What Your Third Grader Needs To Know

As a homeschool family we can often be found at the local public library. We have a reasonably respectable collection of books ourselves (most of which were acquired secondhand, or at least marked down) but few private homes can collect the equivalent of a decent public library. Ours is that, decent, but just that – but the ability to request books from any library throughout almost the entire State of Georgia is a powerful tool in your educational garden shed. Currently I am rereading The Genesis Flood by Whitcomb and Morris, which I requested through the library system, an important and worthwhile book that every Christian should be familiar with and non-christians should take more seriously.

This week my beautiful wife found a previously unnoticed book entitled What Your Third Grader Needs to Know, Fundamentals of a Good Third Grade Education edited by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.

I must admit to complete ignorance about the person of E.D. Hirsch, Jr. It is a nicely done book, but seems to be typical of educationalist thinking in our culture – namely that any reading is good reading as long as your child is reading. An enormous amount of people espouse this peculiar idea – probably the vast majority of people – and do not consider that there is any real intrinsic value – or rather lack thereof – in varying literature. You can see that idea clearly displayed at the local public library where they have posters all over the wall trying to get youngsters to read currently popular vampire stories, so that at least they will be reading. Strangely, most adults have (in our experience) some realization that there is questionable (to say the least) value to such literature, "But," they say, "At least my child is reading!"

Well I, an avid reader since early childhood, would like to respectfully submit to you that there are many things out there (such as, but by no means limited to, vampires and Harry Potter) that it would be better if your child did not read at all than to read such things.

Keep in mind that what I say here assumes the reader to be a genuine Christian who has committed his or her life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Wearing a cross or going to church does not necessarily equate to this, and if you have not made this commitment it is your top priority. Until you do so it you cannot properly understand what I am saying, and all that you do is headed to the incinerator anyway. Don't wait any longer!

What Your Third Grader Needs to Know does have some stuff of legitimate value in it, particularly early American history, regarding which both children and adults in our nation are woefully ill equipped. I strongly dispute, however, that any child of any age 'needs' to know about the pagan 'gods' of Greece, Rome, and Scandinavia (or anywhere else). The Bible explicitly teaches us that the 'gods' these people worshiped are no-gods and are in fact, actually, demons; that the day is coming when they will no more be named, and that in fact their names will never again even come to mind. Why may I ask does a child need to read the tales of ancient no-gods who are actually present-day demons, by which these ancient peoples were bound in abject darkness, and many people in the present-day world are bound in terrible darkness by such demonic 'gods'? Why on earth should your children be learning such things?

Now I am by no means suggesting that your child not be taught the objective truth of the darkness of the pagan religions so as to have a proper (that is a biblical, a godly) perspective, but that is not accomplished by allowing or encouraging them to immerse themselves in those ancient mythological tales. Through those tales the ancients were held in bondage. Through those tales many today are still in dark bandage and hateful rebellion against Christ. Through those tales a great many people through the ages have been held back from the fullness of Christ though living in a 'Christian' age.

Is that really what you want for your child?

If it is, are you not then yourself in the bondage of darkness to these wicked haters of mankind for whom the horrors of Nazi Germany are only a warm-up exercise?

What does your child need to know? Really need?
2. Your child needs to know how to read and write fluently.
3. Your child needs to have a good solid grasp on basic math.

These two are basic skills or education and living that will be needed at all levels. Beyond that, there is only one subject that is truly needed, a subject which comes before even those two:
1. The number one thing your child absolutely, positively, utterly needs to know, above all things – above even reading, writing, and math – is a proper biblical understanding of the world and reality including the fact that they are sinners by nature and by choice, that they will have to stand before Jesus to give an account of all they have done, and that Jesus died and rose so that they can be able to stand before Him when the time comes. This is not a mere, "Yes, yes, of course, of course.." but is the very essence of your whole purpose!

Your primary, number one, top job as a parent is to give your child this biblical world view. To orient their mind entirely around a proper biblical way of thinking about every single issue and subject and problem and opportunity that they will face. Every game they play. Every word they speak. Every glance they take. Every interaction they have. Even the ability to read and write are secondary to this. When your child stands before the Lord Jesus He will not ask them to read anything to Him or to do any sums. The Bible says the highway of righteousness is one that, whoever travels it, though a fool, will not go astray.

Obviously we do not want to raise fools, so education is needed, and also expected by God. But some of the brightest minds on the planet, having rejected Christ, are going into the fire like so much rubbish off the streets. Then who will be the fool?

We are here for a very, very short time. Even if your child live to the fullest potential of life on this earth of 120 years it is not even a small speck of fine dust on the scales of eternity. Your number one top priority is to make sure they have real saving faith in the Lordship of Jesus, that they truly 'kiss the son before His wrath is kindled' (Psalm 2). After that, your absolute top priority is to mold and shape their mind according to the mind of God – which is revealed to us in the Bible – the best you can.

You cannot do that if you are busy shaping their mind, or allowing it to be shaped, by ungodly, unbiblical things that are actually opposing the reality of Christ, such as:
    • Pagan Mythology of all kinds – even if they supposedly teach 'values'. The values you need are in the Bible. Remember we are at war here, and the demons behind these pagan mythologies are the very powers we are at war with!
    • Harry Potter or Vampire Stories or almost all Science Fiction / Fantasy. In fact the realm of fiction in general is pretty contrary to a proper Biblical mindset. This is shocking to the modern mind, but true. Consider, the Bible deals with Truth, Jesus is the Truth, and the authority of God over your life is Truth. Since fiction is inherently dealing with untruth, it naturally tends to be in opposition to the Truth. Not absolutely and in all cases whatsoever, but much more often than not. Fiction in your mind is analogous to Twinkies in your diet. The less eaten the better. We are at war!
    • Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Sorry parents but you cannot selfishly indulge yourselves in these Lies without inherently and inescapably teaching your child that the view that you have purposefully given to them about what is true in life is not true after all. This can and does have serious ramifications down the line. This stuff is serious business and we are at war!
    • 'Classical Literature' like Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Ali Baba, Treasure Island, etc., etc. See Harry Potter above. Many of these stories teach unbiblical ideas, choices, and behavior that all just works out in the end. We are at war!
    • Evolutionary thinking. Evolutionary origin-of-life and billions-of-years geology strikes at the very foundations of the Gospel. But guess what? Those scientists were not there when the foundations were laid, and you are not going to have to stand before Charles Darwin and give an account. We are at war!


Believe it or not the primary value of reading is not for mere enjoyment or entertainment, although that might enter in. The primary value of reading is that one should actually read the Bible for oneself. The primary reason to teach your child to read is that they might read the scriptures for themselves. You need it. They need it. They need you to do it. They do not need Lewis Carroll or the tales that shaped the minds of Viking butchers.