I recently read a great article in The Banner written by James K.A. Smith that discusses what Christian education is about and more importantly, what it is not.
We have made the decision to send our children to a Christian school. It's a huge commitment and it will take dedication on our part to help ensure that the school community flourishes.
I have often been told that I am segregating my children from the rest of society. That I am trying to protect them from non-believers and keep them away from ideas that contradict what we are teaching at home. None of these reasons have any bearing on why we have chosen this education route. We made a promise when we baptized our children that we would raise them up in faith and for me, that has three main areas. The first, obviously, is the home. How we speak, the way we behave and how we respond to the situations and people we encounter are the largest influencing factors on our children. Second, church. We make it a priority to attend church and to be as involved as we can be. A church is a family - and like any family there can be issues that need to be addressed and sorted through. And as with a family, you don't check out just because someone has annoyed you or made you angry. Church is where our children see how others within their faith interact with each other and how the body of Christ comes together. Third, education. Our children will spend a large part of their weeks in the walls of their school and here is where Mr. Smith's article makes some really great points. He writes:
"First, Christian education is not meant to be merely “safe” education. The impetus for Christian schooling is not a protectionist concern, driven by fear, to sequester children from the big, bad world. Christian schools are not meant to be moral bubbles or holy huddles where children are encouraged to stick their heads in the sand. Rather, Christian schools are called to be like Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia: not safe, but good. Instead of antiseptic moral bubbles, Christian schools are moral incubators that help students not only to see the glories of God’s creation but also to discern and understand the brokenness of this fallen world.
While the Christian classroom makes room for appreciating the stunning complexity of cell biology and the rich diversity of world cultures, it’s also a place to understand the systemic injustices behind racism and the macroeconomics of poverty. Christian schools are not places for preserving a naive innocence; they are laboratories to form children who see that our broken world is full of widows, orphans, and strangers we are called to love and welcome. In short, Christian schools are not a withdrawal from the world; they are a lens and microscope through which to see the world in all its broken beauty.
Second, Christian schools are not just about Bible classes. The curriculum of a Christian school is not the curriculum of a public school plus religion courses. While Christian education does deepen students’ knowledge of God’s Word, it’s not Bible class that makes a school Christian. Rather, the Reformed vision of Christian education emphasizes that the entire curriculum is shaped and nourished by faith in Christ, “for by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17). Christian schools are not just extensions of Sunday school focused on learning religion; they are Christ-rooted educational institutions focused on religious learning.
Third, Christian education is not a merely “private” education. Christian schools are not meant to be elite enclaves for the wealthy. To the extent that Christian schools become pious renditions of “prep schools,” they fail to appreciate the radical, biblical calling of Christian education. In Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony, this is expressed in the confession that: In education we seek to acknowledge the Lord by promoting schools and teaching in which the light of his Word shines in all learning, where students, of whatever ability, are treated as persons who bear God’s image and have a place in his plan."
How to educate one's children is a personal decision and there is no right way or wrong way. This however is our choice. We are going to make the sacrifices necessary to carry out the educational vision we have for our children. I think that Mr. Smith has very articulately put into words my thoughts on the subject.
The girls have started up in skating and swimming lessons again - here are a few skating lesson shots:
As the girls get older, they have been enjoying more play time with Keizer. Poor thing must wonder what is happening to him at times:
Helping with the raking of the leaves:
And finally - a belly shot at 22 weeks along. We have had all of our major tests done and everything looks really good with this new little one. The time has gone by quickly and there are only a few more months left before we get to meet our latest addition!
Vacation looms near the end of this week which holds time to spend at Fun Mountain, Tinkertown, camping and Sesame Street Live. More pictures to come (hopefully sooner then this last batch)!
