This topic also touches home with me. I don’t believe there is a “this is the way Christians should view and act on this issue” answer. There is too much diversity in every family, every community setting, every city, every combination of public and priviate schools. I do have some deep rooted convictions on the matter however.
1. I don’t know about the rest of the country, but the private school in my hometown raves that it is based on Christian education. However, I find it very, VERY telling that the school was founded the year after integration. I wonder how many “Chrisian” schools have similar cases. (I know that maybe the school has changed and is on the right path, but I can’t support anything that has any racist elements.)
2. After living in other countries, I have come to the conclusion, that the American public education system is one of the great strength of our nation. The privatized education and lack of good free public education in other countries has led to greater diversions in socio-economic classes (rich who can afford good education becoming richer, poor who can’t becoming poorer – haves and have nots). I can’t support any ideology with these elements. Public education is one of the greatest solutions to providing everyone with the same opportunities, to a certain extent. I have to support the good that this type of system does.
3. The public school I went to had teachers, coaches, and administrators who were some of the best Christians I’ve ever known, while also providing me with the opportunity to know aethiests and agnostics in the same positions, some of whom were really good people. This is a great “real world” education to compliment academics.
4. I definitely believe in the salt and light argument for public schools. How can Christians criticize the public school system when they flee to private schools? It’s like the light criticizing the dark. It’s not the dark’s fault, it’s the light’s. (I know all christians that send their kids to private schools aren’t fleeing.)
All of this being said, I have known great Christians from public schools, private schools, and homeschool. And, I’m not yet a father, so I don’t have a right to say what I would do if I were in certain circumstances. Ultimately, I think it’s a decision that has to be made for the best of one’s own family.
Thanks.
MxJack
Feb 19 2005
05:57 pm
This topic also touches home with me. I don’t believe there is a “this is the way Christians should view and act on this issue” answer. There is too much diversity in every family, every community setting, every city, every combination of public and priviate schools. I do have some deep rooted convictions on the matter however.
1. I don’t know about the rest of the country, but the private school in my hometown raves that it is based on Christian education. However, I find it very, VERY telling that the school was founded the year after integration. I wonder how many “Chrisian” schools have similar cases. (I know that maybe the school has changed and is on the right path, but I can’t support anything that has any racist elements.)
2. After living in other countries, I have come to the conclusion, that the American public education system is one of the great strength of our nation. The privatized education and lack of good free public education in other countries has led to greater diversions in socio-economic classes (rich who can afford good education becoming richer, poor who can’t becoming poorer – haves and have nots). I can’t support any ideology with these elements. Public education is one of the greatest solutions to providing everyone with the same opportunities, to a certain extent. I have to support the good that this type of system does.
3. The public school I went to had teachers, coaches, and administrators who were some of the best Christians I’ve ever known, while also providing me with the opportunity to know aethiests and agnostics in the same positions, some of whom were really good people. This is a great “real world” education to compliment academics.
4. I definitely believe in the salt and light argument for public schools. How can Christians criticize the public school system when they flee to private schools? It’s like the light criticizing the dark. It’s not the dark’s fault, it’s the light’s. (I know all christians that send their kids to private schools aren’t fleeing.)
All of this being said, I have known great Christians from public schools, private schools, and homeschool. And, I’m not yet a father, so I don’t have a right to say what I would do if I were in certain circumstances. Ultimately, I think it’s a decision that has to be made for the best of one’s own family.
Thanks.