Sunday School vs. Unschooling - Page 2

[Climbing Rose]

Originally Posted by elizawill

...We live the whole Christian life-style, so I do not believe that my DS needs Sunday School in any way to learn about our beliefs. In fact, I think he actually learns some pretty negative things there from the other kids (interesting laungage, etc.) I can only see these problem increasing as times goes on, as a lot of the girls dress totally innapropriately and many kids there are not really from Christian families to begin with.
I think the point of church is that all are welcome, right?

I also do not like the 'shut up, sit down, we are going to teach you something now' (basic school) attitude, or the art projects that are cookie cutter copies of each other, and the "dumbed down" lessons. My son is very smart, and I feel they simplify the lessons down to just a bunch of fluff, that insults his intelligence and makes them seem almost irrelavent to real life.
Sunday school is usually run by volunteers that give of their time to love children and teach them about God for free so that you can attend service. you don't have to take your kids to sunday school if you dislike it

I do not think learning about God should be pigeon holed into a few set hours, that it should be integrated into our real lives, just like with unschooling.
sunday school is never meant to be the only time spent with God for children. it definitely should be an integrated whole life experience. just as sunday church is not meant to be an adult christian's only encounter with God each week

The time DS is in Sunday School is also the only time he is away from us. We do a lot (LLL, play dates, trips, etc.) but always together. Sometimes I feel it is my responsibilty to guide him and not turn it over to just anyone who just happens to be "teaching" that Sunday.

I just wonder if anyone else has ever felt this way. We actuallly have a nice church with good people, I just do not like the "school" situation. I wish all the kids just stayed in church with the parents.
you can take your kids to church with you. no one can stop you from doing that, right? i think you should feel blessed by what your church offers personally, and if you don't like it - than be a volunteer to help change it

not trying to be snarky, just honest

Well, I am guessing you didn't read the whole thread because I allready reposted, but anyway...

Honestly, no- in a Biblcial church all are not supposed to be welcome. I know that might sound shocking, but in a true Biblical church, it is for believers who adhere to certain Biblical standards. If you don't, you are subject to church discipline and can be kicked out. In the NT churches, they were for *believers*, not just for any passer by who happened to walk in. Of course we are supposed to go into the world and tell people the good news, and hope they join and become believers, but the church was specificially for believers only. Not going to debate it, that's just the way it was supposed to be. There are entire books on it if you are interested.

I know no one is holding a gun to my head to force to me to put my DC in Sunday School, but it can be very fusterating. People at church can be very pushy about it, and it is hard to always be the odd ones out. I don't see what difference it makes that is done for free, or run by volunteers, and I don't need it to attend service.

My point was that if you are learning about God 24/7, it doesn't really make sense to say, "Okay, it's Sunday at ten, time to learn about God." It just seems to make it artificial somehow. And for most people, sad but true, that *is* all they get all week, according to many studies.

As far as being a volunteer to help change it, that is really naive. I don't think an entire church is going to re-think and re-vamp their entire paradigm of how they have done it for the last 50 years, because one new volunteer is an unschooler. Do you?

If you have to put "not to be snarky" you have to know that you sound a little snarky, right?

Bowing out of this thread now.

[elizawill]

Well, I am guessing you didn't read the whole thread because I allready reposted, but anyway...

no i didn't read the whole thread first, so sorry about that. i hate when people don't read the whole thread and comment anyway....but look at me now!

Honestly, no- in a Biblcial church all are not supposed to be welcome. I know that might sound shocking, but in a true Biblical church, it is for believers who adhere to certain Biblical standards. If you don't, you are subject to church discipline and can be kicked out. In the NT churches, they were for *believers*, not just for any passer by who happened to walk in. Of course we are supposed to go into the world and tell people the good news, and hope they join and become believers, but the church was specificially for believers only. Not going to debate it, that's just the way it was supposed to be. There are entire books on it if you are interested.

Well this would be more of a debate so I'll simply say I disagree. Jesus hung out with thieves, prostitutes, and liars. he despised holy rollers like the pharisees. nuff said about that.

I know no one is holding a gun to my head to force to me to put my DC in Sunday School, but it can be very fusterating. People at church can be very pushy about it, and it is hard to always be the odd ones out. I don't see what difference it makes that is done for free, or run by volunteers, and I don't need it to attend service.

I only pointed out that it's free because i think a lot of people oversight how much it takes to run a preschool or children's ministry on volunteers. i wasn't part of your church experience though, so if you felt the program was lame, i think your leaving was a good choice.

My point was that if you are learning about God 24/7, it doesn't really make sense to say, "Okay, it's Sunday at ten, time to learn about God." It just seems to make it artificial somehow. And for most people, sad but true, that *is* all they get all week, according to many studies.
Totally & completely agree 100% with you. I think it is also sad and that's why we have christian consumerism as opposed to christian servants imo

As far as being a volunteer to help change it, that is really naive. I don't think an entire church is going to re-think and re-vamp their entire paradigm of how they have done it for the last 50 years, because one new volunteer is an unschooler. Do you?
yea i do

If you have to put "not to be snarky" you have to know that you sound a little snarky, right?
honesty can sound snarky on a message board because your reading my words as opposed to hearing them, ykwim?

Bowing out of this thread now

me too. no hard feelings mama. hugs

[akwifeandmomma]

Originally Posted by lilyka

Wow - our 0-4 activities include a story, coloring and play-dogh. Well that is actually our 2-5 year olds. Our goal for 0-2 is "nobody bleeds or gets nasty parisitical deseases."

My 4-year-old's class rotates among three large rooms. The first is seperated into play areas; dress-up, blocks, reading nook, music area, themed craft run by teenage volunteers, cars, dollhouse, etc. The second is a room with a stage where they have a short "lesson" of sorts, just a quick overview of a bible story/lesson, and then song and dance, led by an adult.
The third area is a huge play structure. The 3 y/o, 4 y/o and 5 y/o classes all rotate to these three rooms each Sunday morning (or Saturday night, there's one service that evening.)

Anyway. I wouldn't be at all into a

'shut up, sit down, we are going to teach you something now'

atmosphere, and my 4 y/o would hate that!

[moondiapers]

Originally Posted by Love

My point was that if you are learning about God 24/7, it doesn't really make sense to say, "Okay, it's Sunday at ten, time to learn about God." It just seems to make it artificial somehow. And for most people, sad but true, that *is* all they get all week, according to many studies.

.

I guess it depends on how you see Sunday School then. I always thought of it at "Children's Church" so my kids going to sunday school once a week wasn't any different than me going to church once a week. If you live and learn about God 24/7, why do YOU go to church? If you think about it that way maybe you can come up with something you're more comfortable with. We are all expected to sit nicely and be quiet enough for everyone else to here the lesson on church during the service, which doesn't seem much different than what is expected of the children in sunday school.