Questions Christian Home Educators Should Ask...

Yourself

Do you believe that God created your children?
- If so,
  - Should you feel a need to create something of them?
Do you believe that God has entrusted you with the responsibility of teaching your children?
- If so,
  - Are you trusting that He has a purpose for you and your children?
Is your Christian faith central in your home education program?
- If so,
  - Do you believe God is ultimately in control?
- If so,
  - Do you believe in and advance the authority of the Bible?
- If so,
  - Do you believe that the Bible is clear on matters of right and wrong?
- If so,
  - Is there any room for compromise?
Do you believe that the education of a child should be an individual preparation for the future?
- If so,
  - Why would you follow one-size fits all government programming, accreditation and credits?

(Most Christian home educators have decided not to subscribe to secular thinking but end up capitulating because only one option is being presented to them - the one most likely leading away from sound Biblical doctrine to man-centric solutions.)

Your Facilitator

Do you subscribe to the Christian faith?
- If so,
  - Do you believe God is ultimately in control?
- If so,
  - Do you believe in and advance the authority of the Bible?
- If so,
  - Will you honor its teachings and guide me accordingly?
  - Do you believe that the Bible is clear on matters of right and wrong?
- If so,
  - Is there any room for compromise?
Have you educated your children yourself at home?
- If not,
  - How do you presume to guide me in Christian home education?
- If yes,
  - Do you believe there is a single prescribed method of home education?
- If so,
  - Can you show that there is absolutely no way of succeeding outside of government approved programming?
- If not,
  - What do you believe is the biblical mandate for educating a child?
  - How much freedom are you prepared to give me to fulfill that mandate?
  - Can I call you with questions regarding the education of my children?

(Some facilitators are of the opinion that they are the professional and that parents are answering to them. This belief is instilled in teachers’ college where secular thinking quickly overshadows Biblical authority.)

If the facilitator is working for a board offering blended programming, ask him or her:

Are you aware of the controversies regarding blended programming?
Have you read and are you familiar with the description of blended programmming as outlined in the Funding Manual and elsewhere?
(BLENDED PROGRAM means an educational program consisting of two distinct parts:
1. A school-provided program where a teacher employed by a school board or an accredited-funded private school is responsible for providing the planning, resource selection, instructional delivery, assessment and evaluation of student progress in selected courses that follow the Alberta Programs of Study; and
2. A Home Education Program that meets the requirements of the Home Education Regulation.)
- If so,
  - Can you explain them to me?
- - Will you be delivering the entire program as prescribed by the regulations?
- - (The teacher, not a teacher representative, delivering the APS, not a facsimile)
Are you certain that you are not leading me to violate my conscience?
- If not,
  - Why are you involved in blended programming?

Your Board

What are you doing to assist the home educating community generally and not just families registered with you?
Do you consider yourselves as having the student’s interest ahead of monetary interests?
If so,
- are you billing the government for additional CEU funding?
Do you offer high school credits for home educated students?
- If so,
  - Do you purpose to advance the Christian faith and the authority of God’s word in home education?
(It has recently come to our attention that a traditional home school provider may be encouraging the use of government high school credits using the Alberta Programs of Study and accessing the increased funding allowances using government CEU funding rates (see Alberta Education Funding Explained). Unlike other blended programming providers, this board does not claim to be offering blended programming and does not pass any additional funding to parents. Please be advised that any board offering high school credits may be accessing funding at regular public or private school levels. If you desire to avoid compromising situations, this question will usually expose a boards accessing of funds beyond that of a basic home education.)
Do you subscribe to the Christian faith?
- If so,
  - Do you purpose to advance the Christian faith and the authority of God’s word in home education?
- If so,
  - Do you think that one can do so by using secular programming & methodology?
- and
  - Do you believe one can make claims to follow Christian ethics and knowingly be in contravention of Biblical teachings?
- If not, and you are offering blended programming that does not properly follow prescribed processes,
  - Why are you offering blended programming?

(Remember that where there is money or power involved, most people and organizations will pretend to be all things to all men. It is up to you to establish a sense of integrity in asking these questions)

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