A Parent's Perspective - The Right Priorities

Elizabeth W.
Wilmington, DE

We are recent converts to Christian schooling who began as proponents of public schooling, mainly in order to be salt and light. While kindergarten was fine, first grade started off with a lack of peace, which never abated. As the year progressed, God gradually opened our eyes, changing our hearts and minds in the process.

No matter what administrators might tell you, children are NOT their priority. The public schools have all the problems inherent in a government bureaucracy: lack of accountability, political motivations, inefficiencies, unresponsiveness, etc. Moreover, the environment is often not nurturing, not to mention disorderly, which is clearly not conducive to learning. I imagine there are some exceptions somewhere, but why gamble?

Both the reading and math curricula were not rigorous, entailing a lot of busy work, little actual teaching and a lot of extraneous material and projects, versus a focus on critical fundamentals. There are a lot of new, experimental teaching methods being used for the sake of novelty. Who wants their child to be used as a guinea pig and be academically handicapped as a result?

Let me emphasize that I spent extraordinary amounts of time in the classroom and talking with parents, administrators and teachers. If you have not done this, trust me, you do not have an accurate idea of your child’s experience. Even at the first grade level, I was alarmed by the negative peer influences, which included age-inappropriate boy/girl interactions.

I should note that our child was in the only gifted program offered in the entire state. This is a highly regarded program by many, even some Christian parents, but as I spent more time in the classroom, I concluded that the “best” in public education is decidedly inadequate. The visit to WCS shed light on the deficiencies in public school; I should note that this was based solely on my observations, as school personnel did not even discuss public schools. Even if you feel public school is fine, I urge you to visit your local Christian school. God wants the best for our children, and so do parents. Wisdom demands we make decisions based on knowledge. Consequently, don’t we have an obligation to investigate all options, especially regarding the training of our children?

Can You Spare a Dime? "For a Double Mocha Frappicino Latte"

By Mark Kennedy, ACSI, Eastern Canada

To me one of the profound mysteries about the North American Christian community is, “How can so many people in two of the wealthiest nations the world has ever known say they can’t afford Christian schooling for their children?”

Now I know that there are low income families here who can barely afford the necessities of life let along Christian school tuition. But what about everyone else? Well thanks to the research of the Vanier Institute of the Family’s ninth annual report, I am beginning ‘to get it’.

The report entitled, “The Current State of Canadian Family Finance” points out that:

• Since 1990, family debt has been rising seven times faster than household income—to the point that it is now equal to a record 131% of household incomes.
• More families than ever are living well beyond their means, despite low levels of unemployment, modest wage gains and an 18% increase in real net worth since the year 2000.
• Among Canadians earning a net mid-range income of about $60,000 annually, credit card debt has almost doubled from $12,000 in 1990 to over $22,500 today.
• There has been a steep decline in the amount of money families are able to save annually from $7,000 in 1990 to about $1000 today.
  

It seems our income level is less of an issue than our level of spending. An increasing percentage of Canadian families are spending more than they earn annually and, for these families adding payments for Christian school tuition on top of everything else is an extremely unattractive prospect. So even if a family’s annual income is $1,000,000 they cannot afford Christian schooling if their yearly expenses are $1,300,000.

Click here to read the rest of the post on The Christian School Journal

Christian Education as Crucial

Mr. Bill Stevens
Headmaster, Wilmington Christian School ~ Hockessin, DE

In my thirty years of being involved with Christian education, I have heard it called a number of things. It is an "alternative", "optional", "nice", even . . . "important." Never has the word CRUCIAL been uttered in my hearing. Yet, I believe that the times in which we live, the educational atmosphere, and the current state of the Church warrant using such a word.

Webster defines crucial as, "important or essential as resolving a crisis." When I consider this, in light of what we do in Christian schooling, and what I see in the world around me, I can't help but come to this conclusion . . . that the Christian education of our children is essential to resolving the crisis that we now see in education and, to reclaiming the future of our churches.

It only takes ten minutes of watching CNN or Fox News to see that our country needs a biblical worldview with which to approach and respond to the issues around us. A Christian education is not just "glorified Sunday School," but rather a holistic approach to viewing life, faith, and learning. Every subject taught has its foundation in the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-17), and teaches a perspective that God has established from the foundation of this world. In his recent studies, noted Christian researcher, George Barna states, "It appears that most Americans have not thought very much about the most pressing spiritual issues they face." Certainly this statement brings a sense of the "crucial" to the Christian education of this next generation!

A second crucially significant factor is the educational, psychological, social, and spiritual development of young people. Our children (from Kindergarten to young adulthood) need a frame of reference to their learning. I strongly believe that the current lack of stability and security in the hearts and minds of our young people is this lack of a "reference point" to learning. For too long our educational system has become piecemeal and compartmentalized, without a cohesive, driving, unifying force. God provided this in His Son. Bruce Lockerbie, in his book on Christian education, refers to this as the "cosmic center". He cites the illustration of how he suffers dizziness when watching the mesmerizing rotation of a merry-go-round. Lockerbie asks the carousel operator how he stands it all day long? The man responds by taking him to where he views things, from the center! It makes all the difference in one's perspective. Without a center that (Who) holds all things together, kids will not build that holistic framework that God, Himself, deemed crucial to our knowledge, wisdom, and understanding (Psalm 34:11; Proverbs 24:3-4).

Probably the most crucially compelling argument for Christian education is in the word itself. Crucial has its root in "crux," or "cross." It's where we get crucifix and crucify. WOW! That brings two closing thoughts to my mind. First, I can boldly say that education is at a crossroads. We can keep looking at education in the same old, same old manner ("public school was good enough for me, it'll be good enough for my kids"), or we can make Christian education a priority, both in our church mission, and in our individual family commitment. It's costly to move in this direction, but it's also crucial if we are to make any real change and secure any real future for our children's sake, and the sake of the "children yet to be born" (Psalm 78).

In this expanded view of "crucial" that references the cross, it doesn't take a big leap to conclude that what makes Christian education vital is Christ, and what He accomplished for us on the Cross. Not only is our salvation secured and our eternity is sealed, but, our here and now is held together (Colossians 1: 15-20). Mrs. Stevens and I have had a "rough" four years. Between cancer and heart disease, we have certainly seen the crucial side of life as it relates to our faith. Probably the central point in this "rocky journey" has been the people and ministry of Christian education, in Schenectady, in Eastern Europe, and here in Wilmington, that has made the crucial difference for us! It is through the Cross of Christ, and the centrality of it in our perspective that has made all the difference in our worldview. So we too, have been enriched and encouraged (at age 58!) from a Christian education . . . why not our kids?

As we reflect upon the world around us, and the state of affairs we've gotten ourselves into, the "crucialness" (new word?) of a Christian education in the generation to come may well stand as the closest relative of the Christian Church. Just think of the voice with which the Church would speak in the marketplace of ideas, having such a crucial ally as the Christian schooling of our youth!

No longer an option . . .