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<\/p>\nChristian teachers don\u2019t go into education to make money. They enter the profession because they have a passion for children and youth. They want to bond with them and help them become all they can be. They cherish their roles as surrogate parents and revel in every opportunity to lovingly guide their students\u2019 character development. But more than this, Christian teachers send out the unmistakable message, \u201cI try to love you the same way\u00a0God\u00a0does.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, I am comforted by the thought that my child will be under the moment-by-moment influence of dedicated servants of the Lord who see each child as a candidate for immortal honors. Children catch that signal quickly and respond positively to it. This brand of nurturing and accepting love will liberate my child to learn and grow. This is the very essence of a Christian school I want my child to be a part of.<\/p>\n
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Every year students take religion classes taught by teachers who are committed to biblical principles, using a well-conceived-religion curriculum that embraces the totality of human history and\u00a0the plan of salvation. The\u00a0Word of God\u00a0is a superb educational resource because the\u00a0Holy Spirit\u00a0works through every page of it. This is a \u201cdivine-human encounter\u201d my child must experience. Christian schools not only cultivate the mind, but also the soul. Faith has to be nurtured.<\/p>\n
In their Bible classes, my children will get a glimpse of the true character of God\u2014and most important of all, meet\u00a0Jesus, be drawn to Him, and desire to commit their young lives to their Forever Friend. Only through God\u2019s Word can they rightly comprehend the long-standing\u00a0cosmic conflict between good and evil\u2014and intelligently decide which side they are on. The\u00a0biblical account of Creation, harmonized with true science, will root my children in truth and see them through many a trial and delusion. At all costs, my child must acquire this biblical grounding.<\/p>\n
Only in a Christian school will students comprehend that they are members of three families\u2014their own clan, their church family, and the emerging\u00a0family of God on earth\u00a0who will eventually live together in\u00a0heaven. Learning to respect and cherish each of these families is an important part of their Christian education. Students learn that they are privileged to carry the good news of Christ\u2019s gospel and thus help God extend His spiritual kingdom on earth.<\/p>\n
I want my children to know that love and fellowship, they have experience in the Christian school extends outward to include their local church family\u2014a host of adults who will always \u201cbe there\u201d for them. Young people need that back up. Indeed, I want them to want to join that important family when they reach the age of decision, so we can all rejoice together in their\u00a0baptism\u00a0and welcome them into their extended spiritual family.<\/p>\n
Local church outreach and service programs often include children and youth and thus become co-curricular activities of that congregation\u2019s school. What a natural and practical way to teach leadership, witnessing, and service\u2014by actually doing! As adults and youth work side by side, the so-called \u201cgeneration gap\u201d is erased. The maturing effect on the young is incalculable.<\/p>\n
Of great importance is the home-school-church partnership, which keeps my children in \u201cone world.\u201d Many psychologists are concerned that so many Christian children and youth are living in three incongruent worlds\u2014home, school, and congregation\u2014each with its own values, lifestyle, and demands. This often causes confusion, depression, and loss of personal focus. So, to simplify their lives, young people jettison the home and the church, and the media-saturated peer group reigns.<\/p>\n
We can\u2019t exactly call that apostasy insurance, but as a parent, I\u2019m greatly impressed with the odds, and am willing to sacrifice to see that my children stay in \u201cthe fold.\u201d I believe that\u2019s precisely what the prophet foresaw when he declared, \u201cAnd all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children\u201d (Isaiah 54:13, KJV).<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething better\u201d is the watchword of true Christian education, and it is achieved through the combination of inspiration and information. In my children\u2019s Christian school, I know that I can count on a prevailing \u201cupdraft\u201d\u2014the idealization of life\u2019s ennobling and uplifting values. What is truly important in education is more often caught than taught. Some call it \u201cthe hidden curriculum.\u201d Every aspect of the Christian school\u2019s program is calculated to make life\u2019s highest ideals irresistible,\u00a0to build Christian character. The classes, the assemblies, and the co-curricular activities\u2014all will likely inspire children to aim high. Here\u2019s where a Christian teacher is an incalculable treasure, for in this critical hero-worshiping developmental stage, children look for someone to help them form their value system and goals. It is often a favorite teacher who inspires them.<\/p>\n
Adventist teachers have to meet rigorous preparatory standards in subject matter and pedagogy. They also receive instruction in child\/youth evangelism. In recognition of this unique role, the Seventh-day Adventist Church commissions its teachers as \u201cMinisters of Education.\u201d They are taught to be keenly sensitive to the psychological climate of learning in the classroom, and to help each child learn in his or her own way and pace. Students are gently nudged ahead, building upon their successes while achieving high standards. This is \u201cquality education\u201d in every sense of the term.<\/p>\n
The church\u2019s professionals to ensure that it meets or exceeds secular guidelines have carefully engineered the Adventist K-l 2 curriculum. And it incorporates the distinctive goals of Adventist education, foremost among which is preparing young people to perform selfless service for humanity. Today, many secular educators consider the Adventist curriculum a model of wholism and enrichment, and I feel privileged to have my children immersed in it. Adventist K-l2 teachers participate regularly in professional upgrading through denominationally sponsored workshops and in-service education. It\u2019s comforting to know that my children\u2019s teacher is not preparing them for tomorrow with yesterday\u2019s tools.<\/p>\n
It is extremely important to me as a parent to know that when my child slips up (as will happen occasionally), a loving Christian teacher will treat him or her redemptively, not punitively. The teacher will endeavor to get my son or daughter to ponder the questions, \u201cWhy did I choose wrongly here? How should I deal with such a situation the next time around? What does this tell me about myself? What principles from God\u2019s book will help me profit from this mistake?\u201d That\u2019s redemptive discipline. It’s God\u2019s way, built on agape love.<\/p>\n
The Christian teacher returns a discipline mishap into a growth experience, a stepping-stone to better self-understanding and self-management. Christianity of a school than the way it treats students who run afoul of its rules. For this is a modeling of the character of God\u2014-a blending of justice and mercy. Discipline really means \u201cmaking disciples,\u201d and I want my child to attend a school that is doing just that.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about the popular culture. The influence of media, sex, violent video games, drinking, and partying are swamping schools\u2014from junior high through university level. Conservative Christian parents are desperately looking for a safe, non-toxic place for their children\u2014where innocence and wholesomeness are prized and order prevails. And let\u2019s talk about peer pressure. Most concerned parents instinctively understand that students probably learn more from one another about values and lifestyle than from their teachers, and that student leaders have an enormous influence. Granted, not every student in a Christian school is a modern Daniel or an Esther, but the preponderance of young people assembled there is treading the upward path. Among them are conscientious older students who influence and inspire the younger ones. What a priceless asset they are. Yes, campus culture is definitely a significant dimension of curriculum. It really affects young people, so I\u2019m thankful that our schools seek to make it contribute to Christian character development.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s all said and done, Adventist schools are all about wisdom (God\u2019s wisdom), as opposed to the acquisition of mere human knowledge. That\u2019s what I want my children to take away with them. It\u2019s what our church family and God want for them, also. The wise man said it well, \u201cWisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding\u201d (Proverbs 4:7, KJV). That\u2019s the bottom line for Adventist education. It\u2019s worth fighting to keep, and worth sacrificing for. It\u2019s a gift from heaven that each of our children deserves.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared in The Journal of Adventist Education<\/strong>\u00a0volume 62 on 2010.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1. THE TEACHERS WILL LOVE MY CHILD Christian teachers don\u2019t go into education to make money. They enter the profession because they have a passion for children and youth. They want to bond with them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":483,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=216"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":535,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions\/535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poughkeepsiesdaschool.org\/home\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}