After nearly thirty years in education, I can confidently share that education is best done when parents understand that education is their primary responsibility. That isn’t to say that educators get a pass, as they are charged with preparing students for the next of their lives - whatever the student’s next will be. Yet, parents who truly understand education will see a school as a supplement to their home and will never believe that the responsibility of educating children shifts exclusively to the schoolhouse. Scripturally, there is never an option for a school to supplant the education from home with the one given in the classroom, and for the most part, schools realize this. Teachers provide students with skills the parent may not have the time or ability to do and support the values first taught at home. Most people have no problem with this vantage point - the problem arises when the skills are coupled with an underlying value system that opposes what is taught at the dinner table. One of the reasons parents are looking for educational alternatives now more than ever stems from many school systems deciding to jump in front of parents and become a community’s value arbiter. This wasn’t always a problem, as a biblical values system was in place even amongst teachers who were not believers. However, the incongruence between the values taught at school and those taught in the Christian home is growing, and we should not be surprised. Public institutions of learning are reflections of public thinking, and this truth should lead Christian parents to ask serious questions before deciding where their children will receive an education. Several key important questions should emerge when reflecting upon where to send your child to school.

1) Will my child be instructed in a system that reinforces the truth of God’s word through academic content?

What is good, beautiful, and true will have origins from God. Therefore, all learning, including academic content, should point to the truth and validity of a biblical view. Much more could be written about this, but a parent should be aware that all truth is God’s truth and that all content worth learning should have a biblical principle behind it. If the school doesn’t provide it, you must.

2) Will my child be taught by people who believe as we do, and if not, do I have the time to actively monitor the worldview ideologies being taught that will contradict my own?

This matters a lot. Our children will encounter teachers, coaches, and mentors who respect, oppose, or believe our worldview. As parents, we constantly vet the responsibility and ability levels of those teaching our children. Should we not employ the same considerations for our children’s spiritual care? A child’s spiritual formation is not exclusive to church, Sunday school, or youth group. Children are being formed spiritually, positively or negatively, by their interactions. Don’t forget that.

3) Will my child have the breadth and depth of opportunities that reveal how the Lord is gifting?

Education should prepare a student to discover their gifts and abilities. As such, care should be given to ensure your chosen school provides ample opportunities for your child to be stretched while being taught. The mission statement at our school stresses that we “Equip Disciples through Exemplary Education.” Our goal is to disciple students through education. We want them to learn how a biblical worldview works in all facets of life. To do so, we need to provide a breadth of experiences in and out of the classroom. Parents should want the same.  

4) Will my child be known or be a number?

Large or small is relative. However, the size of a school and, more importantly, a teacher’s classroom do matter. Does the class allow your son or daughter to be known academically, spiritually, and socially? If the school is too big for the adult to know the child, the school is too big. 

5) Will my child be taught in a school that values excellence?

Beware of any school that shies away from excellence. Ask the school how they define excellence. Your definition may be different. Our school values excellence by having breadth and depth of programming, but never at the expense of striving to have a biblical community. I am the first to cheer for a national merit scholar, an all-state athlete, or a conference championship. These things matter, but they should matter for the glory of God and for the students entrusted to our care - not for the headlines of a paper that will be recycled at the end of the day.

6) Will my child be taught in a school that honors the Bible’s definition of family?

Who would have ever thought that I would be writing this question? I’ll leave it at this - we are commanded to love and honor everyone as those created in God’s image. Not only is it a command, but the mark of a believer is one where we should desire to do so. Additionally, parents are responsible for ensuring that God’s truth is continually being upheld. One clear pattern that has emerged over the last several years is that God’s definition of family is consistently being challenged, and often that challenge is taking place within schools. While there may be many new definitions of family, Christians cling to and teach our children the definition of family that is God-given and provided in His word. You want an educational system that doubles down on that truth.

7) Will my child be around peers whose parents see the world through a worldview similar to ours?

Many of your child’s friends will come from school. Sleepovers, best friends, first dates, etc., often have a nucleus of school. Prayerfully discern where you most likely will find families with values similar to your own. This is not intended to be divisive or elitist, but the Christian family will always have in mind their God-given command to instruct their children to love God completely. It makes sense then that we want our children to have relationships with others who believe the same. Nothing will be fully congruent, and differences can prove beneficial in conversations at your dinner table. Still, a variable for choosing your child’s school should be what educational system is most likely to provide deep relationships that further support your responsibility as a parent.

8) Will your child be exposed to sin where they attend school? 

Sounds like a silly question, but not really. The answer is yes. There is no such thing as a “sin-free” school. The real question is how the school treats the issue of sin. Do they use the Bible as a compass for determining right and wrong? Do they minimize sin or give a license to continue in it as perfectly appropriate? Do they lovingly address sin, lead to repentance, and call students to something far greater than the seasonal pleasure that sin provides? These hard questions are all important as you decide who you want to influence your child and partner with you in their education. 

9) Will your child go to a school that reminds them that their life is not their own and that life extends past time on earth? 

Ecclesiastes shares that a young person should soak up the joys of youth. The word rejoice is used to describe how a young person should view this season of life. Joy, however, is not intended to be gained recklessly or without restraint. The young person is equally reminded that they will give an account to the Lord for choices made with the opportunities given. This truth changes everything. Education does not run through the “what’s in it for me?” filter that is rampant today. Rather, good schools teach that we gain knowledge, experience success, and collect opportunities with full knowledge that our time, treasure, and talent have been given to us by the Lord. We recognize that this life is the shortest time we live as eternity is much longer. Christian parents want a school that reinforces this truth you are teaching at home. A gentle nudge - make sure you are teaching this at home, as the cares of life and deceitfulness of riches can crowd out that truth from our own lives with ease if we are not careful.

10) Will your child attend a school that is interested in you?

The primary audience of a school is the student, yet a good school will recognize that the student is present because the parent has entrusted them to its care. Asking questions about you, providing parenting resources, and always seeking partnership should be an expectation for your child’s place of learning. There will be times of imperfection for certain, but there should always be a striving on the part of the school to partner with the parent and assume your best intention. Similarly, educators love it when parents also assume the best in their efforts - even in times of disagreement.

Some may criticize the questions above with their corresponding answers as an attempt to sway a child toward a certain worldview. My answer would be guilty as charged, as that is what Scripture instructs Christian families to do. I often share that education has an end - educators are educating towards something. Christian parents educate their children so that they will love the Lord with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength. This is our end game - we want our children to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ where the outflow of that relationship causes them to sacrificially love others. We give license to others to support us in educating our children, but never at the expense of our first priority.

A couple of concluding thoughts…

A particular thought pattern to avoid is the one that places your child as the “discipler.” I beg you, don’t send your child to a school whose values differ from yours because you want them to be “salt and light.” As one who worked in a non-Christian educational environment for nearly twenty years, I can safely attest that your child will run into some amazing Christ-honoring educators who treat their workplace as a mission field. I never stopped being a Christian when I went to school. However, there is a significant difference between an adult who understands who they are and understands the opportunity to witness to others versus a child sitting under a teacher's learning. Your child is being formed by the interactions they experience. They will experience teachers and coaches you have taught them to respect. Will they be mature enough to discern truth from error in their instruction? During the teenage years, will they be in an environment where peer pressure will lead them to cling to an alternative worldview as a form of rebellion, or will they be in a place that honors the challenges of being a teen yet doesn’t give license to run away from biblical truth?

One concluding question - is education a “one size fits all” proposition? The answer is no. The Lord does not prescribe a certain form of education. Even within the Christian educational community, there are varying approaches to which parents should become familiar. Homeschooling, Liberal Arts, Classic, Covenantal, Evangelistic, or a combination of them are approaches that immediately come to mind. Give yourself time to learn and prayerfully process where you believe the Lord is leading. Ask questions, experience the school, study - be careful on this one as a school (I lead one) will share their best attributes. You wouldn’t want anything less. if I can’t be the strongest believer in the school, why should I expect you to be? However, what you really want is discernment as to what is the best, not perfect, fit for your family as you raise your child to have deep reverence and love for the Lord. Be willing to investigate a school that builds its foundation upon teaching with eternity in mind, even if all you ever wanted was for your child to play football at your alma mater. As special as that experience may have been for you, your high school has probably changed. The mascot and colors may be the same, but you have no guarantee that the value system has remained the same as what it was ten to twenty years ago. Do the homework and base your decision upon the truth of God’s word - not temporal trappings that will one day fade away.

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Learn more about Open Door Christian Schools at odcs.org. 
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