JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

January 1988

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your recent question concerning teaching children at home. It is our pleasure to assist you.

As you know, from time to time God's Church mentions some of the problems of today's educational system in a general way. Even so, it is not our intent to discourage people from sending their children to public schools.

It is THE PARENTS' RESPONSIBILITY to choose a method of education for their children. For those considering teaching their children at home, we suggest weighing the pros and cons carefully before deciding.

Teaching children at home is not the panacea many may believe it to be. It requires skills that many people have not developed. Even those who have developed those skills may not have the time or the perseverance to do a proper job. Professionally prepared correspondence courses can certainly be helpful in this regard. In fact, in many states, unless the parents are certified teachers, the law requires that such courses be used to teach children at home.

These courses are available from several sources. We do not officially endorse any of them, but, for your own information, one of the largest suppliers of correspondence courses is American Schools. Their address is: American Schools, 850 East 58 Street, Chicago, IL 60637. You may also obtain information from the National Home Study Council, 1601 18 Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009.

Calvert School, founded in 1897, is one of the oldest and most widely accepted organizations offering home-schooling courses for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. They can be contacted for more information by writing: Calvert School, 105 Tuscany Road, Baltimore, MD 21210.

Even with these courses, however, it is not enough for a parent to hand the child a lesson, expecting him to do it on his own while the parent does other things. Most children require a great deal of supervision, particularly younger children.

Another consideration is the lack of social development which may occur in home-taught children. Unless children have other balanced outlets for social interaction, they may be missing out on some important aspects of personality development.

Even so, some parents may consider the extra work and personal rewards of educating their children at home worth the effort. Most, however, choose to send their children to a public school and compensate for any deficiencies and worldly influences by carefully teaching spiritual truths and moral values at home. Each family must make this decision for themselves based upon their particular skills, abilities, and circumstances.

Thank you for your interest and concern. Please feel welcome to contact us again whenever we can be of help in your study of the Bible.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT