Written by Dr. Shayne Grove, Director of Admissions
My heart is full . . . Close to 85% of our families have re-enrolled and secured a spot for the 2017-2018 school year. Again, we expect record enrollment for the upcoming school year as our new student applications are trending toward this goal. I suspect that after our final Open House event on Sunday, February 12, there will be a handful of grade levels that reach capacity and close. My prayer is for those who have not yet re-enrolled to consider why they chose The First Academy for their family in the first place.
Four years ago my husband and I decided to enroll our kids at The First Academy. This decision has not only strengthened our family, but has provided us a true partnership between home, church, and school. Like you, we continue to make personal sacrifices to ensure our children graduate from The First Academy.
Whether working with new families, current families, or my own family I fall back on the following 10 reasons (described by DiscoverChristianSchools.com) why we should choose a Christian education:
1. GOD’S WORD IS TAUGHT
The place to start is at the beginning, with the first nation, the first educational system. When deciding how to manage your children’s education, it only makes sense to ask the One who invented education.
“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul ….And you shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)
2. GOD COMMANDS US TO TEACH KIDS THROUGH THE WORD
It is a sad but true irony: public schools, the self-proclaimed shapers of the human mind, have chosen to ignore the God who created the human mind. To their chagrin, they have robbed themselves of their most valuable “textbook,” and the only available source of absolute truth.
3. THE SCHOOL SHARES YOUR VALUES
If you’re like most Christian parents, you’ve taught your children about God since the day they were born. You’ve taken them to church, read them Bible stories, sung “Jesus Loves Me.” Imagine their shock and dismay when they’re thrust into an environment in which God is hated, ignored, or both. Even the best public schools are prohibited by law from reinforcing the values you teach at home. They either compete against them or disregard them altogether.
4. SAFETY
With thousands of students roaming their halls and taxpayer dollars funding their bankrolls, public schools can only go so far in the area of discipline. The result? More frequent occurrences of theft and physical violence, not to mention course profanity and open rebellion in the classroom. Simply put, Christian schools are a safer place for your children to receive an education. While not devoid of problems – even severe ones like drug and alcohol use – they are far less likely to occur, and far more likely to be met with firm disciplinary action.
In addition to physical well-being, Christian schools offer a much safer emotional and spiritual environment.
5. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Contrary to popular opinion, students at Christian schools consistently outperform their public school counterparts. Their standardized test scores are way above the curve, and they’re better prepared for college upon graduation. Even in the areas of math and reading, subjects that are “less spiritual” in content, students at Christian schools have proven their superiority.
6. TEACHERS LOVE AND FEAR THE LORD
Part of the reason why Christian students perform so well in the classroom is that they have a higher percentage of teachers who genuinely care about them. Most of these dedicated men and women sacrifice greater monetary rewards to serve where they can do the most intrinsic good.
In addition to the passion they feel for their students, the vast majority of Christian educators love God with equal intensity.
7. INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION
In addition to having a higher percentage of caring teachers, Christian schools can almost always offer more individual attention than public schools, many of which are overcrowded and hopelessly understaffed. Even in cases where the ratio is virtually identical, class size is not. Christian school classes generally have fewer students. They’re smaller, more intimate gatherings that encourage students to be participants rather than be spectators. Students learn how to think quickly and gain valuable experience sharing their thoughts and opinions in a public forum.
8. SUCCESS AFTER GRADUATION
Because Christian school students perform at a higher level in the classroom than their public school counterparts, it only makes sense that their options upon graduation are more abundant. Therefore, they are more likely to be better prepared to handle the rigors of higher education. They have also received the spiritual foundation they need to excel in areas of ministry, whether they are career or volunteer-oriented. In addition to these practical advantages, there is at least one intangible benefit.
9. PEER PRESSURE
If only the Bible had told us that good company improves bad morals, many of us would have a welcome reprieve. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33), the Apostle Paul tells us, and we can assume he was writing to a predominantly adult audience.
10. THE STATE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
One final reason to consider Christian schools can be found by taking an even closer look at the alternative. If you study the origin and history of modern government-sponsored education, you’ll find some alarming facts. Its founders were atheists whose hatred of Christianity is a matter of public record. Its current agenda – the propagation of humanistic ideals that render God irrelevant or non-existent – can be easily spotted in its curriculum.
As we enter our 30th enrollment season, we thank you for your trust and support. True to our mission, we educate our students in a nurturing, Christian college-prep environment, instilling our core values and equipping our children for life as Christian leaders who choose character before career, wisdom beyond scholarship, service before self, and participation as a way of life.
To read the full article, Why Should I Consider Christian Education? Ten Reasons Why You Need to Pray About it Today click here.