October 17, 2005 - Sustained! - Train Up a Child, But Where? (A Look at Public v. Private Schools)

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Sustained!
Train Up a Child, But Where? (A Look at Public v. Private Schools)
By Leann Guzman
October 17, 2005

Among my friends at church, we have between us one three-year-old, four two-year-olds, one one-year-old, and five unborn children. Of course, that’s not counting the three other women at our church who are pregnant. Let’s just say the Lord is adding to the church daily such as should be saved and I’m not drinking the water.

Anyway, so with all those pre-school age children, what do we like to talk about? You guessed it—school. We talk about homeschooling, we talk about private school, and we talk about public school. And maybe, sometimes, it crosses the line and constitutes arguing. Well, I don’t argue because I refuse to, but I heard after a recent night out for ice cream (sorry you weren’t invited, LeeAnn), two couple friends of ours had a heated discussion about public school v. private school.

The points they made in their “discussion” have been around as long as there have been educational choices, and, in fact, on this very website advice has been given, disagreement and agreement to said advice has been voiced, and personal stories have been told on this particular topic of how to educate our children. Also, what’s interesting is that none of us in my circle of friends are planning to homeschool, so that component is missing from this discussion. But, putting that aside, here are the arguments from our two couple-friends.

Private v. Public
In one corner of the ring, Couple One feels strongly that a Christian education is the only way to go for their children. They plan to sacrifice in whatever way they must in order to pay for their children to attend a Christian school. In this school, they feel their children will get a better quality of education, not have to deal with evolution and other humanistic teachings being shoved down their throat, and will be mostly protected from the evils that are present in public schools in a big metropolitan area. Their children will not be made fun of for their Christian beliefs because everyone will have the same basic understanding that Jesus is Lord, even if we quibble over all the other doctrinal stuff.

In the opposite corner, Couple Two feels equally as strong that public school is where their children should go. They feel that if you take all the Christians out of the public schools, there will be no light left and darkness will reign. They cite several examples in our youth group of young ladies who have recently started a Bible study in their public school and have allowed their light to shine in a beautiful way in a dark place. They believe their children have a responsibility to learn at a young age to stand up for their beliefs no matter what challenges them, and to show others the way to a fulfilled life in salvation.

Who is Right?
My husband and I stand on the sidelines of these debates and wonder, which couple is right. My husband attended public school and I attended our church school, and, interestingly, he leans toward private school while I lean toward public school. I think it’s the case of the grass looking greener on the other side for each of us—we both feel we missed out on something by not attending the other’s school. He feels he missed out on a Christian education and being shielded from so much exposure to sin. I feel I missed out on extra-curricular and academic opportunities, as well as the chance to stand strong in the face of different beliefs. And really, neither one of us is wrong, just like neither one of these couples are wrong. He didn’t learn some Christian principles until after graduating from high school. I didn’t learn to stand up for my beliefs, and I still have that problem today.

What my husband and I have decided is that we must pray and do what we feel is best for our children. We plan to tour both our designated public elementary school and the private school we picked out (our church no longer has a school). Then we plan to pray, pray, and pray some more until God gives us the direction we need to know what is right for our daughter. We’d appreciate any prayers you might direct our way to help us with this important decision.

Feel free to email me at the address below with your personal stories. I’d love to hear from you.

ninetyandnine.com

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Leann Guzman is ninetyandnine.com’s “Family / Work Issues” columnist. If you have suggestions on topics to explore, email her at Family@ninetyandnine.com.