Your Child’s Education Following Redeemer Day School

I grew up in the Midwest in the 50’s and 60’s. Public schools in my farming community were excellent. Teachers read from the Bible, pledges were spoken with reverence, and character values were taught.  There was no misbehavior as I recall. When I was promoted from first to second grade, I merely moved over a row. That’s correct. My teacher, Mrs. Kester taught both first and second grades in the same classroom with 30-something students. I loved my teachers and my classmates. My parents attended every PTA meeting; they were involved and invited the principal into our home. That was then.

Fast forward to now.  Whether you decide government schools, a classical model school, private schooling, faith-based private schooling, the university model school, or home education upon leaving Redeemer, make sure you pray and execute due diligence. Gone are the days where you can make decisions based on the visible externals of schools. One must go deeper and ask tough questions.

For example, I will get right to the point. Just as some churches are wavering on teaching Truth from God’s Word, we are finding that some so-called faith-based schools are vacillating when it comes to honoring the faith-based values and teachings that the schools once held dear. If God’s Word is our plumb line for morality, marriage, sexual orientation, gender identity, and the like, then it is incumbent upon parents to do the necessary research on the schools being assessed to ensure the choice aligns with family convictions. The culture and what is considered the “acceptable norm” of the day is creeping into schools. Having taught in the Atlanta area for almost 30 years, please know this has not happened overnight. The issues of our day have surfaced what has been brewing in K-12 academia for years.When I began my teaching career, I taught in a public school in rural Indiana. I would liken it to teaching at a true Christ-centered school today. Biblical principles were taught in the homes and expected to be upheld in school. Every parent attended their child’s conference and valued diligence toward school-work, kindness and thoughtfulness toward classmates, no nonsense behavior, a show of respect toward every adult, and making the best grades the child was capable of making. Character traits were more important than good grades. At my rural school, the partnership between the parents and school was one of mutual respect and trust. I absolutely loved teaching there in the early 70’s.Sin, as we know, is costly in many ways. For example, instead of being able to send our children to schools provided by our tax dollars, my husband and I made the decision to sacrifice and pay private tuition at a Christ-centered school in addition to paying taxes for schools we did not utilize – not very cost effective, but our values drove our decision. I recall one summer when our neighbors who sent their children to public schools were able to take lovely summer vacations and put their children in expensive summer camps. Perhaps your budget will allow you to do both – private school tuitions and lovely vacations. If so, that’s a blessing. For us, it was worth the sacrifice, and a choice we would make again.Prior to the last 30 years or so, communities and the culture of those communities had more influence on children’s education in so-called public schools than the government had. Common core standards, political correctness, wokeness, critical theory, and the lack of respect for our republic and her history have crept into school systems in varying degrees. Some states have been influenced more with progressivism than others. For example, my niece teaches in a rural community in Indiana where her class consists of 18 Amish children and five English children. None of the cultural progressive curricula has infiltrated her little rural community. However, things are different closer to home. Some of those cultural progressive theories consist of the 1619 project, social-emotional learning, conformity of thought, dumbing down of grades and curricula objectives, exposure to sexual health books for children ages 10 and higher, and sexual identity pronoun preferences rather than the ones assigned at birth by our Creator. These are just a few to be cognizant of when your search begins. If you decide to educate your child in a public/government school, you must know what is being taught; due diligence is a must.I’ll share with you a funny. When I was teaching fourth grade in Indiana, I had four or five students who were math whizzes! So, in order to challenge them, I instituted math contracts and created challenge packets! The students set their pace and wrote out their own contract, signed it, and I gave approval. If the math grade dropped below a 92 or if the student became irresponsible, he or she had to recalibrate. Folks, this was long before the technique of “differentiation of instruction” was the latest educational craze. You see, good education, and I’d like to think good teachers do not swing with the tide of the latest gimmick. I can say with certainty that at Redeemer Day School, we stay true to our mission, not swaying with the tide of educational progressivism and cultural trends.In William J. Bennett’s book entitled The Educated Child, he examines curricula and specific objectives for children from kindergarten through eighth grade. More importantly, he helps parents become advocates for their children by learning what to look for in a good school and how to ask educators the tough questions. This is not a recent copyright (1999). But as I have told you, good education stands the test of time. Have you ever wondered about our founding fathers – how they became such excellent writers, thinkers, debaters, and problem solvers…without technology?I trust this has challenged you and helped you to think a little more deeply about school choice after leaving Redeemer Day School. I am here to assist you, if you would like my help.