Three Simple Ways You Can Transform Your Child’s Public School
Being a parent of school-aged children is no small task in the 21st Century. The reasons Christian parents opt to send their children to public school vary. Regardless of why you opt to send your child to a public school, it is important for you to be a vigilant, involved parent.
Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Your child's formative years of moral development are happening concurrently with foundational educational years. Brick by brick and precept upon precept, we train them up.
Having raised several children of my own in the 21st Century, I empathize with your struggle to oversee both facets while giving your children the biblical view on all things. Galatians 6:9 gives us encouragement and a promise of reaping a harvest if we do not give up. "And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Public schools promote world views and world culture, one of continual change for the past several years. You must be involved enough to gain firsthand knowledge of that which your precious child is inundated throughout the school day, most of which has little to do with academics.
You can actively counter worldview morals and be a part of the solution of improving educational standards in the schools. Despite decades of rewriting curriculum, recent studies show a continued decline in positive results of Common Core and STEM education, with more than 50% of students tested falling below the global average. You may know parents who accept surface rhetoric and rejoice in the advances touted by the school without researching and gaining understanding themselves. I pray you are discerning as you look below the surface to see the truth that is often being masked.
How can you get involved and become a difference-maker?
Impact the School Culture
Volunteering allows you to become known to school staff, and your consistent presence can positively impact the school. No matter how small the role, your involvement will enable you to gain insight into what is taught and omitted. Getting to know the heart and spirit of the school personnel will give you the ability to discern red flags more quickly than just gathering tidbits at the dinner table or on the drive to a sports event. Sowing seeds of righteousness and speaking Biblical truths and principles will cause other parents to appreciate, respect, and therefore listen to you.
If you were to get involved at the district level, your influence could impact the curriculum and special speakers brought into the classrooms and school assemblies. After all, this is the exact method that liberals use to influence and get their agendas into the schools. As a conservative parent, you can impact school culture and curriculum without preaching and judging, and causing strife.
Whatever level of involvement you can do is better than doing nothing and will be more than the level of 75% of parents, some of whom have never set foot in the schools. Your very presence in the school puts you in the top 25% and will positively affect the culture of the school environment, behaviors, and language of students and teachers.
Volunteer
Schools are desperate for volunteers at various levels. It is wisdom for you to commit to being an involved parent at all grade levels, even if you are a working parent. Being a room parent is appropriate in kindergarten, whereas if you are the parent of a high school student, you may want to consider volunteering in another part of the building.
- Volunteer in the classroom as a tutor or a teacher's aide. With funding cuts impacting classroom supports, most teachers will readily welcome your offer to work with one to three students, helping with many tasks. Use a couple of hours of personal time if you are a working parent, or offer to go in after-hours.
- Volunteer in the library, cafeteria, or school office. Your presence in the non-classroom areas of the school gives you the advantage of observing, asking questions, and engaging in conversations. Your children may roll their eyes, but they are the children, and you are the adult who must resolve to be seen and heard amid protests of embarrassment.
- Volunteer for the PTO. Meetings and events are where there is a congregation of parents, some of whom are conservative and others who exist to advance liberal agendas. You can seek out like-minded parents who, while not necessarily Christians, have values that most closely align with Biblical values.
Build Bridges
Building relationships with teachers, administrators, and other school staff are effective ways for you to be an involved parent. When you establish positive relationships, it fosters effective communication and opens the door to having difficult conversations if you have concerns about the academics or culture of the school.
Remember, professionals are influencing your children for many of their waking hours. Therefore, maintaining a respectful attitude benefits both you and your children in the face of a culture that no longer adheres to a conservative value system. Those people you have built bridges with will appreciate the difference between your approach and most other parents.
A Final Thought
There are a few weeks left before your children return to school. Watch for and be responsive to emails. Be proactive in getting information. Be the parent that takes classroom supplies to the teacher a few days before school starts. Introduce yourself, volunteer your time, and get involved. Teachers will thank you, and you will have your foot in the door early in the school year, thereby increasing the chances of being a positive influence throughout the school year.
