The Purpose of Education
When parents come together for a chat, it’s not unusual for one to admit, “I find it nearly impossible to teach my own kids.” Those who have attempted to teach their children, whether in math, music, or other subjects, know the struggle. We’ve all faced moments where patience runs really thin, and even explodes leading to very unpleasant memories. We began with humor, but this is indeed a serious matter. Many of us parents experience a certain fear or avoidance when it comes to teaching our own children. It’s almost as if we’re overwhelmed by the task, and often the first thing you think about is how to get a tutor for them (someone else to do the job). An older couple with four grown children once admitted to me that, during their parenting journey, they realized their kids didn’t always learn what they intended to teach. Instead, the children picked up on areas they never intended to teach and excelled in school because of it. It was a humbling reminder that children are constantly learning from us, even when we don’t realize it. In that sense, all of us parents are educators. Like it or not, we’re teaching our children every day, both directly and indirectly. Whether it’s faith, knowledge, or attitude, children absorb lessons from us in every aspect of life. This reality makes me both grateful and overwhelmed. Parents often strive beyond daily home education, immersing their children in diverse educational settings to achieve academic excellence. Yet, it’s crucial to seriously reflect on what we genuinely want our children to learn. Whether it’s to help them play the piano better, solve math problems faster, or think more logically through an essay or science experiments, parents are constantly on the lookout for better schools, tutors and sometimes they follow the latest trends and send their kids to whatever is trending. And nowadays, it is said that college entrance exam preparation starts as early as age 7, and high school students who have just finished the SAT are taking employment seminars. The driving force behind all this education appears to be securing a place in a prestigious college and landing the best job available, right? That’s why our children are constantly being educated from the time they can barely read the Alphabet. But what is the “ultimate” purpose of all this education we’re doing, if there is any? Tests, scores, rankings, and the promise of a good life are merely outcomes of education. While they may be necessary to some degree, can we really allow these outcomes to dictate our educational philosophy or serve as the ultimate goal? No! These outcomes do not represent the essence of life, and deep down, we all know that they cannot define our educational philosophy, even if it’s not explicitly stated. It is surprising that secular education lacks a clear answer to the question of its ultimate goal. The relativity of values in secular education makes it challenging to determine the ideal person it endeavors to produce, often resulting in education becoming an end in itself, with a focus on diligent teaching rather than an ultimate purpose. I once asked a highly experienced educator, who had served as a vice chancellor and founded and consulted on various schools globally, about the ultimate purpose of education. His surprising answer was, “I don’t know.” Even a seasoned educator with such extensive experience and accomplishments admits that there is no definitive answer to this question, highlighting the complexity of defining the ultimate purpose of secular education. The ultimate purpose of education was found in the Bible, not in any other secular educational theory or ideology. It came from Jesus Christ Himself. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:20 ESV) I was struck by this: the ultimate purpose of education is to “teach so that they observe(obey) the commandments.” And Jesus was so clear about what we were to teach: “all that Jesus has taught(commanded) us so that they may be observed(obeyed).” This could truly be the Great Commission, because it summarizes everything. In our home, we are committed to raising our children with the purpose and direction given to us by Jesus Christ Himself. As they engage in learning various skills and knowledge, we ensure that they learn to observe all that Jesus has taught us. The transformation of this journey has been nothing short of beautiful. Imagine the joy of watching our children mature into individuals who observe Jesus’ teachings and glorify God! What an exhilarating prospect! We really encourage other families to set aside some time each week to teach their kids about Jesus’ commandments and help them practice teachings of Jesus in everyday lives. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it’s important to start. Before the day comes when our children grow up and leave us. Our children are growing up today, and their today is never coming back. Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today. – Gabriela Mistral –