There is something about today’s society which seems to force us all to be ever-more busy, ever-more running around and yet accomplishing a lot less. I can’t quite figure it out, but everybody I know is feeling the effects.

As a full-time student at Massey doing a BA in Education, I am becoming MORE thoroughly convinced (if that is possible) that home schooling is the way to go. The philosophical foundations of ALL the social sciences are totally humanistic which by definition means they are radically anti-Christian. And Christian presuppositions don’t get a look-in, they don’t get acknowledgement, they don’t get a mention. I mentioned this to my Philosophy of Education lecturer and he agreed! At the same time, he is one of the worst, since he quite happily quotes Scripture to suit his purposes. They all see religious views as just another view people hold…and everyone has a right to hold whatever view they like. None are any better than any other….except theirs, of course. It is amazing how they hold onto that obvious contradiction.

But the school system is falling apart at the seams . The qualifications system is in even worse shape, and all our current teenagers and the ones coming up are guinea pigs. The Framework certificates and unit standards have no meaning here or overseas, and it is anybody’s guess whether they ever will. The Universities are fighting this framework business as vigorously as they can.

In addition, the garbage that goes on in schools, the “socialisation” process is totally unacceptable to Christians. Now, there are some schools better than others, and some (like Boy’s High here in Palm Nth), still ignore the framework, offer the old School Cert. and all the rest and don’t stand for any discipline problems. A strong Christian teen can probably withstand the pressures of such a place if they really want whatever certificates are offered. But most courses in Polytechs and Universities really don’t require any such thing. A chat to the admissions officer is usually all that is required to be accepted as a provisional student for the first year. I just discovered that a 16-year-old can get the Correspondence School lessons at the same cheap rates as an adult while still collecting the supervisory allowance. So there is the opportunity to get the state qualifications while still at home.

From Keystone Magazine
July 1997 , Vol. III No.4
P O Box 9064
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email: craig@hef.org.nz