Recently my husband and I decided to remove our children from a Christian school and enroll them in public school. For us it was the best thing we could have done for our children’s education and well-being.
Let me start by saying that not all Christian schools are bad and neither is the one we just left. Our old school was unable to meet our needs and we had sensed this for quite some time. Our experience hasn’t been completely bad because through it all I have witnessed first hand that there is a huge difference between Christian and Christ-like. We may have been going to a Christian school but the way our children were treated was definitely not Christ-like.
I have mentioned that this transition was the best thing for our kiddos well-being. A month ago was the first time I ever saw my 1st grader smile as he was going into school. For the past three school years I have had to drag him into school. He hated school and the pressure put on him to be better was too much for him to handle. He was not allowed to be himself. Not only that but he was being bullied at school and, neither the teacher nor the principle would look into the matter. They wouldn’t do anything because the other boys mothers were teachers at the school. They just told me that my son was the one who was hurting others. Since we have switched schools he hasn’t had to defend himself therefore the hitting and kicking has stopped.
We had to have testing done on the boys (at the principal’s request) and then the principal refused to look at the test results because she didn’t like the doctor we used. According to her, he wasn’t a Christian. Our new school reviews the test results frequently so they can better help our boys.
One evening at nine o’clock our old principal called to say she decided to suspend one of our sons. Did you catch that this call was at nine o’clock at night? What self-respecting principal would do that? I know that all the principals I’ve talked to wouldn’t even think about pulling a stunt like that. When a child needs to be suspended the principal and the parent meet together to discuss the suspension and what day it will take place.
What amazes me is the bad behavior our son was having at the Christian school isn’t showing up at the new school. What is showing up is the issues that we have always had and have been seeking help in. Our sons are highly intelligent and don’t necessarily fit in the mold of the compliant child the Christian school wanted them to be.
One thing that surprises me is that my sons aren’t ahead of their peers like the Christian school advertises. Their test scores aren’t any higher (even though I don’t see how they can claim that since they don’t take the same tests the public school takes). For five years I have heard how Christian schools are so much better than public schools and the test scores are so much higher. Nope. Haven’t seen it and let me tell you, the administration at the Christian school didn’t like that when I pointed it out to them.
I would expect my children to be learning more about the Bible at the Christian school. Nope. In third grade they didn’t have Bible study. Their Bible was the memory verse that was worked on at home. Bible wasn’t even taught. Why are we sending our kiddos to a Christian school if they aren’t even being taught the Bible. They were being taught character traits but so is the public school. As a matter of fact, the Christian school and public school use the same character trait curriculum.
Unfortunately we had a bad experience with our Christian school. I know that it is not the school’s fault but the administrator who didn’t follow proper procedures. There are many other things that have happened so much so that friends couldn’t believe we kept staying. Every year we would go back in hopes of this year being different.
I am thankful for the experience we had at the Christian school and was able to see through the myth that Christian schools are better. I was there for five years and didn’t see it. What I did see was children who didn’t fit their mold being sent somewhere else. Remember, Christian schools have the right to choose who they want in their schools whereas public schools will take anyone.
It was a difficult decision to make but I’m thankful we stepped out in faith and removed them from that environment. They have flourished where they are at and that is nothing short of a miracle. God’s hand has been there from the beginning and we can see it. I believe God will use our experience to help others who are going through this or something similar.
