Transitions are difficult. No matter if you are sending kids to public, private, or homeschooling, kids starting or transitioning back to school brings many thoughts and emotions. 

Relief! I can finally keep my floors clean for more than 2 minutes and get a moment of quiet without sibling conflicts or being badgered for snacks. 

Anticipation! I am excited for the opportunities my kids will have in education, the arts, sports (or whatever) this year. 

Regret! The list of “supplemental educational experiences” I planned for summer got lost somewhere the week after school got out. 

Anxiety! What if my child is behind academically? Will she have friends? Will my kid be picked on? What if his teacher isn’t kind? What about school violence? And for the homeschool mom: What if I mess this up? Can I really do this? 

Schooling our kids is a huge responsibility and decisions about what is best for them can feel weighty. Of course we are obligated to educate our children by law, but our responsibility as parents goes well beyond that.  

1. God says so. As difficult as birthing/fostering/adopting a child is, that is just the beginning of the life-long job of parenting. It’s a God-given responsibility and privilege and we answer to Him for how we do this important job. Train up a child in the way he should go (Prov. 22: 6). 
2. Do it often. Academic education is important, but kids also need emotional intelligence, physical health, and spiritual nurturing. It can be easy to drop our kids off for Sunday school and assume their spiritual growth is covered. However, God gives parents the primary responsibility for spiritual training. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away (Deut. 6:5-9). 
3. Discipline (done the right way) leads to growth and maturity. As a mom, I have made some mistakes by going to one extreme or the other— either too easy or too harsh. Going too easy will make our kids soft and give them license to be lazy and entitled. Disciplining out of anger or without mercy can embitter our children and crush their spirits. Finding the right balance takes prayer and discernment for what each child needs at that moment or season. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness (Heb. 12:11).
4. Be a cheerleader for your kid! When my daughter was in 5th grade, she teamed up with some other kids from school and started an after-school Bible study at their public school! Admittedly, when she told my husband and me their idea, we were skeptical they could get approval to get it going. I shouldn’t have underestimated their faith and commitment to following God, because they met with the principal, found a teacher to sponsor them, and took turns leading. Give kids the tools to lead and let them (start a club or small business, learn a skill, or pursue their own dream). Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Tim 4:12). 
5. Pass the baton. Eventually, our leadership in our homes, workplaces, and churches will come to an end (hopefully a loooong time from now), but thinking forward impacts our actions today. We can equip and empower the next generation to take up the banner of God’s love and truth (salt and light) to the world. They need to learn how to think critically, communicate clearly, and become highly skilled. They need to learn compassion, generosity, and self-sacrifice. We can recognize their spiritual gifts and their God-given strengths, then challenge and nurture them to fulfill God’s design and plan for their lives. That the next generation might know [God’s teaching]… and arise and tell them to their children (Psalm 78:6).

Years ago, when our kids were quite small, one of them asked “Mom, why do we have to go to school anyway?”. Besides just responding with, “it’s the law, sweetheart”, we talked about growing up and becoming an excellent ambassador for God. Being an excellent ambassador means representing God well, wherever we are, whatever we do. Working hard, admitting our mistakes, being a good friend, serving God, and how we treat each other, are all part of this growing up process. While there are many ways kids grow and mature, one significant way is through school (whatever schooling you choose). After talking about all these reasons, we crafted this “school day pledge”, as a reminder each morning of the why. We still say it together each morning on the way to school (yep, my kids think I’m super corny). I am sharing it here as a rough draft. Feel free to edit according to your family mission or educational situation. 

School Day Pledge 

I’m going to school today. 

I’m going to school to learn. 

I’m going to school to learn how to learn. 

I’m going to school to learn how to read, think, speak, and write. 

I’m going to school because I believe Jesus is the Savior, 

And I want to shine His light to my school and the whole world. 

I will be: 

Kind to the lonely, 

Speak for the silent, 

Help the helpless, 

And defend the powerless. 

When there’s trouble, I will stop and pray before I act. 

I will do all this because Jesus lives in me, 

And I have nothing to fear. 

I will be strong and courageous and stand for the Truth of God’s Word.