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Sustained!
A Look at Public v. Private Schools, Part II
By Leann Guzman
October 31, 2005

When my last column reached you, eight women in our church were pregnant.  Since that time, that number has jumped to 11.  Yes, 11 women are pregnant at Calvary in Fort Worth, Texas.  My buddy who made a pact with me that she and I were going to stand strong in the face of peer pressure and not get pregnant is now one of those 11.  I stand alone, ladies and gentlemen.  Our pastor is expanding the nursery, my mom is saving up for all the baby gifts she’s going to have to buy, and I’m getting really thirsty from not drinking the water.

With all these (soon-to-be) children come big responsibilities.  The question on a lot of these parents’ minds is how to educate their children.  Is private Christian school better because of the cleaner environment and biblical teaching, or is public school better because of the broad academic choices and the opportunity to shine in darkness?  My last column was about these choices, and I asked you to write in to tell me your opinions.  And you did!

Public School is Better
Linda, who attended public school and also taught there, writes, “From a purely pragmatic point of view, I do not endorse church schools because of the lack of media: most schools are small, cash-strapped institutions without proper materials, particularly in the science field.”

My educational experience can back up Linda’s statement.  One of my reasons for leaning toward public education is because as a student of our church school for all 12 years of school, I missed out on a lot of educational and extracurricular opportunities.  We had no science program to speak of.  The first time I looked through a microscope at school was in my freshman year at college.  We had no foreign language classes, no music program, and very few electives.

Linda sums up her viewpoint by saying, “My vote is for public school education with a supplement of Christian education at home. I think this best prepares the child to meet the world with confidence and moral fortitude as a young adult.”

In addition to academic opportunities, sending your child to public school can have the added benefit of giving God someone to use to reach others.  A young man who attends public high school began attending our church about a year ago.  Not too long ago he had a crisis of faith and decided that he didn’t believe in God.  While in science class the very next week, he and his lab partner began discussing religion.  Some of the things his partner was saying sounded familiar to him, and he asked him, “What kind of church do you go to?”  The partner replied, “I’m United Pentecostal!”  The partner then spent some time explaining to the young man that science doesn’t preclude religion, but rather they can complement each other.  God obviously used the young man’s partner to minister to him when he was going through a difficult time.  If all the Apostolics attended private school, no one would have been there for God to use to speak to this young man.

Or Is It?
Amy’s daughter currently attends a public high school, but Amy writes, “She informed me yesterday that 10 people that she has in classes this year that were in classes with her last year have started practicing witchcraft.  I am struggling with this. I want my kids to learn to stand up for what they believe, but at what cost? There needs to be a balance.”

Okay, let me look again at my experience at my church school.  So I didn’t have any electives or microscopes and I can’t speak Spanish.  At least I learned many biblical truths that were woven into the education we received in all the basic subjects.  And to my knowledge, no one practiced witchcraft.  (That would have been difficult given our occasional wild Apostolic chapel sessions!)  And this is why several of you lean toward Christian schools.

Private School Is Better
Carolyn writes, “I am not in the group that leaves the spiritual training of one’s children to Christian school and church; I believe they are extensions of what is being taught at home.   But if I have a choice, why would I give that extension of the home to an ungodly and liberal institute? Since I have a choice on what filters through my child’s mind all day long, I choose the things of God.”

Notice that although Carolyn and Linda differ in their choices of types of education, both agree that the parents in the home are responsible for the Christian education of the children.  Although I attended our Oneness Apostolic church’s school, the curriculum (which was A.C.E.) was Trinitarian.  My parents had to answer a lot of my theological questions and do a lot of teaching at home, even though my education was Christian-based.  The result is that no matter what school your kids go to, you still have the responsibility to teach them at home.

Another reader, Jill, agrees, saying, “[U]ltimately the responsibility for training my child (both academically and spiritually) rests in the parents’ hands.”

Jill continues, “Often the argument is used that (our) children are to be salt and light in the public school.  Of course we are all to be salt and light, but I don’t feel it is my children’s responsibility to save the children of our community.  It is all of our responsibility. Until I have successfully witnessed to all my neighbors, brought them to church, helped pray them through and disciple them, why would I ask my 7 year-old to do the same task in her classroom?  We are training children to be prepared for battle.  Should they be forced to ‘fight’ while being trained?  …Their responsibility is to become equipped, both academically, spiritually, emotionally, etc., for the battle.”

What God Wants Is Best
After reading everyone’s responses, I still don’t come down solidly on either side of the debate.  In fact, I agree with Carolyn, who said, “I think there is no right ‘one size fits all’ answer, as there are pros and cons to each decision, with so many factors involved.  I think the key for everyone making that decision should be to investigate your options and pray!”

Amy and her husband are doing that now:  “We are beginning to look at other schools....  I pray for God’s direction in the decision because I don’t have the answer.  We will start out with looking at academics and then the environment and after we have looked at what is out there to choose from, we will lay it before God and ask Him to show us.”

And that’s what all parents have to do.  The choices aren’t easy.  The path sometimes isn’t clear.  What works for one of your children may not be best for the others.  All we can do is pray and follow His lead because only He knows what’s best.

Postscript
As I was preparing for this column, I noticed Today’s Christian Woman sitting on a co-worker’s desk.  One of the headliners on the front cover caught my attention:  “9 Ways to Help Your Child THRIVE in Public School.”  Fortunately for all of us, the Internet is a wonderful thing, and I found the full article on Christanitytoday.com.  This article is really for every parent of a child who is not home schooled because 8 of the 9 “Ways” can be used to help your child thrive in any school.  And, for those with kids in public school, you get an extra “Way” to enjoy.

ninetyandnine.com

© 2005, Leann Guzman

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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.