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The Dilemma of Choosing Public or Christian School
from: Kyle BesserChristian people often feel a bit isolated in society. For a Christian family, the decision about how to raise children to be strong in the faith but still able to function in a world full of people of many religious views is a constant challenge. Probably one of the biggest decisions you may have to make that will have far reaching implications is whether to let them go to public school or put them in a quality private Christian education school where they can exercise their faith openly without fear of ridicule or limitations.
Your choice could have a big impact on the way your kids interact with the world and how they view their faith. Christian parents are no different than any other mom and dad who are seeking the best for their kids. When evaluating schools, the quality of education has to be the top consideration.
Many times public schools do offer top notch programs simply because large public schools can afford to offer diverse programs, a strong curriculum, and many activities including sports, theater and the arts. If your son is gifted in basketball, football or swimming, many times public school is the only option if he has aspirations to work professionally in this field of athletics.
Socially your kids may also prefer to go to public school for the simple reason that many of their friends go there and to sequester them into a Christian education private school may separate them from friends they have known for many years. Having a strong support group and peer network is one of the big factors that makes many young people happy and productive in their school environment. It is not unlikely that even other church kids with whom your child has grown close may be opting for public school because of the programs they offer or the reduced costs to their parents.
From a faith perspective, there is something to be said for allowing your kids to mix with students of other faiths or with students that have no religious affiliation at all. It is part of the Christian calling to be of a positive influence in the world and if your kids are strong in their faith and the joy of being raised with a strong faith comes out in their personalities, that can be a draw to Christianity for other kids who would benefit from the loving culture and the strong religious teaching your church offers. So the "evangelistic" considerations of keeping your kids "in the world" might also influence your decision on where they should go to school.
The extent to which your child can exercise his or her faith at the school without fear of intimidation or harassment is also a factor in this decision. The culture of many public schools allows freedom of religion so the Christian kids can meet for bible study and prayer just as much as the children of other religions are welcome to gather and celebrate their faiths freely and in public as well. If this is the setting in your town's public schools, your kids may be able to abide peacefully in that community without difficulty.
However, some communities and the public school cultures in those communities have become hostile to religious expression of any sort. You see how that plays out in a lot of schools where it gets so out of hand that students are actually persecuted for simply gathering in a public space to discuss their faith or to pray. This is not in truth a violation of the separation of church and state guidelines in the First Amendment but these communities use that concept to harass Christian kids. If that is the culture at the public school level, that may begin of leaving of many Christian kids to quality Christian private schools in your area.
Of course when considering, the Christian private schools must also measure up academically and foster a culture where children of many denominations can gather and celebrate their shared faith equally and joyfully. In such a school, prayer can be part of the daily life of christian education, bible study part of the christian education curriculum and worship included in all assemblies. Christian education can be a tremendous blessing to your kids when they can enjoy their faith fully even while at school.
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