We have identified and seen from experience that there are twelve different elements that, all working together consistently, can really make a huge difference in the culture of our schools. In the next several posts we will be revealing the content of the next slice of pie. We'll try not to get too philosophical and keep it as practical as we can.
Today we will start at the very center of the pie (or the crust which underlies and surrounds the whole pie), and there we find God and godliness. Those have got to be the hub of the wheel; the center that everything else radiates and emanates from. If that is not our motivation for even having a Christian school, then we're off base.
(I would looooove to write about four pages here and go through the whole history of how our Anabaptist schools began and all the reasoning behind it, but I'll leave that for another time. It's fascinating. I've known people who have moved to a different country so that their children could legally attend a parochial school.)
Our schools and school cultures should start with God Himself and godliness. Those are the trunk of the tree from which the branches originate, receive nourishment, and grow. It all starts there.
For this to remain the focus, the school board and churches should have a vision and work together to make sure that godly teaches are hired. The teachers are there with the students 100% of the time, and they probably influence the atmosphere 98% of the time.
Our schools and school cultures should start with God Himself and godliness. Those are the trunk of the tree from which the branches originate, receive nourishment, and grow. It all starts there.
For this to remain the focus, the school board and churches should have a vision and work together to make sure that godly teaches are hired. The teachers are there with the students 100% of the time, and they probably influence the atmosphere 98% of the time.
You may be able to hire an inexperienced person and train him to be a good carpenter, but you cannot hire a mediocre or ungodly person just because the vacancy needs to be filled and then expect him or her to turn into a godly person and role model.
For God and godliness to be the center of everything we do in our schools, hiring the right people to teach needs to be the utmost priority. We need to recruit them years ahead of time and train them well. Then we can bring them into our schools, listen to their suggestions, and hopefully retain them long term.
For God and godliness to be the center of everything we do in our schools, hiring the right people to teach needs to be the utmost priority. We need to recruit them years ahead of time and train them well. Then we can bring them into our schools, listen to their suggestions, and hopefully retain them long term.
If we can consistently keep our focus on God and what He desires from us (worship, obedience, godliness) we will have a solid foundation (crust) and springboard from which to launch into the other aspects which are important to our school culture.
Practical applications:
*hiring spiritually mature teachers who take teaching -- a huge responsibility -- seriously
*having meaningful devotions every morning
*discussing our doctrines and beliefs throughout the subjects (Duet. 6), especially in science (Creation and design) and history (What were people's motivations for why they did what they did, and discussing if those actions and motivations were Biblical.)
Up next: the blueberry slice of pie!