except with his/her values, worldview, opinions, biases, prejudices, sinful pre-dispositions, etc. Question is, who's values, worldview, opinions, biases, prejudices, and sinful pre-dispositions do you want influencing your child for 7 hours a day, plus afterschool homework club, etc.? Hmmmmmm. That just may make the textbook issue a little moot right now....something to think about...because just as some of you don't really use texts for all subjects, many public educators don't either. They supplement, add, subtract, modify....all according to what seems right to them.

Yes they are supposed to use approved resources and to varying degrees these resources are used. But don't think that just because a resource lines up with state adopted standards for a particular grade level, and that book is in the classroom, or in your child's backpack that that is exactly what your children are getting.

So we, as homeschool parents need to care about textbooks. But we need to care more about the spiritual state of our child, the heart attitudes that need correction that would flourish in the public school environment. It is a challenge, a really hard challenge sometimes, to find the right materials for our kids. Doggonit! Don't we want this to be easier? Yes, we want the perfect package for the perfect price. But we work hard and trust in the sovereignty of God that we are by His Grace providing the education our child needs.

The state, however, is really concerned about textbooks because that is the primary way those with influence can market their ideology the quickest. California still cannot adopt a social studies book because they can't decide how to treat certain 'religious' topics in the 6th grade text.

The next best way is influence in the universities and colleges putting out credentialed teachers and administrators. By the way, just because a teacher went to a Christian school doesn't mean that they were trained to teach in a Christian worldview. The Christian college or university was accredited by the state because it taught statist methodologies approved in that state's department of education.

Well, that wraps up my textbook series. I didn't want to get too technical...frankly because I didn't want to feel like I was in college again. But that brings up a point I alluded to earlier...that is with all the jargon and technical methods taught in universities to the teacher it is really easy for the teacher to discount homeschooling as "unprofessional" and second rate. All I can say to that, besides "humbug" is that as Christian homeschooling families we cherish what the world despises, that is, "the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God". (I Corinthians 1:18)

Finally, please stop by OneWayPurpose: Why Homeschool Part I and Part II to read an interview with me by David Boskovic. Some of the dialog in the comments would be very interesting to read. I (along with David's brother) made somebody a little cranky. We principals are wont to bring out the ugly sarcastic side in people from time to time :-)