So, obviously, my attempt to keep this blog going stumbled, again. That means that this will be the third time that I'm trying to keep writing on a somewhat regular basis. It I don't succeed this time, I'll be done with the whole thing and stop bothering everyone. Hopefully, that won't be the case.
So, the consensus from everyone who answered my last question, both here and on Facebook, seems to be that, basically, the responsibility to educate a child belongs to the parents, especially in the area of ethics. One commenter on Facebook pointed out Deuteronomy 6, the famous passage in which God commands the Israelites to teach their children about God and their history.
I definitely agree. Children are given to parents, not to the State or to the community at large. The responsibility to educate them falls totally to the parents. That said, as a good number of those who commented pointed out, the possibility exists for parents to in some way arrange for others be involved in their child's education. As besiderself pointed out, even when this occurs, the parent is not delegating ultimate responsibility for the child's education to the other people who are involved. So, while Gilligan and James (through support) have a good point about how parents aren't always (or usually) equipped to totally execute their child's education alone, and how parents should let, say, someone who know's Calculus be the one to teach your child Calculus, most of the responsibility to have your child taught Calculus remains with the parent; I think we can probably all agree that some responsibility does, though, go to the person who has agreed to teach the child Calculus.
So, Question #2:
What is the most important thing for a parent to ensure his or her child learns?
Posts
A Response to Charlie Kirk's Assassination
1 month ago
Hey look, Disqus! Not bad there. How hard was it to set up? Con #1, now I can't comment with my Blogger ID. Bummer. Well, guess I get to test out Facebook integration. Anywho, on to my response:
ReplyDeleteI think that that question is very fundamental, and one that many people from different backgrounds will answer differently. However, that's merely a cop-out, so I'll try and get a bit closer to a solid answer by giving categories of information/education.
Religion/theology: Either Christianity, Catholicism, Ecclesiasticism, Scientology, Mormonism, Islam, Atheism, or whatnot. Parents often will want to bring their child up under the same theological understanding of their being.
Science: The study of the world, or at least a method. Often this is influenced by the first.
Sociology: Or social interaction. How to get along with people is an important thing to learn in a world with people other than oneself.
Self-Respect/Self-Esteem: While these two are hardly synonymous, I list them because they are a corollary to the last one. How one views oneself in relation to other people, and even to God, so maybe it ties in with the first area as well.
History: One's family history, the history of the people or nation, or even as far back as the history of the civilization, all are important things, but in my opinion, not the MOST important thing.
Math: While we've focused a lot on Calculus-based math for a long time, some are pushing for a more statistics-based math education. I think I might be in favor of it, due to the more data-centric world we're in, but that's a post for another time. In short, math is important, but not the most important.
I think that's enough for now, this could be a blog post by itself! Apologies. I don't want to spoil anyone else's comments, so I'll end by saying that I think the most important thing a parent must ensure that their child learns is a healthy view of themself and others in relation to God and His power. Whether that's Anabaptist, Armenian, Calvinist, Cath... well I'll just stop and say I don't have all the answers.
To love the Lord their God with ALL their heart, with ALL their soul, with ALL their mind, and with ALL their strength. :0)
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing is who God Is. He's not "somewhere out there" totally detached from the human race. He is here. And He cares about each and every person. He cares about our desires and dreams. He isn't waiting for us to fail so He can write us off! He is waiting for us to ask Him for the help to do things His way.
ReplyDeleteOnce a person can grasp this realization, their whole perspective on life changes. The earlier the better!!
Love. Love is paramount. I think the only way a child can begin to understand God, the world which we live in and death is through love. I think that other concepts of God don't really penetrate into a childs mind and heart (and mine, I didn't want to throw "adults" in there as I might just be different) . I think they might have an objective understanding of the concepts but can only feel God through love. Our expression of love is the simplest commandment given to us and the only I want to live life.
ReplyDelete