Parents, Not Government, Should Educate & Disciple Children, Alex Newman Tells Kirk Cameron

In a recent episode of TAKEAWAYS, Kirk Cameron spoke with journalist and author Alex Newman about the importance of parent involvement in their child’s education.

Newman, who homeschools his five children, said that parents need to take responsibility for their children’s education.

“I think if we continue on the path that we’re on it’s going to inevitably lead to disaster,” Newman said. “Parents right now really need to be considering this very seriously.”

“One alternative is just keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing for 60, 70 years, trying to reform the system,” he continued. “I think the best option that a parent has is to just make the decision right now, ‘I’m going to reclaim control over the education of my children.’ I really believe that homeschooling is the gold standard.”

“I don’t think it’s the only acceptable or decent way to educate children, [but] I think the benefits are just so enormous that parents, if there’s any way you can do it, I can’t recommend it highly enough,” he added. “My wife and I homeschool our five children. It’s one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made.”

Not only does homeschooling offer more flexibility and control over the pace of their child’s education, but Newman said that it also allows parents to instill Biblical values.

“I think it’s right in line with what the Bible teaches,” he explained. “If you go Deuteronomy 6, parents you’re supposed to be teaching your children when they wake up in the morning, when they’re walking by the way, when they’re eating, when they’re laying down to go to bed. Parents, you lead and that’s the best way to go.”

Newman said there are also practical benefits to homeschooling.

“The first and most obvious thing is that there’s nobody on the planet that loves your children more than you as a parent,” Newman said. “There’s nobody who cares as much about them as you do. There’s nobody who desires more strongly that their well-being be assured. You realize you have an advantage over anybody.”

“Second of all, when you have that one-on-one attention there’s really nothing that can beat that,” he continued. “Even in the most elite wealthy private schools you still have a classroom full of kids. That’s a totally different thing than having one-on-one relationship with parents where you go at exactly the speed that’s appropriate for that child. You can focus in on the special needs of that child, the learning style of that child, the interests of that child. That’s one of the things that’s so great about homeschooling is it’s so customizable, it’s so adaptable to the unique needs of every child.”

“God literally made every person on this planet unique, the idea that we’re just going to put them into a factory and every child gets the same treatment at the same time, learns the same thing in the same way… it just doesn’t make sense,” he added. “We would never accept that when it comes to grocery shopping or restaurants, and yet we accept it with the education of our children.”

Newman acknowledged the common objections to homeschooling, like finances and time, but said that the sacrifice is worth it.

“We see these objections a lot and I’ve actually seen parents overcome these obstacles, I’ve seen single moms take on the homeschooling of their children. It relies on community and family,” he said. “You don’t need to necessarily take on that whole burden yourself, there’s all kinds of alternatives now, not just co-ops. There are financial resources available out there for homeschoolers, for single parents, there are scholarships for people who want to do this.”

“The options are endless, and I tell people, it seems like a daunting task, but once you jump into it, you’ll see God really will bless you and will bless your family in an incredible way if he calls you to do it,” Newman added. “He’s going to make a way for it to be possible to do it.

“There is nobody more equipped to educate and disciple your children than you, that’s why God entrusted them to you. Even if it involves a sacrifice, and it will, it’s a sacrifice that’s well worth it.”