catapult magazine

i received an e-mail recently on a topic which some of you might have thoughts about. the issue is the relationship between the church and Christian parochial schools, specifically pertaining to the tension between newer, seeker-friendly churches and long-standing Christian education traditions. i’ll distill the situation into some questions and see where discussion leads us.
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:32aade6fc6]Besides the obvious tuition factor, why do Christian parents choose public education for their children?
[:32aade6fc6]In spite of tuition, why do Christian parents choose to send their children to Christian institutions?
:32aade6fc6]Is there always one choice—public or private—that’s better for Christian parents or will the right choice be different for each family, and even children within a family? What sorts of factors should go into such a decision?
[:32aade6fc6]Is it appropriate to use a Christian school to shelter children from the secular world? Is is appropriate to send Christian students to public school in order to evangelize? What should be the primary purpose in educating a Christian child?
[*:32aade6fc6]Is the promotion of Christian education compatible with the work of a seeker-sensitive church that has many new Christians among its members? How are churches currently dealing with this issue?
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thanks for your participation in this discussion.

I was thinking that I’d think about this and then respond, but I rarely respond when I think about things. So, here are my initial impressions as a teacher who has worked at both a public and private high school.

Besides the obvious tuition factor, why do Christian parents choose public education for their children?

Many public school parents think that their child will have a better chance to participate in a wider array of extracurricular and cocurricular activities. They also think that more types of classes will be offered. This is pretty accurate. Because public schools tend (generally speaking of course) to have more students and more money, they can afford to offer more artsy experiences, sports and classes. (It is difficult to find orchestra, football and AP French in your run of the mill private school.)

In spite of tuition, why do Christian parents choose to send their children to Christian institutions?

Unfortunately, many parents send their kids to private schools because they think it is safer which is very rarely the case. Many private schools have just as many substance abuse and social problems as public schools. I think that the attitude of parents who send their kids to a private school changes based on geography and socio-economic status as well. The parents who sent their children to the private school in South Florida in which I taught were of a different mind set than their midwest counterparts. I saw quite a bit of, what I perceived as, “we have money so we will buy you the best baby sitter service our money can buy”.
Ultimately, the best reason to send kids to a private school should be that parents want their children to learn about [b:6e8e995c53]everything[/b:6e8e995c53] in a nurturing, markedly Christian environment. Christian schools, therefore, should teach [b:6e8e995c53]everything[/b:6e8e995c53] in a nurturing, markedly Christian environment. Those schools are hard to find however. But now I’m deviating from your question.

Is there always one choice—public or private—that’s better for Christian parents or will the right choice be different for each family, and even children within a family? What sorts of factors should go into such a decision?

Every family is different as is every child. I’m thinking that my son will attend the neighborhood Christian school, but I’m not certain yet. I want him to be in the kind of environment that I mentioned earlier. That environment is not monopolized by private schools. Often times public schools do a better job. Ultimately, I want my son to see God’s hand in everything around him. I want him to grow up knowing what God’s kingdom is and what his role in that kingdom could be. If he doesn’t get that in school, whether public or private, I feel relatively confident in my ability to teach him. It would be nice if he got that consistently at home and at school however.

* Is it appropriate to use a Christian school to shelter children from the secular world? Is is appropriate to send Christian students to public school in order to evangelize? What should be the primary purpose in educating a Christian child?

The answer to the first two questions is absolutely not. Sheltering from the secular world will foster children who are incapable of analyzing the world around them to what the world should be. It will breed a generation of retreatists and not those who are willing and able to “seek first the kingdom of God”. To the second question, if evangelism happens, that’s great. But it should not be the primary purpose of sending a Christian student to a public school.
As a public school teacher who is a Christian I want to teach my students about God. I do it through English and Drama. A friend down the hall does it through History, another downstairs does it through Biology. I want my students to know how to analyze a book, how to create a character and how to write a poem. All English teachers want this. I want them to see God in the plot of that book (or the reason for the absence of him), understand how every character is fearfully and wonderfully made, and recognize the ordered rules and the creative license involved in crafting beautiful verse. That’s my primary purpose. I just need to be a bit sneaky about my underlying intentions in a public school.

Is the promotion of Christian education compatible with the work of a seeker-sensitive church that has many new Christians among its members? How are churches currently dealing with this issue?

I have no idea. Maybe I will try to think about this one for a spell.

This is a lot of stuff to deal with in one post, so I’ll try to just sort of give an overview that might hit on several of Kirstin’s questions. I think Norb hit some good ideas. I find it helpful to divide our thought in this area into the realm of the way things are and the way they should be.

Yes, many parents do send their children to my school so that they can be safe from the big bad world. To do so though, is to miss the point.

Parents should send their kids to my school because we have a single unified philosophy. All the teachers in my school agree that God is first and all things taught must begin there. In a way, whether you believe in Chrisitanity or not,, it still makes sense for your kid to be taught out of a philosophical unity. I admire a great many public school teachers (my two brothers, my mom, Norb but trying to teach in a spiritual vacuum (or a spiritual obscurity) seems crazy to me.

But how much more do you want to send your kids to a christian school when you are a believer. I say Amen to Norb regarding the notion that no school should shelter a kid. Protect them, and make them safe from harm, yes (all schools should do that)). But I want my students to come into contact with the people and ideas of the world. I just want them to do that with the aid of a guide who can help them understand what they are looking at — seek to discern the grace of God and the brokenness of sin.

As to the seeker sensitive question, maybe I am missing the point here. Seeker sensitive doesn’t mean not speaking the truth, does it? (sorry about the double neg there). Christian schools should certainly be more welcoming, less condescending, more transparent, and should do more in the way of offering scholarships. I also think they should worry less abou t what their applicants profess, and more about what their graduates profess.

Got a 7 month old on my lap. Fighting a losing battle. must go more later mayber

i know a lot of people who would have thoughts on this topic don’t encounter a computer much during the summer, but i’d like to keep the thread going.

the list of questions is pretty overwhelming. i think perhaps an easier starting point would be to consider what factors should be taken into account in the decision among public school, Christian school and homeschool. [b:dfa83fab35]if a Christian parent were considering all three options, what questions should he or she be asking? how might a parent’s own faith journey affect the decision?[/b:dfa83fab35]

by way of the seeker-sensitive issue, it’s not a matter of watering down the truth, but i think it’s difficult for a new Christians to understand the importance of Christian schools for children when they have not yet had the experience of discipleship that a Christian school would seek to provide for their children.

Like Norbert says, safety is not a reason to send a child to a Christian school. There’s no safe place when sinners are involved.

Though I do think it’s important to have Christian institutions to train children, I often wonder how Christian these schools really are? Though good things go on there, many Christian schools look just like public schools. Their educational structure and philosophy of learning are nearly indistinguishable. They remind me of Christian music that takes the musical framework of popular hits and just add their own Christian words on top. But if we want Christians to be able to relate to non-Christians, I suppose it does help to train them in the same cultural language as every other American child. Otherwise, we’re just creating an Amish or some other kind of separatist community.

I think it is important to evaluate the Christian School being considered. I grew up in a Christian school where the teachers worked to give us a Biblical perspective on everything from science, to history to art and music.

We send our children to school to learn and grow. Teachers, and their beliefs, have a profound influence on young minds who know they are to trust these adults. Every teacher has a worldview and a faith system. I feel I would have a very hard time sending my child to be with someone for more hours of a day than they spend with me, and have about the worldview from which they are presenting all their material.

Does this mean that in a Christian school I can safely trust that my child is being taught with Biblical perspective? No, I still need to do my work researching curriculum, asking questions about the hiring process, and getting involved by forming a relationship with my child’s teacher. But I am saying that a Christian school is more likely to have educational objectives that line up with mine. I believe that parent who sends their children to school where these things are not being taught, needs to make a HUGE commitment to spending many hours outside of the classroom discussing with and training in their child biblical perspective. But remember, teachers usually spend a larger percentage of time with a child than the parents. I want to be wise about the mentors I place in my child’s life.

As far as Evangelism… a child can be salt and light to other children just as well in a private school as a public. But I believe that gradeschool, at least, is a time when a child should be able to learn without having to battle with their teachers over truth.

I agree with you in general. I’m not sure that teachers have more influence than parents, though, especially with the way the school system operates. I would say that peers have much more influence in the school than teachers. I had an excellent educational experience in a public school because I had parents who influenced the way I listened to my public school teachers. It taught me how to hear the worldview of my public school against the beliefs of my own reformational tradition.

If we can get more specific, how did your teachers present specific subjects from a Christian perspective, subjects like history, art or science?

This is more of a response to your statement than your question Grant.
I am more of a father figure to many of my students than they have ever had. Kudos to your parents teaching you how to challenge yourself within the context of an outside teacher’s curriculum. That is not an easy task. Not many kids are receptive to that influence which compounds the problem for kid, parent and teacher alike. I think teachers do have, in most cases, more influence on kids than parents do when it comes to knowledge. Understanding and wisdom, unfortunately, are rarely successfully taught in high schools and come more through self-evaluation and personal wrestling than they do through parents and teachers. Though by that time we hopefully will have positively influenced them enough to grapple with life’s more difficult issues.
What the current role of the parent is now and what it should be is a very good and difficult question, though it may be better suited for the family section.

This is kind of a difficult argument to have without any firm basis, but I side with grant on this one—I think parents have way more influence on children than teachers to. Of course the relationship bewteen parents and kids is often tense, strained, or hostile, but the parents (or usually at least one parent) are usually there from birth until age 18 or so—for better or for worse. A teacher has an hour a day for a year or two at best. Of course teachers are extremely important in children’s development, but in terms of worldview education, morality, and ethics I would say their actual impact is relatively minor.

I appreciate this discussion greatly. As I prayed last night for my 4 children, 3 of whom are in public school and one who is in Christian school, this issue hits close to home. We have also home schooled in the past (that just didn’t work for us, though it works for many).
Since I am part of a church where 34% of our members were previously unchurched this discussion is also very relevant to me. I must confess I am stumbling as I search for a solid place to stand on this issue.
I struggle with cost. I know that is an issue that get’s pushed aside quickly in the discussion as if to say, if it is the right thing to do either it doesn’t matter or God will provide.
I can’t dismiss it so quickly. I wonder if Christian Day Schools is the church investing in itself. Which translates into families investing in themselves. What percentage of the church budget should be devoted to support for educating its own? Should I as a parent have as one of my largest budget items the education of my own children? What percentage of my family budget should go to educate my own children?
When does the cost become to high? Does it ever? It seems to me historically as I look at the denomination that I am a part of we have sacrificed our investment in the Great Commission for an investment in Equipping the Saints. There has to be a better balance as we are reaping the fruit of decades of high investment in Equipping our own Saints which is a dying denomination with very little effectiveness in reaching those who don’t know God.
We could probably make the same arguement about church buildings. Then the issue becomes how does a church facility or a christian school serve the mission (Great Commission) of the church. Where is the balance? I am not saying it is either Equipping or Evangelizing, I am just struggling to find the balance?

To kind of follow up on the cost issue, I think the choice is definitely influenced by money. I don’t have kids, but I teach in a public school. Unfortunately, many of the Christian schools can’t afford programs like special education or English as a Second Language (ESL). I think it’s sad b/c it neglects a whole segment of people who might want to send their kids to a Christian school, but they don’t even really have the choice if they want those services for their children.