The End Goal of Education

Written By: The Good and the Beautiful Published On:

The pressure on children to prepare, perform, and achieve for tests, college, and careers is substantial. Reaching these academic goals is exciting, but is it worth it if it causes anxiety and stress for a student? Jenny Phillips discusses profound insights into what is happening in education, how secular humanism affects schools, and what a good education really means.

Purpose of Education

Never before, it seems, have children been so pushed in school to perform well on tests and to get ready for college and careers. And never have so many children seemed to be so anxious, so stressed out, so lost, and so depressed at school. 

I believe that college prep and career readiness can be part of the end goal of a good education, but when these things become the main focus of a child’s education, the education is out of balance, unhealthy, and stripped of beauty and meaning. I think as a society we have largely lost sight of what a good education is and how profoundly a child is impacted by the type of education they receive.

Definition of Education

Noah Webster defined education in his 1828 dictionary. Listen to this nearly 200-year-old definition of education:

  • EDUCATION: "The bringing up... of a child... Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties." —Noah Webster

If education is the bringing up of a child, what happens when the main focus of an education is testing and college prep and career readiness? Is that the end goal of our upbringing for our children, to do well on tests and to be ready for college? An education that focuses on raising a child in faith and high moral character, an education that is immersed in beauty and meaning, need not neglect strong, solid academics, college prep, and career readiness. It’s not one or the other. There is beauty and wisdom in balance, but I see education today largely out of balance with a lack of meaning and beauty, and a lack of focus on the things that matter most. 

Education inescapably shapes a child. Who teaches them, what they are taught, how they are taught, what is emphasized to them, the books they read, connecting or disconnecting learning with God, the influence of teachers, the influence of other students, philosophies taught—it’s all a huge part of a child’s upbringing and it is the underlying responsibility of the parents to guard, determine, and guide these things. Education should not be stressing children out and leading them away from family and faith. 

Who influences your child?

  • Teachers
  • Friends
  • Books
  • Media
  • Family
  • Faith
Children playing outside

Joyful Learning

Education should be a joyful, fulfilling experience that forms healthy, beautiful minds and hearts within the family. In my study of education and how it has changed over the decades, I have seen that goodness and beauty have been stripped from learning. It’s the whole reason I do the work I do. The Bible, wholesome literature, and masterfully created poetry is replaced with books of low value that portray poor moral character and even have profane content. The power, goodness, and beauty of God and faith are ignored, passed over, and neglected, while the shallowness and self-centeredness of secular humanism becomes the main emphasis.

Definition of Secular Humanism

Whether we recognize it or not, and whether good teachers want it or not, so many things from media, education, and advertisements are all part of teaching an underlying religious belief and philosophy—secular humanism. Secular humanism is the view that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God. It is an attempt to function as a civilized society with the exclusion of God and His moral principles. 

Subtle Effects of Secular Humanism

Often, parents do not see the effects of our youth being educated through secular humanism until it is subtly, but deeply, implanted in them. I see the results of a humanistic education everywhere, even in good Christian families. Children become more self-centered and focused on worldly successes. Friends and worldly things become the center of their lives. Families and faith are weakened. Addiction to social media and obsession with body image and worldly philosophy sink into their hearts and minds. But that doesn’t have to be your child’s path. 

As parents, we can decide for ourselves what the end goal of our children’s education is to be. We can wholeheartedly pursue the path that leads there. There is a path to the education you want for your child. It is a path that might not be easy or convenient, or very popular, but I promise you that there are tremendous and beautiful blessings that come when you are willing to open your eyes and really become involved in your children’s education, regardless if you are able to homeschool or not.

  • "What we make children love and desire is more important than what we make them learn." –Kate Douglass Wiggins, author

Through education, we can help children love and desire strong family relationships; faith in God; powerful, wholesome books; knowledge and wisdom; confidence in their infinite worth; kindness; humility; honesty; discernment; gratitude; selflessness; and strong minds that will allow them to pursue any further education or career that they desire. Something beautiful happens to a child’s education when it is reconnected to faith, moral character, and beauty. There is a power, meaning, and significance that cannot be there otherwise. This power builds confidence, brings joy, deepens character, and fundamentally changes children and what matters to them. 

Education is more than academics! Being involved in your child’s education creates opportunities to:

  • strengthen family relationships,
  • deepen faith,
  • enjoy wholesome literature,
  • develop knowledge and wisdom,
  • and build confidence and good character.
Mother and son learning together | The Good and the Beautiful

Building the Future

I recently received a letter from a second-grade boy who said that he was so grateful that he and his little brother got to have such a BEAUTIFUL—in big letters—education. It’s amazing that already in second grade a child can discern and care so much about receiving a beautiful education. I think about what that mother is doing for that little boy. 

We have the incredible opportunity to choose the kind of education our child receives. Not everyone in the world does. It’s a beautiful and sacred freedom, and it is also an obligation we have to these precious little souls because their education will largely shape who they are and what matters to them.

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