WELCOME TO THE CAUSE of creating a better future for our children by keeping God in our schools. By that, we mean:
We envision public schools as places where students feel the freedom to express their faith and where they gain an academic appreciation for the Bible and Christianity across the whole curriculum as it relates to history, culture, and values. This can be done legally and appropriately within existing constitutional boundaries and in keeping with current laws and state standards.
What Can I Do?
The School Checklist (below) answers the question: “What should I do?” The checklist becomes a simple way to review your schools and, if necessary, advocate for improvements. It focuses on two areas:
Religious freedom so students feel the freedom to express their faith;
Academic freedom so students gain an appreciation for the Bible and Christianity across the whole curriculum as they relate to history, culture, and values.
Evaluate two things in your schools:
POLICIES - School policies need to promote and protect freedom of religious expression and academic freedom to address topics related to religion
PRACTICES - Classroom practices need to foster freedom of religious expression and instruction about the cultural and historical influence of the Bible and Christianity.
School Checklist
|
The school district has a favorable policy about religious topics |
Y |
N |
|
The school district has a policy regarding holidays similar to the Sioux Falls School District which was found constitutional in Florey v. Sioux Falls |
Y |
N |
|
The school district allows for, or requires, a moment of silence at the beginning of each day (applicable in 34 states) |
Y |
N |
School Practices
|
Teachers are adequately informed of the school district’s favorable policy on teaching about religious topics |
Y |
N |
|
Bible literacy and Judeo-Christian history, culture, and values are appropriately included across the curriculum (see examples below) |
Y |
N |
|
In Social Studies – students learn about the Bible and Christianity’s influence on American and Western civilization (link) |
Y |
N |
|
In Language Arts – Bible literacy is incorporated to enhance literary understanding |
Y |
N |
|
In Science – students are taught the limits of science and have access to the full range of scientific views about evolution (link) |
Y |
N |
|
In Mathematics – students learn how people of faith use math to benefit others (e.g., charity, inventions) |
Y |
N |
|
In Foreign Language – students learn the Christian cultures of foreign countries |
Y |
N |
|
In Music – sacred music is incorporated into the music program |
Y |
N |
|
In Art – students learn the significant role of Christianity in the support and develop of the arts |
Y |
N |
|
In the Library – students have access to the Bible and books with Christian characters and themes |
Y |
N |
|
As part of the music program, students sing Christmas carols and other songs with religious themes |
Y |
N |
|
Educators teach about the religious aspects of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter |
Y |
N |
|
Teachers conduct a moment of silence at the beginning of each day (applicable in 34 states) |
Y |
N |
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
School District Policies
|
Religious Freedom Day is officially recognized annually by a resolution or policy from the school board. (Sample resolution) |
Y |
N |
|
The school district has a policy and guidelines clarifying students’ and educators’ religious liberties. (Sample Policy) |
Y |
N |
|
The school district has a policy allowing religious release time programs. |
Y |
N |
|
The school district has a policy allowing student-led religious clubs. |
Y |
N |
|
The school district has a policy allowing after-school religious clubs. |
Y |
N |
School Practices
|
Religious Freedom Day is recognized by each school. |
Y |
N |
|
Schools annually distribute information about students’ religious liberties to all students, parents, educators, and administrators. Schools consider video for announcements. (sample video) |
Y |
N |
|
Character education lessons include explaining the freedom to express one’s faith in word and deed at school. (See article) |
Y |
N |
|
The schools offer a religious release time program. (link, link) |
Y |
N |
|
The schools have student-led religious clubs. (link) |
Y |
N |
|
The schools have after-school religious clubs. (link) |
Y |
N |
What to Do About a Problem Teacher
At some point in your child's education you may have an insurmountable personality conflict with a teacher. What can you do then?
Meeting with the Teacher
Meet with the teacher and express your concerns in a gracious and tactful way. Use "I" statements rather than "you" statements as you talk about the problem. Instead of saying, "You are causing Sally to hate school," say, "I sense that Sally doesn't like coming to school any more." Solicit suggestions from the teacher on what may be causing Sally's problem and discuss various solutions. This conveys that you are not attacking the teacher but are seeking her advice on how to solve the problem. It is also important that you help the teacher understand why your child is upset by something that is going on in the class. If the teacher suggests that your child needs to change in some way and it seems reasonable, acknowledge it. Then tactfully ask how the teacher will change in order to create a win-win situation. Guide the conversation and suggestions to a satisfactory conclusion. If you can't seem to resolve the problem with the teacher, it will be necessary to meet with the principal.
Meeting with the Principal
Visit the principal to discuss your concerns. However, realize that the principal will not outwardly agree with your criticism of the teacher. It is important that the principal maintain a positive and supportive relationship with all the teachers in the school. He will not undermine that relationship by siding against one of his staff, at least not in front of a parent. Does this mean the administrator is indifferent to your concern? No, not at all. However, he is not going to appear to undermine the teacher's classroom authority. It would be unprofessional of him to criticize a member of his staff in a conversation with a parent.
When talking with the principal, be gracious and positive about finding a solution. List your concerns on a note pad to refresh your memory as you talk. Your concerns need to focus on the problems that are causing a disruption of your child's education. Also, list a few suggestions for how you think the problem can be resolved. The principal will discuss your concerns with the teacher and seek a resolution. However, there are occasions when the best course of action is to transfer your child to another class.
Asking for a Transfer
The principal can transfer your child if he thinks it is best. When talking to the principal, emphasize that you are not attacking the teacher's competency – you are concerned that your child isn't doing as well as he could because of the problems between the teacher and the student. Reassignment may not be easy for an administrator to do. He may be concerned about setting a precedent; he may have no room in other classes; he may be concerned that such a move would undermine staff morale.
It is important that you use your best "people skills" to persuade the administrator that moving your child is the right thing to do. The principal most likely will not transfer a student simply because the parent doesn't like the teacher or the teacher is unpopular with students. The principal will need to see legitimate academic or social concerns that warrant such an action.
He may also want to wait a little while for space to open up in another classroom. In most schools there is a constant stream of students moving in and out of classes due to families moving in and out of the community. The principal will most likely wait for this to create an opening for your child.
Sometimes the problem is not the teacher, but a specific book the class is reading or a subject they are studying. In this case, you don't need to transfer your child to another class, but you may want to temporarily remove him from the classroom.
Removing your Child from a Lesson
If the problem is over a particular book or curriculum being used by the teacher, you may wonder whether you should remove your child from the classroom. I suggest to parents that they should seek to remove their child from a program when they can no longer influence their child's learning. That means that either they cannot influence their partner – the teacher – to choose another educational strategy, or they cannot sufficiently undo what the child is learning in class.
You don't need to remove your child from an activity if you can influence the teacher to choose a better alternative. The mother of an eighth-grader told me how she was able to influence her child's teacher to alter the lesson plan. This not only saved her from having to remove her child from the activity, but it improved the lesson plan for the other children, too.
The teacher announced she would be showing an R-rated movie (Blade Runner) as part of a science fiction unit. "I called her, expressed appreciation for her hard work, and told her I felt R-rated movies were not appropriate for the classroom. I suggested some positive alternatives. She considered my suggestions and changed the movie."
© Eric Buehrer
Back to School Tips
With the new school year beginning, here are some tips to help parents and their children in the months ahead. . . .
1. Inform your children of their freedom of religious expression at school.
Your children can express their faith in their homework and share about their faith with classmates. For a list of their religious liberties, click here.
2. Teach your children discernment.
Help your children learn to think critically about what they are learning instead of merely absorbing it. Predict what they may learn and pre-teach your perspective on the topic. You can do this by reading their textbooks and talking to them about any questions you may have about the author's bias. This will help them become active listeners and discerning thinkers. Over dinner, ask them if they detected any bias in how the topic was taught that day.
3. Pray regularly for your children's teachers.
Praying for your children's teachers may sound like a standard piece of advice, but I recommend that you be very intentional in your prayers. Make a list of your children's teachers, school principals, and other adults in their lives. Put this list in a place where you will be reminded daily to pray for them. Here's the key: Ask God how He wants to use you to be a godly influence in their lives this school year. Then, watch for the doors He opens!
4. Bless the teacher with an encouraging note.
Even within the first few days or weeks of the school year you can find something the teachers are doing that you appreciate. It may be something your children enjoyed learning, it may be the way the teachers decorated their rooms, it may be a classroom activity that you think is a great idea. Let them know by writing a brief note of appreciation and encouragement.
5. Encourage your children to pray each morning at school.
In 34 states, schools can, and in about half are required to, start the day with a moment of silence. Even if your state doesn't have a moment of silence law, you can download a beautiful prayer and give it to your children to pray each day. Click here for a list of all the states with laws regarding moments of silence.
6. Be an encouragement to Christian teachers at school.
If you know a teacher at your children's school who is a Christian, get a map of the campus from the school office, and meet with that teacher. On the map, ask the teacher to circle the names of other Christian teachers he or she knows. During the school year look for opportunities to connect with those teachers and give them encouraging information about how they can address religious holidays, their students' religious liberties, and helpful articles from the Gateways to Better Education website.
May you and your children be used by God to bless others this year at school.
When to Remove Your Child from an Activity
A very upset mother once called me concerning what her daughter was being told to read in class. The book was on Indian spiritualism. The mother had already gone to the superintendent of the school district and told him to have the book removed or she'd see to his dismissal.
To get a better handle on the situation, I asked her three questions. First, in what course was the book used? Second, how old was her daughter? Third, had the mother read the book? To my astonishment, she answered that the book was used in an elective course on mythology; her daughter was a senior in high school; and, no, the mother had never read the book, but she felt the cover looked spooky. Obviously, she was overreacting. I explained how, since the daughter was certainly old enough, she could use the book as a teaching tool to discuss their family's religious faith with her in comparison to Indian spiritism. I pointed out that this could actually be an opportunity from God to strengthen the girl's faith, not an invitation from Satan to abandon it.
Knowing when to remove your child from a classroom activity is subjective. Only you will be able to gauge when your child should not participate in something. In many situations you may be able to reach a compromise with the teacher, such as an alternative reading assignment. However, at times, you may have to decide to temporarily remove your child from the class.
You need to consider the five factors listed below when deciding whether to remove your child from a classroom activity. Try to be as objective as possible when considering these factors. Trust your sense of what is right for your child while at the same time considering whether you may be overreacting. It is best not to rush into a decision to remove your child because it can cause a disruption in his education in other subjects as well as in his social community at school. Here are the factors to consider in prayer as you decide whether or not to remove your child from an activity.
1. How truly bad is the activity?
Establishing an activity's suitability requires discernment and objectivity. A case could be made for claiming that almost every subject is being taught improperly. The teacher could slant the subject too much to one political viewpoint, or emphasize student self-reliance too much, causing you to fear that it borders on promoting rebellion. He may encourage world interdependence just a shade more than you feel is patriotic. You have to weigh how truly wrong the teacher is and how important the perceived error is.
On the other hand, teachers or counselors can handle some subjects, such as sexuality, so poorly that it is not good to have any exposure to their ideas at a young and impressionable age. This is a subjective and difficult decision for you to make. My advice is to not make it without complete information. If your child is young, be sure to verify what he tells you happened in class by talking directly with the teacher. If you confront the teacher based on what you think happened in the class, you might be embarrassed to find out that you reacted to false information.
2. How emphatically is it taught?
You need to measure how strongly the teacher pushes a particular value or philosophy. The book in the above illustration was not taught as true but as one culture's mythology. A good education will include the views of others. However, sometimes the teacher's opinion is taught as the proper way to think when, in fact, it is seriously in conflict with your family's beliefs. This is when action might need to be taken.
3. How long will the lesson last?
Sometimes a subject that you object to is covered very briefly and its long-term effects are small or nonexistent. It is hard to believe that a two-week drug abuse course that uses nondirective decision-making techniques (a poor approach for young people) will wipe out the years of moral character development you have built in your child. However, if a value-neutral approach to decision-making is emphasized week after week for several months, you may need to take action.
4. What demonstrated effects is it having on your child?
Do you see your child exhibiting behavior that concerns you because of the program in question? Does your child seem upset when he comes home from school? Is he withdrawn? Does he act out with defiance? Is he more aggressive? Is he lethargic toward homework? Has he changed his thinking about a subject that you feel is a core value of your family? Try to list actual behaviors or actions you think might be linked to a particular program. This will help you see if a negative impact is being made.
Again, are there specifics you can point to, or are you being too sensitive to what you fear may happen due to the program? This may depend on the age of the child. Young children may be affected more by a program than older, more independent children. A teenager should be able to separate himself from the teacher's lesson and realize that the teacher is not always right.
5. Can you teach your child to be discerning about what is taught?
Webster's dictionary defines the word discern as meaning to perceive something hidden or obscure. Ask yourself if the activity in question could be used as an opportunity for you to teach your child discernment. In college, I took an astronomy course that met in a planetarium. The instructor would display the stars on the ceiling and point out various constellations. Only by knowing what to look for could we see a pattern of stars emerge from the night sky filled with dots of light. Once I knew what to look for, spotting constellations became easier.
With your help, your child may actually demonstrate greater character and conviction of thought because his beliefs are being tested in the classroom and you are helping him think it through. Only you can judge whether he is ready for this.
In order to answer these five questions accurately, I suggest you obtain a copy of the material in question. Be sure you have examined all the information related to the lesson, and then you can make the best decision.
If you want to talk to the teacher about your concerns, I suggest you read my online article, "Talking to Educators about a Concern."
© Eric Buehrer
Breaking Through Educational Jargon
Breaking Through Educational Jargon
The school is to your child what a foreign country is to a tourist: exciting, scary, interesting, or boring, and almost always different from his home culture. The values expressed at school, by the teachers and your child's peers, may be quite different from yours. The language they use can be unique, too. To be a strong advocate for your child's best interest in the school, you need to understand the terms educators use to describe their craft.
Questions
The best way to understand the educational language of your child's school is to ask questions. When you hear the teacher use an unfamiliar term during a conference, ask what it means. When you see a new term used in a school bulletin, ask about it. It is also a good idea to read an article or book about the term in order for you to gain a perspective on the subject from outside the district. An excellent resource for this is E. D. Hirsch, Jr.'s book, The Schools We Need. Hirsch includes a glossary that, alone, is worth the cost of the book.
Each teacher will apply a particular teaching term differently. So, it is important to ask the teacher how he or she uses it. Here are four key questions to ask your child's teacher about terminology that is new to you:
- What does it mean?
- How is it being applied to my child's education?
- How does it improve my child's education?
- What are some possible problems or abuses that may arise from improperly implementing it?
Don't be too embarrassed or too intimidated to ask what something means and how it is used with your child. Question four will require the teacher to think objectively about problems that, obviously, some other teacher may have.
Child-Centered Classrooms
Here's an example of how the four questions might help you understand the term "child-centered classrooms." Your first question should be, "What does it mean?" The answer is, it means educators focus on the emotional and social needs of the child, as well as his individuality, not merely the academic learning (also known as "subject-centered" education). A favorite phrase of those who adhere to this approach is, "Teaching the child, not the subject."
In answer to the second question, child-centered classrooms tend to employ more interactive lessons, hands-on projects, and feelings-oriented activities.
How does it improve your child's education (question three)? When used properly – and sparingly – "child-centered" activities enrich a lesson. It can also mean the teacher paces the lessons to better fit the child's pace of learning and takes into account more carefully the child's previous learning.
However, question four may bring out a few red flags. By definition, child-centered classrooms have an opposite emphasis than do subject-centered classrooms (which is a completely unnecessary polarization). But shouldn't a teacher emphasize content more than merely a child-centered process? Does the shift away from content mean a decreased emphasis on knowledge acquisition and skills development? Will a less skillful teacher use the term "child-centered" to mask the fact that he is not challenging the students academically?
By using the four questions, after you've done a little homework of your own, you will have a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your child's classroom. This will better equip you to manage your child's learning despite the jungle of educational jargon growing around him.
© 2012, Eric Buehrer