11.9-Teaching and educating all children is important.

11.9-

Life can be filled with many days of joy and love.  I went to Ladonia Elementary school.  In high school we consolidated with Pecan Gap and became Fannnindel High School.  Total enrollment was probably 300 students.  The teachers were totally serious about educating us in the history of Texas and America and math and English.  Readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmatic, taught to the sound of a hickory stick.

The town of Ladonia had about 700 people.  The teachers and coaches were mostly men and women of Christian faith.  They were not perfect people, but in general seemed to have a belief in

Birth, life, death and heaven with God for His children.

 William Tyndale

• Preface to The Practice of Prelates (1531).

• I defie the Pope and all his lawes. If God spare my life, ere many yeares I wyl cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture, than he doust.

The Pilgrims and Puritans wanted all children to be able to read so they could read the Bible for themselves.

Thus, in 1642, the General Court enacted its first law concerning the education of the colony's children. It ordered:

"That the selectmen of every town, in the several precincts and quarters where they dwell, shall have a vigilant eye over their brethren and neighbors, to see, first, that none of them shall suffer so much barbarism in any of their families, as not to endeavor to teach, by themselves or others, their children and apprentices as much learning as may enable them perfectly to read the English tongue, and knowledge of the capital laws, upon penalty of 20 shillings for each neglect therein; also, that all masters of families do, once a week, at least, catechize their children and servants in the grounds and principles of religion."

Five years later, the General Court enacted a more extensive school law, stating,

"It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep man from the knowledge of the Scriptures... and to the end that learning may not be buried in the grave of our forefathers... It is therefore ordered... that every township within this jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased them to the number of fifty householders, shall then forthwith appoint one within their town to teach all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read... And it is further ordered, that where any town shall increase to the number of one hundred families or householders, they shall set up a grammar school, the masters thereof being able to instruct youths so far as they may be fitted for the university."

Thus, in the short period of only 17 years, the Puritan colonists had already established the foundation of an education system from primary school to the university. Quite a beginning!

Matthew 28.

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”