Doctrine and Covenants section 55 is a revelation given to William W. Phelps. In it the Lord tells him:
“And again, you shall be ordained to assist my servant Oliver Cowdery to do the work of printing, and of selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction before me as is pleasing unto me.”
We know education is important to the Lord for Him to direct W. W. Phelps to select and to write books to educate the children of the Church. We know that the Lord expects parents to teach their children the gospel and to be good people.(see D&C 68:25, 28) We also know that we are to learn about many topics including things “in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth,” “the wars and the perplexities of the nations,” and “knowledge…of countries and of kingdoms.”(D&C 88:79) We are to “…study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people.” (D&C 90:15) We are to “…seek…diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. Organize yourselves…and establish…a house of learning.” (D&C 88:118,119)
One of my daughters lives in an area of the country where many parents enroll their children in private schools. When she had children starting school, she researched both private and public schools to determine which route to take with her children. What she finally determined was that it didn’t matter whether children went to private or to public schools. What mattered was how involved the parents were in the education of their children. She enrolled her children in public schools and made a positive difference in their schools and in her children’s education.
Recently, Christine Ivory, co-founder and director of the Clark and Christine Ivory Foundation, participated in an education roundtable in Utah. She encouraged parents’ role in education. She said “I hope that we can find ways to engage parents…” and “We’ve got to elevate parents again and help them understand that their role in education is critical.”
What are you doing to teach your children?
What are you teaching them?
How are you helping them learn?
How are you encouraging learning?
What are you doing yourself to learn and to establish a house of learning?
How can you do better?
