Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2015-09-28.
Planning the theme for this year’s blogs.
We are generally all ignorant of what is actually happening around us. This ignorance can either be perpetuated and capitalized upon or fixed to empower the masses. It is time to enlighten home educators who have generally been kept in the dark respecting what is occurring within their community. (Ephesians 4: 11-16)
Bible Reference: 1 Tim 2:1-6
Welcome to the 2015-16 academic year, a year that promises to be interesting, if not challenging, for Education Unlimited and the home education community in Alberta.
I have started a bit later with my blogs this fall, having had to do many things as we transition from the “old” Education Unlimited to the “new” Education Unlimited. Not that you should notice any major changes, aside from a new school name in future communications. The truck (Education Unlimited) continues to pull the trailer (parents and students), even if there have been a number of needed changes “under the hood”, so to speak.
The rather unpleasant situation that we experienced this past few months has really provided us with opportunity to get a very good look at the present state of private and home education in this province and the situation is not very encouraging, if one looks at things from from a biblical or true Christian perspective. I intend on making my findings this year’s focus in the blog.
I realize that many of you who read this blog may not actually be registered for home education through us. However, most of the issues that I will be addressing this year are common to the greater home education community and so I encourage you all to share this series of posts with other home educating families as it will be important to have open discussion and a collaborative approach to solving, what may be, critical issues ahead.
I would like to start this year with an admission of error. Like most “parents”, especially home educating parents, I have been guilty of protecting families from the “big, bad world” of politics, threats and misdemeanors associated with home education. Choosing to not burden parents with issues I felt I could deal with myself, resulted in my not adequately preparing parents to be vigilant in defending our freedoms, which are being threatened from both outside and within the home educating community. This is why I have chosen to focus on issues that threaten home education this year.
Let’s be clear: Ignorance is the single most important thing challenging the home education community today. This is largely due to the fact that those who would benefit the most from the ignorance of parents, either continue to misinform them or take advantage of their ignorance, rather than sharing the truth with them. This is assuming, of course, that those who take advantage are actually themselves aware of the truth. Preying on ignorance is far easier and more profitable than helping parents come to the knowledge of the truth. However, even when properly addressed, many parents either choose to ignore the issues that threaten us or simply to carry on in the apathy that envisions little more than “what’s in it for me”, an attitude that can only result in our eventual loss of freedom.
You should look forward to being informed and challenged this year as I plan to fully disclose what is at play in the Alberta home education scene. I want to prepare you as adults, concerned not only with home educating your children, but with vigilantly maintaining this freedom, so that your grandchildren can also continue to be educated at home as directed by scripture. Plan on developing a humble attitude of wanting to know the truth rather than of being right. Far too many people are intent on defending their right to be right rather than their duty to seek the truth.