My father was the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. He wasn’t always an especially patient man—which prompted him fairly often to “get on with things.” He dropped out of college and seminary two or three times, and always had an appropriate skepticism for academia. Which was odd, because folks who knew him tended mostly to take seriously his views on the task of education. In many ways, Dad was, until his death in 1978, the quintessential self-educated man.

Dad was also an early pioneer in the field of what has come to be called “distance education.” The term refers to educational settings where the teacher is not in the same room with his or her students—and maybe even many miles away.

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The time we have with our kids is a fabulous opportunity to spend more time in the Word with them. Sign up for the Family Devotional: The Fruit of the Spirit. For older kids, here is an idea. Read the Gospel reading from the Pray for America Bible with your kids. Pray first that God will speak to you through His Word and then discuss it with your kids. What are you doing to teach your children God’s Word during this pause? Leave a comment.

And now, for better or for worse, the concept has suddenly become an elephantine player in the field of education in the current coronavirus crisis. Within the last few weeks, millions of students who had been trundling along in traditional classrooms have found themselves reassigned to “virtual” or “distance education” arrangements. And I know people are skeptical. We all still prefer that flesh-and-blood teacher at the front of the room. But our current experience should remind us: A virtual teacher, with all the limitations, is better than no teacher at all!

Dad got into distance education because of his passion for planting new Christian schools—and especially new high schools. The advantage of distance education, in almost every setting, is to make talented faculty accessible where they haven’t been accessible before. I saw it work. I got to be part of it.

Are there disadvantages? Indeed. But whatever limitations distance education might include, none are as limiting as having no teacher at all! That’s why my dad became such a fan. There were students who would get exposure to Christian teachers who, apart from this approach, would simply not get such exposure.