Homeschooling

[dtanner]

I know there must be plenty of you more experienced and knowledgeable about Homeschooling than I am, and I need your help!

We're starting Kinder with our 4 year old now and are wondering what curriculum you homeschoolers have found most useful. I'm familiar with some of the stuff out there as I taught public school for 9 years & I've always liked Saxon math. As I was studying the other week I came across this passage in Moses 6:5-6 that taught me the direction we should focus on for reading/writing:
'And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled.'
Any ideas on the best scripture-centered curriculum out there? Something that's phonics based. Anyone out there 'made up' their own, or willing to share any ideas?

Also, any thoughts on Charlotte Mason vs. Classical vs. other approaches? I like some aspects of each, and we're thinking now of a CM/Classical/Asian (my wife's heritage) based approach, just don't want it to become too cumbersome or confusing.

I have more questions, but those in this post is a good start. Thanks!

[ChelC]

It's so hard to give advice without knowing much about you. Some people do fine with a very rigorous curriculum, and some people need something gentler.

From my experience, I'd spend the first years making learning fun. If your child thinks of learning as fun, this will open them up more to good discussions and better cooperation when they are older. I think it's important to remember that the basic pieces of education are really just tools. Reading is a tool to enable a person to learn. Math is a tool. Writing and communication skills are tools.

IMO, the early years should focus on learning these tools and having fun. That's about it. Once they are old enough to understand history with a little more context (age of accountability seems like a good time to me) then they begin to use the tools to really learn.

There are many different approaches to homeschooling. Remember that a curriculum is simply a tool as well. It should match your style and make teaching easier. It should never be master.

With those things in mind, begin looking at curriculum which fits you, and prayerfully make a decision. What works for me, may be a terrible fit for you.

This next year, we're using Sonlight. I'm thrilled to pieces with it. For the early years, a few things we've liked have been Five in a Row (though it was a little TOO gentle for my personality sometimes), Happy Phonics combined with explode the code. Nature studies. A four year old can learn a lot by observation - which is the basic ideas behind Charlotte Mason.

Review the site here for more homeschooling info. There is a homeschool resources thread on here with lots of free things online.

Feel free to ask lots of questions, and let us know what your child is interested in and that may spark some suggestions.

[bbrown]

I would like to first applaud you for seeking to homeschool your children and especially for having taken that scripture to heart. If you read the list of quotes from General Authorities on education compiled here: http://ldshomeschoolinginca.org/quotes.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; You'll notice that there are certain principles they have repeated...and the above is definitely one of them.

You know, first I would read a short book that is at our library called "Dumbing Us Down" by John Taylor Ghatto. It won't help you know WHAT to do, but it will help you and your wife to see that "the norm" of society isn't necessary and that you can be much more relaxed and open about how you teach your children. Interesting book that I read after having started and learned that I could relax more, and it still helped a great deal.

I personally love "A Thomas Jefferson Education" method and George Wythe University (gw.edu). It is a focus on leadership and based on parents as mentors. Follows well with the Classical trivium, but it is very much NOT pushy...in fact, the early years are more like unschooling (which to me is simply put, good parenting). VERY interesting reading. I like a curriculum that fits your bill and was created by one of their PHD grads (and feel comfortable with their history because it was written by a daughter of Skousen and her husband whose thesis I heard about on one of the audio's I'd listened to from ldsliberty --a thesis about Moroni visiting Columbus, I believe). Anyway, I haven't seen it in person --I tried Saxon math and as a homeschooling mom, found that we could cover 50% of the year's concepts in just one 10 minute session of playing with blocks. I gave up on structured curriculums at that point. I WANT to try this one, but have to shell out the cash! http://www.kimberacademy.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I found it more helpful to email them and check out their in-person academy link: http://www.glennjkimberacademy.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; It was hard to follow the original website for me the last time I tried.

Anyway, best of luck. Reality is that you'll grow into homeschooling. Each child and each year is different, and you all learn new things, so it isn't a "pick one thing and you're stuck with it" idea so much as a "how shall we start" or "what shall we try this year" kind of thing. At age 4 the world is their playground and the more they are in it and learning hands-on in real experience, the better. Just model a love of learning and they'll catch the drift --or surpass you! Best of luck!

[keeprunning]

**

[dtanner]

ChelC, bbrown, and keeprunning,

Thanks so much for the suggestions and ideas! My wife and I come from very different backgrounds educationally...me from the traditional US public school system, worked as an elementary school teacher for some time, and now in another field. My wife was raised in mainland China all the way through college, came to the US, was baptized in grad school, and gave up her career as a software/hardware engineer to be at home and raise our children. At first she was astonished of my distrust in the public school system's inability to adequately teach children (and teach them the right things) as well as the social environment of public school (I taught in CA) due to her upbringing of severely competitive and intense schooling from kindergarten on. After living in remote Alaska and working as an occasional substitute teacher in our village she began to understand my position, and now teaching Chinese classes part time at a private school here on Saipan, she's seeing more and more of the public education problem (and the blessing and privilege of teaching our own children). I was so happy just this year when she took her own position that she wanted to homeschool our children (not just keeping it in consideration based on my feelings). She also understands that I love to use parentheses when I type (since it's difficult to do while speaking). Our impetus is to train our children both in and by using the gospel, and to perform academically at a level that she's comfortable with so that they can be competitive internationally.

Our daughter started learning to memorize Chinese characters and poems at 2 years, and our 2 year old son knows the alphabet, numbers, and can recite some poems now too. The kids' homeschool consists of math, language, Chinese, science, developing focus, observation, and critical analysis skills, and some ancillary topics. We've downloaded and are using the combined CA state standards (where I hold my credential), the Common Core Standards, and the VT state standards as minimum criteria for achievement. I know it sounds like a heavy load, and I think it is too, but we'll let it go and feel it out, making adjustments as we feel inspired to do. There! That's a little about us.

We're already reading up on the links you sent to us, and have sent off for the free ebooks to evaluate the curriculum. The quotes from church leaders are incredible and very encouraging. I don't know if anyone else has a structured home school program like I've tried to describe (and I totally admire those of you who are so free flowing and fun with it -- maybe we'll be like are you someday . May take some time though... Oh, while I was reading your posts with my wife, she said, "what? nobody likes starfall?" She's so awesome!

I'll post more questions as they come. It's wonderful to have this forum to seek experienced advice since we don't know of anyone else on the island doing homeschool, and people (even at church) cock their head at 45 degrees, halfway close one eye, and give a half-smile on the side of the half closed eye when we mention we're homeschooling our children.

Thanks again!

[katers]

I'm certainly very new to the homeschooling scene, so take that for what it's worth!! But we've really enjoyed using things from the Rod & Staff curriculum with our son. It's written for Amish parochial schools, so there are morals and values thrown in to every story. We started with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, (not from Rod and Staff, and not scripture based at all, but which worked amazingly well for us) and then have been using the Pathway Readers and workbooks from Rod and Staff since. The Rod and Staff curriculum is very affordable too if cost is a concern. Also, you can order samples, or view online (for free, I'm pretty sure) of any of their grade school items to see how you'll like it.

If you're looking for scripture based, I also know the Alpha-Omega products are heavy on using the Bible for teaching. And A Reason for Handwriting is a very popular method for teaching writing using copywork from the bible.

We've also used Saxon Math K, and while it is good, it moves very slowly in the younger grades. Our son does on average about 3 lessons a day. I've read that they do recommend you work a grade above where you should be because of this.

You also might enjoy this blog: http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; written by LDS homeschooling parents.

Another reading resource I stumbled on today was the Lamplighter Publishing site. These books were recommended by a Christian homeschooling mom and they certainly look appealing. http://www.lamplighterpublishing.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now for a question of my own....for those of you who homeschool in Utah. My son should be starting kindergarten in the fall. From what I've read online, I'm getting the impression that kindergarten here is not compulsory and that I don't need to send in my "letter of intent to homeschool" until the 1st grade, correct? Also, is there anything specific the letter needs to state, or is something informal sufficient? And do I need to resubmit one every year, or is it good for awhile? Thanks in advance!

[katers]

One more link I feel is worth mentioning......

http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; You can order a catalog from this website for their homeschool products, and while I've never actually ordered anything through them, (their site drives me a little crazy and I find others more user friendly...my own quirk) their catalog is HUGE. And it gives a really thorough description of every product so you can get a feel for what you might like, subject by subject. Seriously, this thing is bigger than the old JC Penny catalogs they used to mail out every year. And it's free.

And, in case you've never heard of it, (sorry if I'm telling you things you all already know) I've heard good things about Apologia Science which is all Bible and Creation based. We plan on trying it in the future.

[ChelC]

Katers, you are correct, kindergarten is not compulsory. No letter of intent is needed until first grade. You can word your letter very simply if you'd like, but it needs to be notarized. You need to do one every year.

Here's how mine is worded:

Davis School District:

This letter is to notify you that our children, (their names), will attend home school during the 2010-2011 school year and will receive instruction as required by Utah Code 53A-11-102(2)(b).

I expressly prohibit the release of any and all information contained in this affidavit, including directory information as defined in 20 U.S.C. Subsection 1232g(a)(5)(A), without prior written consent by the undersigned. In addition, the above information shall be classified as PRIVATE under Utah State law.

Cordially,
Me

-followed by all the notary junk-

You can find outlines similar to this on UHEA's site. I specifically chose one which powerfully asserts that I'm not asking. I would never use one which "requests" an excusal.

[katers]

Thanks ChelC!! That's really helpful.

[gardenerof12]

I have enjoyed these websites.

http://amblesideonline.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; This is a Charlotte Mason site.

I have also really enjoyed this one

http://letteroftheweek.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This one is really good for the little ones.

[charlotte]

When I first looked into homeschooling, I was really overwhelmed with all the choices. I finally decided to compare homeschooling methods/curricula with choices of physical exercise. Yes, there are some exercises that are better than others, but there is no one right exercise. Walking, swimming, biking, calisthenics, exercise videos, etc., etc., etc., ... It's best to keep it simple and most important to just do it. And you don't have to stick with the same one every year with every child.

Right now since my children are small (3 yo and 5 yo) our "school" consists of a morning devotional (prayer, singing hymns and primary songs, reciting scriptures we're memorizing, reading from the Gospel Principles manual and the scriptures) and an afternoon reading time, where I have a reading basket with a bunch of books we are reading, including A Child's History of the World, Little House on the Prairie, Aesop's Fables, Mother Goose, and every day the children each get to pick a book or two of their choice. We read outside on a blanket when the weather's nice, and when my 3 yo was younger and still napped every day, we'd lie in my bed and read and he'd fall asleep in a comfortable fashion while we continued to read. We try to turn everything into a lesson, and I believe math is most useful in real life. So I'll ask my 5 yo while I'm making breakfast, "If I have 3 large waffles that each have 4 smaller sections of waffle, how many smaller sections do I have?" (When I write it down it sounds confusing, but since she can actually see the waffles she knows what I'm talking about.) Then she'll count on her fingers or whatever and come up with the answer. She's learning concretely what multiplication and addition are, and in a year or two or three we'll learn how to put it on paper. My husband is a chemist so he does the science around here, but there are lots of nice children's science books.

My favorite structured homeschooling plan is A Well-Trained Mind. (In that book the author talks about how when she started homeschooling she didn't know any other homeschoolers and no one could tell her what to do, and every week they would go to the public library with a big laundry basket, and they'd check out at least one history book, one science book, etc., and spend all their time reading.) I don't love TJED (Thomas Jefferson Education) but I know a family that does an adapted version of it and I wouldn't mind if my kids turned out something like their teenagers. I know a family that loves Sonlight but it is expensive. My friend does a classical education plan that's something like Charlotte Mason and A Well-Trained Mind, and she loves it so much she's got several other families that come to our homeschool playgroup to switch to it.

That reminds me... I recommend finding a homeschool playgroup and attending it.

[charlotte]

I like Milestones Academy as well.

[karend77]

My daughter just quit the public education system, because bureaucracy and apathetic kids/parents are not why she got into the teaching profession. She is considering homeschooling for her kids in the future. Where should she start to research? Anyone have a summary of homeschooling sites?

[Looking Forward]

First of all please tell your daughter good for her! and Good for you in supporting her!

My daughter just quit the public education system

The biggest hurdle she will find is her falling into the trap of making homeschool exactly like public school, ie. math at 9, english at 10, lunch at 12 ect. (speaking from experience from someone who has an eled degree). The first thing she needs to do is to detox herself and her children from the the "system." Have her use this summer to go on field trips and see her state and town/city. She'll find that she can incorporate math, history, science, english and p.e. all in one trip and the kids and will not even realize they just had an educational day. :ymparty:

There are lots of websites for homeschooling, she needs to decide what kind of "system" she wants to do:
This is just from googling different types of homeschooling, to give her an idea of what type she would like to do.
TJED: http://www.tjedonline.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , http://www.moorhouseacademy.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (I'm very impressed with the woman running this.)
Montessori: http://www.montessori.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Unschooling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unschooling" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Eclectic: http://eclecticeducationhomeschool.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is a forum that I go to: http://www.ldfr.com/board/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (they also sell curriculum's, so have her look around.)

Prayer and fasting will help in deciding what path she should take. :ymhug:

[karend77]

Thanks for the reply LookingForward, I will pass this information on to her.

[mattctr]

thoughts on Charlotte Mason vs. Classical vs. other approaches? I like some aspects of each, and we're thinking now of a CM/Classical/Asian (my wife's heritage) based approach...

Each program has strengths and weaknesses. I don't think it bad to pick a style you like best and incorporate positive aspects from the others, as well.

[braingrunt]

this is actually braingrunt's wife, but i'm feeling to lazy to log out. i won't add much since i have on other threads just like this (under nutmeg) and since there have been so many great comments covering it all so far. i will second the idea of reading Gatto's book. it's really eye opening and will get anyone on a good starting page, i think. i have recently heard there are a few resources now on how to teach reading using the Book of Mormon. I haven't looked them up yet but am VERY interested. I know one of them is available through the BYU bookstore and is I think by someone with the last name Funke. But the one universal thing i recommend to everyone is to take the time to watch the Celestial Education video. Its available for free now in entirety on Youtube and Vimeo, it's quite long and packed full of info but it is so worth it, (watch it in pieces if you need to). Good luck!

And Charlotte, I might PM you, I'm really struggling with finding a homeschool group and i would be very interested to hear your friend's method. I lean toward Charlotte Mason, i like a few ideas of TJED but find it too dogmatic, strange, and not evidence based to follow completely. That's just my own feeling--mainly that i'm not interested in training up statesmen/leaders so much as i want to raise builders of Zion who are willing to dig ditches and follow the Spirit in all things and would be completely comfortable living the law of Consecration. I'm not saying the two are mutually exclusive either. I guess what I'm saying is that one of the most important things is to sit down and figure out what you want for your kids when the grow up. and don't just say "a good job". dream big! yes it may include reciting the declaration of independence from memory but hopefully it will be even more than that. but let that, and the Spirit of course, be your guide when it comes to teaching methods and curriculums. I'm actually considering just doing something kind of fun and easy in the beginning but spending the rest of the time focusing on working and serving and thinking of others. and lots and lots of reading of course . my oldest will just be "preschool" age in the fall so we are really at the beginning of all this too, but i've been thinking and researching for a long long time.

good luck!

[karend77]

Well, my daughter has time as she just had her first. But she was so discouraged by her time teaching that she has pondered homeschooling through her whole pregnancy. She now has plenty of reading material and time to prepare. Thanks

Keep any recommendations coming

[dtanner]

We've been 'officially' homeschooling now for just over a year and it has paid off so much for us already! I took a lot of advice from posters on this forum and researched a lot of the links offered. Since there in virtually no homeschool support or families where we are (Saipan), we've had a lot of late nights studying, relying on prayer and creativity, and our kids (3yo and 5yo) are learning and enjoying it. Since I have learned so much from what I've read, I'll share what we've done.
We start each day with a devotional of prayer, scripture reading, a hymn, and a scripture mastery scripture for memorization, then start school. We didn't find any system in particular that completely fit us or our goals, so we developed our own eclectic methods.
Math: We do Saxon math and operation drill sheets, and our 5yo is just starting 2nd grade Saxon and is pretty proficient in the four operations through 12, as well as double digit addition and multiplication. Our 3yo is writing math problems that were printed with a free trace font we found online (http://www.fontspace.com/search/?q=trace" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). For the worksheets, we purchased the math worksheet maker found here: http://www.schoolhousetech.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Phonics: We developed our own phonics lessons, and our 5yo is able to read the picture scriptures pretty well on her own, and is reading the Pooh series and Little House on the Prairie. The 3yo is doing the basic sounds still, but practices every day.
Spelling: We're using the "Reading Teacher's Book of Lists" which has lists of the most commonly used words in English as a guide for teaching common word reading and spelling. That is also a good resource for teaching phonics.
Writing: For handwriting, we use the Children's Songbook and a different task is done each day: trace the words on printed page of trace font, copy the song on a rough draft page, read and sing the song, rewrite on a nice piece of white paper, and paint/draw a picture to go with the song, which will then go inside a special songbook of her own. Cousins and friends' children have also become penpals with our kids for handwritten letters we mail off.
Sciences: We've done a lot of nature walking and studying animals and things around us, and did an extensive geography/history study unit on southern China (where we went this summer for vacation). When we got there, the kids already knew what many of the sites were called and some of the history or details about them. It made it more exciting for them to be somewhere they'd seen many times online, and we'd talked about at home. We've also found Netflix to be a great resource for National Geographic, Nova, etc educational videos.
We're so excited to be doing homeschool. I just wanted share our successes with you (not boast) to provide some encouragement to those who may be just starting out. Even though we knew homeschool was the path to follow, we began with a lot of anxiety about this (especially my wife), and with study, work, prayer, and seeking to be open to promptings, we're finding that not only has homeschool been very successful for us so far, we're having a wonderful time loving and teaching our children. Of course there are discouraging days, but they pass. Through this, we have gained a stronger testimony of the importance of sacrifice, love and devotion that we should have for our children, as well as greater respect for our accountability in how we raise them, and have deeper gratitude to the Lord for sending such precious children to our family.

[singyourwayhome]

dtanner,

Thank you for providing an update. I've been considering homeschooling for the last couple years, and it may be time now. I'm almost-completely-sure to homeschool my 4-year-old; she'd be tickled pink if we started on the kindergarten/1st grade core curriculum, which I'll probably start after Christmas. There are some major reasons to homeschool my other children (7, 10,12,15, and 17yo)- but I'll probably just start with this youngest and take it one piece at a time. That sounds manageable for now.

Thanks to those of you who posted; I have the same questions as dtanner did.

[TZONE]

The only reason why I'm commenting here is because I was Homeschooled and some of my cousins and my younger brother.

This quote is very good from above

The biggest hurdle she will find is her falling into the trap of making homeschool exactly like public school, ie. math at 9, english at 10, lunch at 12 ect. (speaking from experience from someone who has an eled degree). The first thing she needs to do is to detox herself and her children from the the "system." Have her use this summer to go on field trips and see her state and town/city. She'll find that she can incorporate math, history, science, english and p.e. all in one trip and the kids and will not even realize they just had an educational day.

I was homeschooled from 1st-5th grade, put in private school (6-7), than public (8-9), than a charter school (10-12)

I learned very little during homeschool (my mom usually just let me do whatever I wanted ) But she did attempt read history books and phonics books (couldn't read really well until 6th grade which is why she took me out in kindergartten. I always assumed anyways). First thing to keep aware kids do not respond as well to their own parents. Especially in an educational program. They have many homeschool places (gatherings) where other homeschoolers get together. Would check them out if its an option. Kids need that social interaction! Probably put me back socially as I was already shy. Not really anymore due to my mission.


Either way kids will learn differently at home. Positive and a negative way. My wife loved public I hated it. But she loved it for the social aspect. I loved my charter school though (small classes, actually learned useful material, met good friends etc...)

Take it for what its worth. (if anything at all)

[embryopocket]

This has been a great thread to read through. Our first child will be born in April and I would like to make a decision with my wife about whether we will homeschool him and our other future children or put them in public schooling. I was public schooled and could see the false doctrines that my teachers were teaching me. But at the same time, I made many friendships with other students and had many opportunities to share the gospel. My mother always encouraged me to make friends with those that were not members of the Church so that I could be a good example to them and help them make correct choices. This is why homeschooling vs. public schooling is still a debate in my heart. I will need to take this to the Lord in prayer...

[singyourwayhome]

Can you not be friends with nonmembers if you're not in school with them? Will your children not have that chance, if they're homeschooled?

How about you as a parent- whichever one of you is doing the main teaching? What about the connections you make through homeschooling circles?

I believe it is not an either/or scenario.

The last straw in making the decision to homeschool my now-10-year-old was the blatant anticapitalist slant of her 5th-grade American History book. It's no wonder the citizens of our nation, our state, and our city made such poor choices at the ballot box; they've been taught to hate the very things- religion, faith, hard work, responsibility, and our capitalist system- that produced our great nation.

My two cents.

[heartsongs]

Has anyone ever seen this article before on public schooling vs homeschooling vs private schooling etc? I just came across it. What do you think?????

http://www.mormonchronicle.com/governme ... l-kingdom/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


An overview of LDS principles in education.

Brigham Young taught: I am opposed to free education as much as I am opposed to taking away property from one man and giving it to another…
Ancient Israel Demanded a King

In the Old Testament, we read the account of how the majority of God’s chosen people rejected the Lord’s council en mass.

For generations they were ruled under a system of judges, not drastically unlike our Constitutional Republic. Then, because it was “too much effort” for them to keep their judges in check, they wanted to replace it with one where they wouldn’t have to do anything in regards to their government. Just like the other nations of the world, they would have a king.

“Then the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, “Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:4–7)

This situation is much like what happened when Martin Harris pressed the issue of the 116 manuscript pages of the Book of Mormon against the will of the Lord.

“Some time later Mr. Harris had begun to write for me, he began to importune me to give him liberty to carry the writings home and show them; and desired of me that I would inquire of the Lord, through the Urim and Thummim, if he might not do so. I did inquire, and the answer was that he must not. However, he was not satisfied with this answer, and desired that I should inquire again. I did so, and the answer was as before. Still he could not be contented, but insisted that I should inquire once more. After much solicitation, I again inquired of the Lord, and permission was granted him to have the writings on certain conditions;” (History of the Church 1:20-23)

The first account of disobedience lead to a loss of liberty and the latter lead to the loss of 116 pages of “The most correct book on earth”. From both of these examples we can see that when we seek to listen to our own council over that of the Lords, though he will not stop us, we will lose something that is most precious.
Brief history of Church and education

“It was the will of the Lord, made known shortly after the organization of the Church, that steps should be taken to have the children of the members taught in schools conducted under the influence of those who had faith in the Gospel.”

(Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949], 2: 98 – 99.)

Ever since the beginning of the restoration, education has been an important part in building the kingdom. As early as June 1831, the Lord commanded W.W. Phelps to “assist my servant Oliver Cowdery to do the work of printing, and of selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction before me as is pleasing unto me.” (D&C 55:4)

Church schools were set up wherever members of the Church were gathered. After the pioneers had arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and established themselves there, they again organized Church schools for the education and instruction of the youth of Zion. Although these were “Church Schools”, they were not fully funded by the Church any more than BYU is now. Anyone that has personally attended or has had children attend a Church school knows that that they are anything but “free”.

Although there were attendance fees to help pay for full time teachers and other staff, President Brigham Young felt that education was so important that he paid “the school fee of a number of children who (were) either orphans or sons and daughters of poor people.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 18 p. 357, General Conference April 1877)

During the 1870′s and 80′s (when Utah was attempting to enter the Union), there was again a great outcry from the outside world that the “Mormons” were getting too much power and influence. To help “combat” this, it was proposed that before entering the Union there must be an “establishment of free schools” which would “prohibit the teaching of denominational sentiments in them.” (Boston Watchman, impression of Sept. 5th, 1878)

Additionally, during the 1870s and 1880s, Protestant missionary societies established ninety free schools in Utah, hoping to win Latter-day Saint children away from the faith of their parents through “education.”

With the very natural inclination to want to take the “less costly” option, many Latter-day Saint families started to send their children to these “free” schools set up by the government, which were funded through tax payer dollars, as well as those set up by other faiths. Others just stopped paying the school fees though their children continued to attend the Church schools. This added much financial pressure on the Church schools and, since the teachers received their pay through fees agreed upon that went unfulfilled, many of them were forced to find employment elsewhere.

Throughout this crisis in education, Prophets of the Lord were constantly reinforcing the principles and warning the Saints of what would happen if they rejected the system the Lord had established.

Two principles that they focused on were that:

Free schools by taxation is theft
Only Latter-day Saints should teach Latter-day Saints

I will address these principles in order.
Theft

Brigham Young taught:

“I am opposed to free education as much as I am opposed to taking away property from one man and giving it to another… Would I encourage free schools by taxation? No!” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 18 p. 357, General Conference 1877)

Why would he be against funding schools through taxes? How else could we ensure that the schools were funded and teachers paid? Since the main argument for funding education through taxation is to provide an opportunity for the poor, who would not otherwise be able to afford to pay for their education, I will treat the subject as another forced charity through taxation.

Regarding forced charity through taxation, President Benson said:

“Occasionally, we receive questions as to the propriety of Church members receiving government assistance instead of Church assistance. Let me restate what is a fundamental principle. Individuals, to the extent possible, should provide for their own needs. Where the individual is unable to care for himself, his family should assist. Where the family is not able to provide, the Church should render assistance, not the government. We accept the basic principle that ‘though the people support the government, the government should not support the people.’” (General Conference April 1977)

Elder Boyd K Packer added,

“If a member is unable to sustain himself, then he is to call upon his own family, and then upon the Church, in that order, and not upon the government at all.” (General Conference April 1978)

Shedding more light on this President Benson says:

“When you accept food stamps, you accept an unearned handout that other working people are paying for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers’ money to pay his heat, electricity, or rent. There is no difference in principle between them… The price you pay for “something for nothing” may be more than you can afford. Do not rationalize your acceptance of government gratuities by saying, ‘I am a contributing taxpayer too.’ By doing this you contribute to the problem which is leading this nation to financial insolvency.” (BYU 1977)

Here President Benson teaches that accepting government gratuities in any form is the same. Why is wrong to accept these government gratuities?

In D&C 121 we read;

34. Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

36. That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

37. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

From “Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen”, recommended in General Conference April 1972:

“Men may exercise unrighteous dominion upon one another through the agency of government in just as many ways as they can when acting outside its framework. The most common method, however, is by denying or interfering with the right to own and control property, one of the elements of freedom.

…applying the Golden Rule, put yourself in “A’s” shoes. He has already given all he desires to charity. Are you not violating his conscience when you compel him to give more? Would you enjoy having someone dictate how much you must give to your church, a hospital or college? Would not this be a plain case of theft? And if you pass a law and legalize the taking and the giving, have you really changed the essential nature of the act? Haven’t you merely legalized stealing?” -page 37

The principle being; even if I feel comfortable contributing my money towards something, no matter how noble the cause, I have no right to compel another to do so. To force another to support a cause or institution is unrighteous dominion and theft.
Taught by Latter-Day Saints

We repeat:

“It was the will of the Lord, made known shortly after the organization of the Church, that steps should be taken to have the children of the members taught in schools conducted under the influence of those who had faith in the Gospel.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 2: 98 – 99.)

The Lord commissioned WW Phelps and Oliver Cowdery to help in selecting and writing curriculum for the teaching of young Latter-Day Saints. Why? Why not just go by the recommendations of the most learned professors? Wouldn’t they be more qualified to decipher which books would be best?

When this thought process rears its head in the discussion of educating Latter-day Saint children, this talk by President Benson is the first thing that pops into my mind.

“I would rather have my child exposed to smallpox, typhus fever, cholera, or other malignant and deadly diseases than to the degrading influence of a corrupt teacher. It is infinitely better to take chances with an ignorant, but pure-minded teacher than with the greatest philosopher who is impure.” (General Conference, October 1970)

The importance of having our children taught by Latter-day Saints was made clear by President John Taylor when he said;

“And then we want to study also the principles of education, and to get the very best teachers we can to teach our children; see that they are men and women who fear God and keep his commandments. We do not want men or women to teach the children of the Latter-day Saints who are not Latter-day Saints themselves. Hear it, you Elders of Israel?” (Journal of Discourses 20:179, General Conference April 1879)

Now before you are tempted to say, “Well, that was back then. Times have changed”, I would like to remind you that this was not taught in the vacuum of the 19th century. This exact phrase was quoted and taught again in General Conference of April 1958, and the principle continues to be taught today.

Not only are our children to be taught by Latter-Day Saints, President Taylor questions our ability as parents to enter the Celestial Kingdom if we deprive our children of that blessing;

“I am told in the revelations to bring up my children in the fear of God. Now we are engaged in building our temples that we may become united and linked together by eternal covenants that shall exist in all time and throughout eternity. And then when we have done all this go and deliberately turn our children over to whom? To men who do not believe the Gospel, to men who, according to your faith are never going to the celestial kingdom of God. And you will turn your children over to them. And you call yourselves Latter-day Saints, do you? I will suppose a case. You expect to be saved in the celestial kingdom of God. Well, supposing your expectations are realized, which I sometimes doubt, and you look down, down somewhere in a terrestrial or telestial kingdom, as the case may be, and you see your children, the offspring that God had given you to train up in his fear, to honor him and keep his commandments. And supposing they could converse with you what would be their feelings toward you? It would be, Father, Mother, you are to blame for this. I would have been with you if you had hot tampered with the principles of life and salvation in permitting me to be decoyed away by false teachers, who taught incorrect principles. And this is the result of it. But then I very much question men and women’s getting into the Celestial kingdom of God who have no more knowledge about principles of life and salvation than to go and tamper with the sacred offspring, the principle of life which God entrusted to your care, to thus shuffle it off to imbibe the spirit of unbelief, which leads to destruction and death.” Journal of Discourses 20:107

Elder Boyd K Packer pointed out the effects government schools have had, and the “why” he gives seems to add a lot of credibility to the words of President Taylor.

In 1996, President Packer said,

“In many places it is literally not safe physically for youngsters to go to school. And in many schools (and its becoming almost generally true) it is spiritually unsafe to attend public schools. Look back over the history of education to the turn of the century and the beginning of the educational philosophies pragmatism and humanism were the early ones, and they branched out into a number of other philosophies which have led us now into a circumstance where our schools are producing the problems that we face.” -Charge to the David O. McKay School of Education, December 1996

When we reject the words of the Lord, what else should we expect?
I haven’t heard this before

Why are the Prophets not so bold on this topic anymore? Why do they no longer speak out specifically against education through taxation? President Benson gave a talk in General Conference April of 1965 that answers this question perfectly. He said,

“Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work out most of the details and methods… Sometimes the Lord hopefully waits on his children to act on their own, and when they do not, they lose the greater prize, and the Lord will either drop the entire matter and let them suffer the consequences or else he will have to spell it out in greater detail.”

Based on the scriptures, the Saints should have known and acted. However, they did not so the Prophets had to spell it out in greater detail. We ignored their council demanding the proverbial “King” in educating “us like all the nations” and the Lord has now almost completely dropped “the entire matter” and is allowing us to “suffer the consequences.”
And so, let’s act

It is time to repent of the sins of the past and no longer partake in a system of theft, unrighteous dominion, and spiritual starvation. It was the call for a “King” from the people that got us in this predicament; let us now change the call to a call for obedience to the King of Kings.

The methods may change, but the principles do not. Whether the method is home schooling, private schools run and taught by Latter-day Saints, or a return to Church run schools, I don’t think it will initially matter.

To restore what the Lord has planed for us, we must reject what took us away from that in the first place and then earnestly seek to follow the will of the Lord to the best of our ability.

As we share this information with others and gain in numbers, we could start LDS based private schools. There have been many attempts at this but, without a growth in the number of informed and motivated Latter-day Saints, interest, involvement and therefore viability is too sporadic to provide new comers with any dependable recourse.

Short term, it appears that those outside of Utah have few options outside of home schooling. This just isn’t always a viable option for everyone. Therefore, we must shed our selfish tendency to want to avoid contact with people outside of our comfort zone. We should reach out to others, help them understand these principles, and then help them to act.

When education is solidly based on gospel principles; faith, spirituality, and inspiration increase, leaving us in a better position to fulfill the Lord’s will for us individually and collectively.

Together we can help restore what was once lost through disobedience and accomplish the miracles originally intended for generations past.

This is by no means an exhaustive work on the subjects covered. For more details on these, I recommend “Revealed Educational Principles & the Public Schools” by Jack Monnett, “The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil” & “Many Are Called and Few Are Chosen” both by H Verlan Anderson, & “Seek Learning by Study and Also by Faith” Address given by Boyd K Packer to instructors of religion at BYU April 1974 also available as chapter 5 in his book “That All May Be Edified”. These provide in-depth coverage of the principles discussed.

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