Christian children in Public Schools

After six children, fosters, a teaching career, and homeschooling, here is what I have come to think:

1. No child in the early years should be sent out 'into battle.' That is an extremely poor excuse to send a child to a public school.

2. I don't think ANY child should have to go to a public school! They are far more damaging than helpful in more ways than I could count.

3. Christian private schools are often no better, feeling they must show their education system is a good competitor to public schools, the pressure they put on kids (and parents) is enormous.

4. No child learns every subject at the same speed and with the same talents. One of my children could not read until he was ten, although we worked with phonics daily. As a teacher I knew better than to push him so hard that he ended up hating reading. So we just kept up with the basics until his brain 'turned on.' By eleven he was reading science texts for fun. In the meantime, he had always been a year or two ahead in math. What would a public or private school have done with him? While he was a bit extreme in the reading situation, his basic plight was not all that uncommon. Different kids learn different things different ways at different times. One teacher with twenty or thirty kids can't afford to pay attention to that. Keep in mind I am speaking as a retired teacher.

5. You don't have to be 'qualified' to homeschool. There are excellent texts and programs available if you are a novice and most publishers now will give homeschoolers a discount of about 10%.

6. Unless you purposely sequester your child(ren), their social lives will be much better than in a public or private school. Having only one's peers and same age group around all day long is a terribly artificial environment and does not prepare kids for the 'real world.' Dealing with people of different ages, interests, and backgrounds is very enriching socially. Sunday School, swim team (or soccer or whatever is in your community) and field trips with other homeschooled families are usually all that is needed to start a very active round of sleepovers, birthday parties, picnics, etc. Homeschooled kids are usually more socially adept than most publicly (or privately) schooled children.

7. Co-op homeschooling is quite beneficial to take advantage of different parents' skills and knowledge. This also gives mom and/or dad a little time off during the week.

8. Homeschooling really strengthens the bond between parent and child in preparation for high school

WHICH

should probably be in a public school! Why? Because the child, first of all, is formed by then. Secondly, because you definitely want to be there when the shock of that much nastiness first hits. High school in a public or private school is going to expose your child to the manipulation, hypocrisy, lying, etc. that is really out there. But they still come home to you every night and it is a great half-way house to prepare them for college or jobs.

With most of my kids, once I started homeschooling (I quit teaching to do it as I was so disgusted with what was going on in their various classes), I kept them through their first year of high school so that I could do the 'health education' which was required and keep them away from our district's particularly awful required reading list for freshman English ("Lord of the Flies," "Of Mice and Men," and "Animal Farm").

"Out there in the world" high school also allows them to earn scholarships (which most previously homeschooled kids end up doing) for college as well as showing them you are accepting them as individuals in their own right and capable of dealing with the world now, bit by bit, on their own, with you as backup rather than with you running interference.

Just some thoughts and my own conclusions after almost thirty years of teaching. I wouldn't trade homeschooling for anything. It was outstanding time with my kids and I really got to know them better than I ever would have had I only sent them off in the morning and seen them in the afternoons and evenings when all the 'events' had already happened to them. Junior high (grades 6-8) are particularly threatening to kids as the peer instincts run so high at a time when they are just starting to learn to think for themselves, and their brains are beginning to get re-wired for adulthood. Homeschooling then can be, literally, a lifesaver.

But high school is different. The kids need to reach out and stretch and be challenged in a new way, and I, for one, sure wanted to be there when it started. After years of working with my own kids, they knew they could come home and dump on me and we could talk about what had happened. To me, this is and was far more valuable than keeping them homeschooled and, thus, somewhat sheltered, through high school and then dumping them in the world come graduation.

With all that said, I would also want to mention that there are some families who have homeschooled all the way through in order to deal with health or other problems with the child. I did that with one daughter. There are also times when a child is so bright that homeschooling with enrollment in junior college courses even during high school is probably the best way to go.

But the one thing I know is that public school in the younger years can eat kids alive and spit them out in pieces. It doesn't always, but it does more often than anyone wants to admit. Kids are kids, and need to be protected during those years from a lot of the garbage that goes on. They need to be able to concentrate on learning, not on what might happen during recess or lunch or who is passing notes to whom in class, or whether the teacher will laugh at them for asking a '******' question.

Whew -- time to get my own day going. It's getting light out!

God bless you all.

 

I still think public school is actually benificial. The playground stuff is something they will have to face at some point in thier lives so I have no problem with my son facing it earily and understanding at an earily age that he needs to learn how to deal with stuff. Actually he already is learning this when we take him to the local playground, he's a pretty flexible kid.

I really think this matter is where ever God leads you as a parent you should do.

Sue

 

Well it seems on this subject that we might have to agree to disagree but the question was asked what good is a Christian school if there are lost children are there.

Well, the Christian school is not to totally alienate ourselves from the world. Our Christian school we have people from our church and other churches of the same faith but we allow those who are not saved to come to our school if they will obey the rules set forth.

Just as others who send their children to a public school we choose to be an example and a testimony to them and MANY have gotten saved through this ministry. We not had discipline problems who obeyed the rules and those who have not have either left the school or were asked to. Many families have been saved through this ministry.

I personally don't use the ministry of our Christian school because we don't have the people trained to help those with academic challenges at this time. So I do homeschool my children and both my children and I love it.

But I personally had an awful experience as a child in a public school and it scared me so I would not put my children in the public school. I was inappropriately bothered by and harrassed by those of the opposite sex and I still to this day have strong reservations about public school.

But I think each person need to make a choice for their family according to how the Lord leads. What is right for one may not be right for another. But as we seek the Lord's will He will show each one of us what is right for our families.

I really do appreciate those who are educators and are striving with love and compassion to train children and also to be a witness in this dark world.

Cyndi

 

Lets see, homeschool them, and than throw them into Public school, yeah, that ought to be just fine

I will give you two examples.

Exhibit A
Family one has two girls, both are in high school, one a senior, one a sophmore. They have both attended public school for their entire carreer. Both girls are very Godly, involved in the youth group, very well balanced, I have no reservations at all about letting them watch my children, they love the Lord very much, and the senior will be at a good IFB college next year, and the younger one is considering the same. They have other Christian friends in the school, one of them is dating another Baptist young man in the school.

Exhibit B
Another family has three girls. First Grade, Fifth Grade, and Ninth Grade. First Grader was homeschooled last year, other two were in a Baptist Church school. Problems at that Church forced them to pull the older girls this year, but kind of last minute, so they could not get places in any of the other christian schools in the area. The fifth grader is now in a public elementary school, and is doing fine. She had very little "culture shock" and the parents have been very happy with the curriculum so far. The 9th grader went to Public High School for 6 days, and decided it was a little too much. She is a very strong Godly girl as well, but the appearance, language and behavior of the school was too much. She is now being homeschooled as well.

It depends on your kids, and it really depends on how involved as a parent you want to be. But sending your kids to "Christian" school is not the answer, and Homeschooling has its own set of problems. It really is as individual as each of our families.

 

I went to a public school from the second grade on. There were times that I wished I could have gone to a Christian school. Even down here in the "Bible Belt" it was really hard to know where my teachers stood, and now, I can only say that out of all the teachers I had in High School, only 4 stand out in my mind as being truly Godly Teachers. But, one of my very close friends is in a Christian school now, and she says that they have the same problems we did, just on a smaller level. I wonder if my parents had put me in a Christian school, what would have happened? I guess I'll never know. I do know that I plan to home school if I ever get married and have children. But, not all public schools are bad. Since I'm an education major, I'll probably wind up teaching in one, and I want to be a teacher that someone can look back and say "she was a Godly woman."

 

I went to both, public and christian school. Academically, I think the christian acadamy I attended was a little more advanced but the real difference was really the kids there had more money to spend on the same things the public school kids did. Not all of them of course, same as public. Our son has gone to public for K-2. I will be enrolling him in a christian school next year. The Lord knew our needs these past few years and He has given us christian teachers for Alex. He has the same teacher for 1st and 2nd grade and she calls him the "class spiritual leader" She says that whenever a child acts up, she can glance over at Alex and see him running his hands through his hair kind of shaking his head. She says she overheard him one day telling another child "see, 'spare the rod, spoil the child!' hee-hee, I can picture him doing this. She has given him gifts both years of things such as a Bible, christian reading material and such. I know she is probably breaking all sorts of rules, but you know, I think it's great! She tells me at each parent conference what a light he is and how refreshing it is to have the honor of sharing in his education. I was in the hospital for 4 months out of the school year last year and she was truly a blessing! She had a birthday party for him bought him a cake, presents just everything and even bought a cake for him to bring to the hospital to have a little celebration with me. Like I said, the Lord knew what we needed and He was faithful and true to provide! I have a feeling that we probably shouldn't push things next year as he would have to go to another teacher and I just don't believe we'll find one there quite like her and also, next year they implement the "sex education" classes and I refuse to have him introduced to this before he even questions it. I don't think he needs to learn about it from school! I just want to make sure the christian school we send him to is one that truly does focus on God and not one like I went to where we had bible class and dress codes and such but the children there were really NO different.

 

Actually, I have been thinking about sending him to Calvary Christain school....DR.BOB, if you read this, didn't you say in an earlier post to me that you used to preach there?

 

I went to public school until ninth grade and I never saw the things that some of the ultra-fundies claim go on there.

My teachers were wonderful people who genuinely cared for us and our well-being.

The problem wasn't any kind of political indoctrination, it was that they couldn't teach, well meaning though they were.

They didn't understand dyslexia or A.D.D. (they didn't call it A.D.D. then, they just called it L.A.Z.Y.) and stuck me in a closet with some retarded kids. It was awful and I was so miserable that I would have dropped out, had I been able.

That summer, I qualified for a partial scholarship from the A.O.H. so I was able to attend parochial school and play football and hockey for a much better school.

On the academic front, they taught me how to work through my learning disabilities and I ended up being in the honors program and graduating in the top fifth percentile of my class.

Parochial school students consistently outscore their public school counterparts and have far fewer discipline problems.

We don't have kids yet but when we do, they are definitely going to parochial school. Fortunately, if we can't afford it, there are enough scholarships available through the A.O.H. and the Emerald Society that tuition shouldn't be a problem.

I know that there are excellent public schools out there that can be a great experience for some kids but I don't think that would be the choice for us.

[ October 05, 2001: Message edited by: Smoke_Eater ]

[ October 06, 2001: Message edited by: Smoke_Eater ]

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Baptist Mom:
I personally do not believe that a Christian should ever be sent to a public school what do you all think????

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I think that it depends on the child. I'm a teen and I've been public schooled up until the 10th grade. I still take two classes at the highschool, and I couldn't fathom not taking any classes there. I've made so many friends...

it's a great mission feild. If you want to say that your children shouldn't go to an *unGodly* public school... then don't try and send them to the mission feild among those that believe in a different god.

I think the best way to look at it is look at the child's personality. If they are well founded in the faith, and understand that the BIBLE is true then see how it goes. I think public school is great, sure I've gotten into my share of tough discussions with teachers and students, but I come out of it feeling like I did something for the LORD. I felt so close to Him.

I'd maybe homeschool in highschool or jr. high if they don't seem to fair well in the *real* world... but I don't see anything wrong with sending them to Kindergarden.

 

I just wanted to add to the discussion these thoughts. I, too, live in the "Bible Belt" here in central Virginia. My wife and I are regular attenders of our church and my step-daughter is active in Sunday school, GA's and children's choir. My wife is a middle school art teacher in the same county for the same public school system. Our county has experienced a phenominal amount of growth in the past decade. There was a time in this county when we were all Baptist, all church-goers, and all accountable. The times have changed. Now we are so much more in the world than in the days of my youth. I am glad that my wife and step-daughter are represenatives of our church to all the new-comers. Our youth may be the only version of the Bible that some of these children see. In my wife's job and my child's participation, they are ambassadors for Christ, emissaries for our church. We tell the girl that all that she does reflects on our home family and our church family.
Also by attending public school, she receives the benefit of public AND home-schooling. We, as Christians, must be caereful not to let the world affect us, but it is our duty to affect the world. If we stay in our ivory towers, judging the world, how will we ever make a difference? What will become of our children when they are plunged into the world? I'm sure that home schooling if done by a qualified person is very effective academically and perhaps even spiritually, but I would fear for my own child when she leaves our four walls and ventures out into college life, or takes a notion to leave the country and go to the city if she did not learn social skills in a controled environment like the public school system. I am not sure what schools teach homosexuality as acceptable, certainly not our's. By participating in my step-daughter's education, I will make sure that she addresses her biology teacher on the fact that evolution is theory and the parallels to the Genesis account of Creation. As for divorce, I have charge of this child due to mine and my spouse's divorces and the work that we do is of God as is our marriage.

[ October 20, 2001: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

For: Baptist Mom

I am a nineteen year old Christian ~ My mom & I were discussing this issue a few days ago. What if a parent wanted to send their kid to a Christian school but had to send them to public school instead because she could not afford the Chrisitan school?

 

You would have to work with the school you wanted to send them to. Sometimes the school may offer scholarships for disadvantaged families, or you could seek help from your church. Either way, when there is a will, there usually is a way.

Bro. Adam

 

I have been in home-school, Christian school, and now I'm in Public school. Not by choice but because my parent's sent me there. I can tell you that the christian school I wen to was just the same as the public school I'm in now. I'm not trying to defend the public school, I'm just saying some christian schools are just the same. I used to be so mad and bitter towards my parent's for sending me there, but then I started to look at it as my personal mission field. To witness to all the people I come in contact with. I go to a church where every kid is home-schooled and it's like they don't know how lucky they are and take it all for granted. I'm glad I have gone, because it reminds me how lucky I am to have started out being home-schooled. And how lucky others are to still be there. I would ask you to keep me in your prayers That I would ALWAYS be a witness for my Savior....because yes there is temptations out there, but with his help I can overcome it

Because of Jesus,
Jess

 

Well, I'll tell ya, I go to public school and it can get hard sometimes. I live in the Bible Belt too, but unfortunatly, in our town we have more professing "Christians" than we do the real tihng.
I used to want to go to Christian school. But we could never afford it. Besides that, we have one Christian school here in my town, and from what the teachers there say, it's even worse than public. I mean, were talking, 2 girls in the graduating class pregnent, homosexuals,drugs. Ya know, the sort of thing ya see in some public schools, only worse. Lost people send their kids who are truble makers, or who have problems learning to the Christian school here.
My dad and uncles went to Christian school for a while. My uncle first got involved with drugs while there. To this day, even thou he is no longer a drug adict, he refuses to come to church, calling them "hypocrites"
At my school, I am not well liked. I get called "Grandma Abby", "Sister Abby" {referring to the Catholics}, "Preacher girl", oh, I could go on for awhile. But it dosn't bother me. Not anymore.
At school, I can pass out tracts, revival flyers, read my Bible and write essays pertaining to Christ and the Bible, and sing hymns in the talent show. Not that makes me popular, but I figure if Christ was willing to die on a cross to save me of my sin, I ought to be able to endure teasing from kids who so desperatly need the gospel.
Yeah, they teach evolution, but after the teacher gets threw with what s/he is saying, I make my point on how the world was REALLY created.
Even before I got saved, I was labled old fashioned. I was raised by my grandparents, and in a sound Bible teaching church. I was not allowed to go to dances, wear clothes that were really ungodly, listen to the kinds of music other kids did, or anything like that. Now I am thankful for my strict upbringing.
No, I don't think it's a good idea to send young children or young Christians for that matter to a public school, because they are more easily persuaded to get involved.
My brother is an example. He was raised the same way as me, except he was closer to our dad, who really didn't care what we did. My brother listend to hard rock around my dad, got around his cursing friends, watched the same violent movies as my dad, so therefore was just like the kids at school -ungodly and in need of the Lord. My little brother is not saved, does not like going to church, and is learning more ungodly things all the time. It hurts me to watch my little brother going down the broad way to distruction, but all I can so is pray.
It depends on where you live as to where your child should go to school. In our town it's better to homeschool or go to public, but like I said, it depends on the school and where you live.
In our Saviour, Abby

 

I went to public school, but I lived in a small town until I was a teenager, and two of my teachers went to my church. My fourth grade teacher was my Sunday school teacher! It was different when I went to high school, but I think that is the way the world is generally.

I think public high school was a good experience for me. Sometimes as an adult I have to struggle to see what is the world's way and what is the way God wants me to take, and I'm grateful that I had that experience when I was younger and could rely on my parents to guide me.

 

I agree with Helen's last post. All the arguments about being a light to the world are irrelevant to sending your child to the public systems.

We are to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, not "put them through the fire" as one sot had the gall to suggest. They have to be protected and grow before they're pushed out of the nest into a public system which, despite what some of the more liberal members of the board might suggest, is there to indoctrinate and enslave their minds to the rudiments of the world, and not to Christ.

Hey, I've been to public school too. My research paper was on the Beatitudes, in my speech class I extolled the virtues of the Christian faith. Was I a witness? Absolutely, but I would not--cannot--recommend that any Christian parent send his child into that den of iniquity.

We are the "called out," not the "called in."

 

Ive gone to public school my whole life and never have i ever regreted it. Then again i live in Canada and Im not sure if our public system is as bad as all you americans claim yours to be.

 

Unfortunately Aaron, some parents do not have the means to send their children to private schools because of the cost. I, like sorrydude, went to public schools my whole life and don't regret it, and was a beackon of light that did in fact help other students who had no idea who Christ was. God places us where he will for a reason.

My only experience with a private school was that of the local Baptist high school, and I found them for the most part to be rude, snobbish, careless, and intolerant. I'll take my Christian and non-Christian teachers in the public school over that anytime. Not to say that there aren't good Christian schools out there. They tend though to be most set apart by their wealth and preppy attitudes than in Christ-likeness.

Bro. Adam

[ July 09, 2002, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: Brother Adam ]

 

Adam,

God is sovereign. It was He that placed you and me in the public school system. It was also He that delivered Joseph to his murderous brothers. Yet I wouldn't recommend one walk into a den of thieves.

Some are forced by necessity to accept less than exemplary conditions--the impoverished Christians in Communists countries for instance.

 

The Lord always provides the needs of His children who are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, Matt 6 :33. Homeschooling can be quite inexpensive to those who need it to be. There is a host of free curriculum online, libraries and the Bible works great for reading.

Do you want your children to be taught by some of the folks in the nea?
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/articles/articles/nea-convention-2002.htm

HCL