Christian Schools
As I’ve said before I’m speaking at a Christian schools conference this Monday, so this post on Hamo’s blog makes for timely reading. The comments are worth reading too.
I must say we have been really happy with our daughter’s Govt school – Greenmount Primary – and the way it has given us inroads into the local community and how we have been able to befriend people who will never darken the door of a church. But after working for a semester at a local high school I can see why so many people send their kids to private/Christian schools that openly offer tighter discipline structures. I remember the first day I went to the school I run a project for and how I had to walk through the grounds at lunchtime. My first thought was “There are 900 of them in uniform, and only about fifty of us in the staffroom. If they could get their act together they could have us.” Fortunately time has given me some perspective!
I also used to think it was strange that parents would be worrying where to send their kids to high school while they were still only in year three or four of primary school. As I look around at our options for Sophie, I’m finding myself doing the same thing. I wonder what decisions will influence me? Will they be survival instincts or missionary instincts? Is there a way to balance those two tensions? A friend of mine who is the principal of a Christian school says that he has more gospel conversations with hurting anxious non-Christian people sitting across his desk than he would ever have anywhere else.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
With kids in Years 4, 3 and kindy, a hot topic for us. Our local govt high school is growing in stature, and we are planting the seeds amoung our peers for us to all send our kids there and grow it some more. That’s nearly $20k per year per sprog in the bank if it comes off (private school options around here are all “top shelf”) Our closest lower fee “Christian” school has almost closed the music department to fund a huge computer lab, which apparently impresses prospective parents. Apart from us.
Some time ago I was riding home in a train, and what appeared to be a bunch of SydAngs were on their way home from Synod or similar. They were talking fervently about how their local church should have a mission to the local Govt high school (in the next suburb to us, and better regarded than our local high). It soon became apparent that none of these people sent their kids there, but were all sinking small fortunes into private school education.
I can’t criticise their choices, but how is a church going to reach out to a school community it is isolating itself from, rather than incarnating into?
Meanwhile, I’m trying to convince the home group coordinator to recut our groups (among families) so families whose kids attend the same school are in one group, so they can think of themselves as mission groups to each school. I think she gets it finally, but most of the gropus don’t. Yet.
Dave
July 18th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
It’s a pretty hot topic Steve. Will check out Hamo’s post shortly. Just finished an email ‘dialogue’ over the past couple of days with a staunch advocate of Christian Ed – he had plenty of good reasons to justify and defend the benefits of a sound ‘Christian education’. But noticeably absent from our discussion was any talk of what the incarnation and great commission might bring to bear on the subject. A lot of the motivation behind Christian Ed. seems to be to create a vacuum in which to educate kids in the hope that they will ‘one day’ be able to withstand the pressures of a secular, humanistic, pagan culture. It’s assumed that in this vacuum, they are free to develop a ‘Christian’ worldview without being tainted or distracted by other worldviews. My current thinking is that behind the debate is the issue of worldview-shaping with children? How is faith best worked-out? Is it a christian faith we’re trying to impart or a christian lifestyle we’re trying to create?
In my own experience growing up in a CE system, across a number of differing CE philosophies, the outcome of the objectives of CE are interesting. When it came to ‘crunch time’ in either the workforce or university, how equipped were we really? Personally, it took me the first 10 years in the workforce before I could even begin to integrate my faith with my work culture. My learning abilities aside
I wonder how much shorter that may have been had I been able to develop a Christian worldview in a largely secular education system, right from 5 years old? I know of many class-mates who nearly went under at uni also – quite a few actually did.
I suspect it’s more about one’s perspective and emphasis on just what Christian faith actually is – as you say – survival or missionary endeavour?
If it’s all about survival in a pagan world, then sure, purchase the best Christian Education money can buy. But if it’s about being sent into the world, then what better mission-field is there for parents and kids alike to sink their teeth into and forge a rigorous faith amongst the plethora of much-less coherent belief systems in the marketplace? I can think of no other in western culture…
Having put our 9 and 7 years olds in the local public school system, wherever we live, has given us unprecedented opportunities to build relationships with other families and parents in the community. Without it, I would simply not have anywhere near the inroads with non-Christian people. And what’s more, I’m surprised by how many Christian teachers I’ve come across who are in the public system for exactly the same reason – mission.
BTW – I’ve always thought that aspiration is a great killer of effective mission. When we start looking around for the ‘best education’ or the ‘best opportunities’ for our little so-and-so to learn in…how much different are we to those without faith?
Great topic mate… Chris
July 18th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Hi Dave and Chris
Think you both hit a big point there – the aspirations of Christian people for their kids (and by extension, themselves). I wonder Dave just why the magnificent evangelical theology of Sydney has not resulted in a crazy, way off the radar approach to mission in which people are willing to do with less, cope with more, and spend time with people NOT like them in order to share the gospel. Just had a conversation with someone today about the way aspirationalism (if that is a word) has killed off mission among people who by theological conviction think of themselves as missional. Something is amiss
I have to run a focus group at this conference on Monday (at your old stomping ground Chris – Swan Christian College) and the questions that have been put to me raise these issues about Christian education and that may raise a few hackles (keep the car running honey – I may be back quicker than you think!)
July 18th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Mate, I don’t envy your situation next Monday…but would just love to be there to listen. BTW, I was well and truly hard at work in the bowels of furniture factories somewhere in Malaga, Madington and Midvale while my brothers made their mark at Swan – it’s their old stomping ground, not mine
But do be sure to say ‘hi’ to my Mother-in-law at reception on Monday – I know she is looking forward to your talk!
July 19th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Another intreging result of white hot Sydney-style evangelical theology:
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/sydneystories/call_to_give_sydney_certainty_during_wyd/
http://www.certainty.org.au/
My sister in law and hubby are in a difficult place doing overseas cross cultural mission. Their son (aged 5) is struggling with language skills etc. They’ve ended up staying on home leave for an extended period to sort him out – or at least set him in the right direction. I can see in some at our church the “if he’s not doing perfectly, you can’t go back” undercurrent. Of course, they all earn in a couple of months what these guys live off in a year, and have their little darlings’ names down at the best schools since conception.
The comments about getting into the local community as a result of (public) school networks are spot on. If only we had great models of how to make that mission endeavour work.
Off to the sidelines of 2 (local club)socccer games this morning. Bring it on.
Dave
July 19th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Hi Chris – yeah I forgot you didn’t go to SCC – you blue collar worker turned middle class minister you! I am interested to see how I am responded to on Monday as well!
Hey Dave – I guess building a model that does work might have a chance of triggering something, but we’ll see, Hope the soccer went well, it’s a game of two halves you know
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Hi Steve,
I got to attend your strand talk yesterday at the conference. I thought it was excellent. Thank you for the clear, well thought through, challenging, balanced paper. The framework of Beginning, Middle and End worked really well.
Your devotion at the beginning of the day also rang with clarity and was a good challenge.
Thanks again for your work
Peter R
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 am
Thanks Peter – I enjoyed delivering the talks and also enjoyed the responsiveness and commitment people demonstrate to these issues. WIll put up a post soon on my experience at the conference.