Hi All-
We had enrolled our son in a 2 day a week, Christian co-op that we felt super good about. I didn’t believe that science was taught in the co-op for his grade, with the exception of fact memorization (order of planets, order of the different natural cycles, timelines of discoveries, etc). However, I just received an updated book list for the school year that includes the text- God’s Design for Heaven and Earth. After doing some research, I found a lot of YEC and science-denying content that my husband and I find problematic. I’m worried this is going to set him down a path of questioning science (in a non-helpful way) and seeing faith and science as being at odds. He is entering 2nd grade, and all of our homeschooling science so far has been nature study based, with wide readings including dinosaurs/fossils and a trip to fossil pit to dig and discover fossils from the Devonian Era.
I guess my question is- what would you do? We have loved everything about this co-op, especially the people. I feel like I didn’t do my due diligence in investigating science in the upper grades, or maybe I would have seen this was a possibility. It does look like this same publication company will be used through all the grades. I don’t want to create division before my son even begins in the fall, but we also feel like we need to express our concerns to the teachers and director, and see just how heavily the YEC perspective will be taught. Has anyone dealt with a similar experience?
I am in a similar boat with having a YEC community that is wonderful but… you know…
I actually use masterbooks and love the math (we talk about how patriarchal they are with my early elementary kiddos to prepare them for life’s hard lessons). I also have their science but haven’t used it. I always just adjust and am honest when incorrect information is persuaded because I really do enjoy their curriculum and it works super well for our family.
In your situation, I would review everything they’re talking about and teach them the correct information. The real problem comes down to if you will be blacklisted if/when they find out or if there will go “behind your back” and teach manipulative things so your kids Don’t believe you. If you can trust your community, keep going. If you’re unsure, pray pray pray!
I am having the same conversation with God right now about my social outlet for my homeschooled kids
I’m not a parent, I can only speak from my experience.
I was raised old-earth creationist. My parents taught me there were different perspectives in christianity relating to the natural world and sort of left it up to me to decide. It helped me to navigate the bizarre young earth “science” curriculum that our homeschool group taught. I ended up evolutionary creationist (much to their disappointment, but I turned them around). In the 9th grade, my creationist biology teacher in the homeschool group actually was proud of me for bringing up valid questions in the classroom, and reprimanded the rest of the class for giggling and muttering. Before then, I had kept my mouth shut when YEC came up in other instances. The understanding of faith is more important than understanding science, but it must be remembered that faith is not belief without evidence. As we are all aware on this forum, science is a huge augmentation to our faith. The question is which route matters to you more here: There are two valid concerns, and the question is which route will lead to problems in your son’s faith down the road? I think community is very, very important. It was something I lacked during homeschooling years and I was desperate for. I feel like if you give your son the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with people of the faith (while preserving a healthy point of disagreement against the pseudoscience) then he will grow strong in understanding unity. I feel like if they ostracize him for being an “evolutionist” then they’re not a healthy community to engage anyway; all things considered, I doubt they’ll ostracize him. You’ve seen what kind of people they are and if you had a good feeling about it, it is likely they really are good people. Again, I’m not providing you with the answer (I can barely even give a suggestion!) but I can tell you from intuition based on what I experienced in the past, what I wished I had experienced, as well as all being based on what I learned the hard way. Don’t go into this without searching through your own thoughts and bringing them before God! Remember He knows what we need before we ask. I’m just one person with an idea about this, and I recognize that.
…2 days a week is awesome. I participated in my homeschool group about twice a month.
This is super helpful since I am also a homeschool parent with only YEC outlets. And I am very glad you had a teacher who was open minded and willing to encourage you despite having a different opinion. It is quite rare.
Do you think once a week or 4 times a month was sufficient socially for you (I know all people are different)?
I think I would have been fine going once a week to a homeschool group gathering, but social activities are so, so important. Finding friends in the homeschool group - even carefully outside of it - with whom to share hobbies and interests, hosting fun get-togethers and such. Within the homeschool group classroom, it’s an excellent way to learn together.
The homeschoolers I know have developed into open minded, thoughtful people who love to dwell on Scripture and grow in faith. They are gems in a world filled with people who don’t care about anything.
All the effort of parents keeping students educated and socialized is very difficult and I observed parents in the homeschool group providing emotional support for one another, which is good.
Since posting this, we’ve had a chance to talk with the administration about the curriculum. They were very open in that they said they do not take a stance on YE,OE, etc in the school, and any assigned pages in the science curriculum that deal with a YE perspective are assigned on “home days” and are optional. So far it’s been a non issue which is a huge relief!