Your statement makes it obvious that you are confused about the form of government here in the Unites States of America. Your comment makes the assumption that we are a democracy (a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system) The key being “supreme power is vested in the people”. If we were a democracy, then your statement “it is an error to speak of government wielding power that we gave it as being unlawful” would be true and I would have no argument against federal involvement in the government school system apart from God’s Word.

However, the U.S.A. is not a democracy, it is a Constitutional Republic (a government where the head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people , and must govern according to existing constitutional law that limits government’s power over citizens). The key here is “must govern according to existing constitutional law”. This is why our president takes this oath of office,

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

and members of Congress take this oath,

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

If the Constitution forbids the federal government power over education, “we the people” can not simply vote for it and or elect representatives who support it and it suddenly become lawful. Our nation is governed by law and “we the people” are not above that law.

It is not the purpose or intent of this blog to educate people in our form of government or to explain the Constitution. I quote the relevant part of the Constitution in my post above and I encourage you to read the rest of the Constitution (it is quite short) to see what lawful power the federal government is given by the Constitution and what power is forbidden.

If you are interested in further discussion about the lawful role of the federal government, especially relating to education, I suggest you check out Spunky Homeschool. Spunky is a talented researcher and has posted extensively about education and government. I appreciate that she goes to original sources and talks to many of the politicians involved. I also know that Nicki at 400 Things enjoys political discussions.

Thanks again for your interest in this topic.

Blessings,
Kimberly

First let me say that this post doesn’t really describe why we homeschool. (That is still coming.) It is merely expressing why we never considered government education.

Second I do not want to get sidetracked with difficult situations, either government education is unbiblical or it is not. Difficult situations or us not understanding how everything will work out, do not change God’s law or His requirements for His people.

Those things said, I think the single mom dilemma is has several fairly simple solutions.

Biblically the extended family is the first source for help in times of need. The family can supply either help with the actual education of the children or perhaps financial help for a private school. We know some grandparents who are educating their grandchildren while their daughter works to pay the bills.

If the family is unable or unwilling, the church should be the next line of defense and Biblically the church has a special responsibility to the widows and orphans. I know that if our family were in this situation our home church would do everything possible to help keep our children out of the government schools.

Another option is for single moms to homeschool their own children. I am amazed and blessed to know several single moms who have made this decision. It takes amazing dedication, but they have been successful.

Another option is public schools (not government schools). This is the type of system in place in early America. Private citizens got together voluntarily, hired a teacher, acquired, built or borrowed a building (sometimes using space in private homes) and provided an education for their own children.

I also know that many Christian schools provide scholarships for families in need. When I was a girl we knew a single mom of four daughters. The local Christian school educated all of her girls from kindergarten to high school in exchange for her cleaning the facilities after her regular job. She took her children with her and cleaned a couple hours each evening while they studied or played.

The amazing thing is that God always provides and He is not limited by what we can see or understand. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He will provide for the education of His children.

Thanks so much for your comment, Laurel!

Blessings,
Kimberly

Instead of calling her dad “Daddy” she called him “Poppy”. The school called her mother to tell her, “Your child is not allowed to call your husband that.” When my MIL tried arguing with them the teacher said, “You are not in charge of your child, we are!”

Yup, my MIL pulled her daughter out of there so fast and started homeschooling. In fact, she homeschools my 3-year-old one day a week. I, on the other hand, have had a hard time doing it. She’s still young yet but I just hate arts-n-crafts. I feel out of my element doing this!

If the public school system is inherently wrong, than I am wondering what you would suggest for the families that cannot teach their children at home. There are many single moms who must work outside the home to provide for their families; and many of these mothers did not choose to raise their children on their own. (Some are widowed. Some have been abandoned.)

I am so thankful that I do have the opportunity to teach my children at home, as I have for the past 18 years. However, I just cannot come up with an answer for what some families are to do if the public school system were to be abandoned (as some people would adamantly suggest).

I look forward to the discussion from this post. I would love to hear others’ thoughts.

mama of 13