Christians Can’t Abandon Public Education – – No Matter How Bad it Gets
Where are all the Christians going? 😟 Yes, our public schools are getting worse, but…
I know… On top of the poor pay, school shootings, angry parents, and working with admin that won’t/can’t do much to support you (see article below to understand what I’m saying):
https://medium.com/illumination/when-youre-an-educator-but-your-boss-calls-you-a-flunky-aff26d5a6c7e
Now, there is a very liberal group pushing programs that many teachers don’t agree with. Thus, teachers are quitting. But not just any teachers. Christian teachers.
Many parents don’t agree with it, either.
To make matters worse, many parents don’t agree with what’s going on either, so they’re pulling their kids out of public schools. 😨
I completely get it. I’ve thought of pulling my own child.
But here’s the dilemma: Christians, if we pull our kids out of the public school system, to home school them, private school them, or whatever, to protect them, who is going to fight the indoctrination?
Teachers, if Christian teachers don’t educate our children, how will kids know there is an alternative way of thinking?
They won’t.
Public education is important.
The vast majority of US children are inside the public school system. That’s actually one of the things that make America great: we systematically educate our country’s children.
But if the vast majority of students are systematically educated with a very liberal education, what are schools going to produce? Liberals.
But wait! Don’t misunderstand: I’m not on the far right.
Don’t misunderstand. I agree with some things the left fights for. But I don’t agree with everything.
And I certainly don’t agree with the indoctrination of children.
So what do we do? I don’t have all the answers.
But I know what we can’t do. We can’t afford to abandon public schools to the far left or the far right.
We must have Christians living out their faith in the schools. Not to fight a specific agenda. But to provide balance.
To the teachers:
Christian teachers, please don’t throw in the towel. If you are planted in a public school, you are shaping the worldview of tomorrow’s leaders. You might be the only Christian voice in a child’s life.
I can’t imagine a higher calling.
To the parents:
Christian parents, let’s teach our kids how to navigate a world that wants to shut down Christianity. Don’t pull kids out of the place that needs our perspective the most.
Don’t stir the pot. We don’t need to search for ways to be obstinate.
Don’t insist things be our way. We have to find the middle ground.
Don’t be hateful, deceitful, or malicious to those with whom you disagree. We can’t make a positive impact if we are always fighting.
Don’t try to convert everyone to Christianity. That’s not our job.
Let’s live like we know Jesus: love, even when it’s hard.
But the books in the library… Yes, there will be books we don’t agree with.
Honestly, what’s coming is going to be more than we can anticipate. As a Christian writer, I see first-hand the amount of publications calling for “marginalized” authors. Books we don’t agree with are going to be flooding the shelves.
However:
Our time is better spent monitoring what’s on our kids’ phones than what’s in the library.
I’m not saying to give up watching what’s on the shelves in the library. But I am saying that we can (and will) lose our kids much faster because of what they read and see on their phones in our own homes.
But CRT… Yes, there are programs that will talk about how our systems have been/are imperfect. But why are we afraid of that?
The church isn’t perfect, either. Should we spend all our time fighting the bad things people say about the church?
Our time is better spent teaching our kids how to navigate imperfect systems in a Christian manner.
We mustn’t abandon the system that’s developing tomorrow’s leaders.
Let’s stay in public schools. Not to be a thorn in anyone’s flesh. But to equip our kids to navigate the world that’s coming. Use every teachable moment to point our kids toward the life Jesus calls us to lead.
The life that bears the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
It’s going to be difficult.
But we have been given the tools to do this. Let’s be faithful and follow the Holy Spirit.
About Me — Emily B. Mingledorff
From Survivor to Thriver!medium.com
