Parents, teachers, and students on how Christian schools measure up

For Larry Segars and his wife, Gwen, the decision had come down to what was best for Michael.

In elementary school, their son struggled with not getting enough attention in the classroom. At home, the Segars felt they were consistently not well informed about Michael's education.

These factors were among those that prompted the couple to place their youngest child - two older children went through public school - at Central Heights Christian School in northeast Georgia. The school is a ministry of Central Heights Baptist Church in Mt. Airy.

"Things began to go sour when Michael went to middle school," says Larry Segars, a board member of Central Heights who attends Eastanollee Baptist Church in Tugalo Association. "In public school it seemed parents were left out of the loop."

With education more of a hot topic, parents are making the choice in greater numbers to send their children to Christian schools. It's a decision Angie Mitchell is proud to stand by.

 

A Christian environment

Mitchell, the parent of two attendees of First Baptist Weekday Education in Social Circle, also cites the surroundings as a key reason for her choice.

"You want to bring your child up in a Christian environment and have that reinforced at school. Having them here makes it that much easier," she says.

"It's something you wouldn't get in public education."

What many parents are getting, they say, is an opportunity to have peace of mind in what their children are being taught outside of the home.

"Growth in Kingdom education is greatly on the increase," says Ed Gamble, executive director for the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools. "Currently, the two fastest-growing education movements in this country are home schooling and Christian schools.

"If these two were a stock, I'd buy as many shares as I could."

Gamble, who has been involved in Christian education since 1970, says constant connection to Kingdom teachings is key.

"An extremely high percentage of our youth leave the church after high school. At the very least they are usually lost for about four years and are not being productive in the Kingdom. There are many who don't come back at all.

"People are turning to Christian education because they are able to have their children in touch with Christian leaders and teachers for 40-plus hours a week," Gamble says.

 

New education alternatives

Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange opened this fall with 200 students in grades kindergarten through 12th. In December 2003 a group of parents decided to form a community Christian school that was not a church-run school.

In less than eight months the school had hired an experienced headmaster and a full staff. They also had a place to meet, 200 students and almost a $1 million budget. When they opened for the first day of school they were accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission.

"It's a God thing. The churches, the committed faculty and parents put in a lot of long hours and hard work to bring about something this community needed," says John Cipolla, LCS headmaster.

The school meets at Western Heights Church in LaGrange. The church rents the facilities to the school for $1 a year.

"If we do not inspire and educate a generation to challenge the culture and touch the future, then we have been short-sighted in our discipleship," says Greg Brown, pastor of Western Heights.

 

Free to share the gospel

Miriam Rearden, executive administrator at Westside Baptist Academy in Warner Robbins, sees a big difference between public and private education.

Known among her staff and students' parents as "Mimi," Rearden is in her second year at Westside, following an eight-year stint at a public elementary school.

"A key variation between the two environments is that you are free to share the gospel in Christian education," she says. "Discipline issues are also treated differently. When talking to a student, you have the Bible to back up on decisions."

Rearden graduated from Georgia Southern University magna cum laude before earning her masters in education at Mercer. Based on her credentials and what peers have told her, she could be making significantly more in public education.

 

Greater rewards

However, there are greater rewards, according to Rearden.

"This is the greatest job. The money doesn't matter to me. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

At LCS, all faculty members are certified teachers and took a pay cut to teach.

"Sure I could be making some big bucks in public school. But there's no trade-off. I don't think I'll ever go back," says Nancy Brown, a kindergarten teacher who taught in public schools for ten years. This is her first year at a Christian school.

"I went to chapel today and it hit me that here I am at 1:30 in the afternoon on a school day will all my little 5-year-olds and I'm worshipping God. I was just overwhelmed."

Brown enrolled her two sons in the school before she was hired as a teacher.

"The last straw was when some little boy attacked my 7 year old in the bathroom (in public school). I wasn't even informed of it, even though the teacher and the principal knew about it. They're like different children this year. They love school."

 

A nationwide trend

Gamble states that most of the Christian schools in existence today have been formed in the past 15 years. According to him, there are 650 Southern Baptist schools nationwide, with SBACS identified with 100 of them.

Gamble went on to say the majority of those schools across the country have been formed since 1990.

SBACS records indicate that there are 35 Southern Baptist schools in Georgia, of which five are members of SBACS.

Central Heights School is one of the oldest among Georgia Baptist church-based schools. In its 23rd year of existence, the school draws students of various faiths, denominations, races and nationalities from Habersham, White, Banks, Stephens and Hall counties.

It was in the late 1970's that local businessmen Hal Woods, then a member of Central Baptist, and Harry Hilliard, a member of Bethlehem Baptist in Clarkesville, started talking about the need for a Christian school. The two felt there needed to be a setting where students could be freer in discussing religious matters.

"We felt like there should a place for children to learn about the Lord each day," Woods says. "There were some excellent schools in the area and great teachers, but they couldn't talk about God."

The two men provided the majority of the money for the school buildings. Woods oversaw the kindergarten and gym construction while Hilliard, who has since died, watched over the high school building.

Woods, who served for four years as a volunteer with the Christian Service Corps of the Home Mission Board (NAMB), said that the founders felt it was important that the school be open to all denominations.

"We went around and told churches that there was money available to help start a new Christian school if they wanted to be involved, " he says. "We made it a practice over the years for pastors of other denominations to serve on the board in order to have other points of view."

 

Family connections

Involvement at Central has stayed in the Woods family. His granddaughter, Mindy, is a sophomore at the school. Nancy Woods, Mindy's mother, states a growing concern among parents as another reason to choose Christian education.

"A big problem I've noticed is that drugs seem to be a major problem in public schools. Even though I know there are wonderful teachers in the schools who are providing great role models, our teachers have the opportunity to express their religious beliefs more openly. I think this has an effect on the students and the choices they make."

Along with safety and openness to the gospel, parents speak highly of the small class sizes and how that translates into more effective discipline and higher grades.

Janet Brackins has three children attending Westside. Her husband, Wade, is stationed at nearby Robins Air Force Base.

"The kids enjoy the small class size," she says. "They like the fact that the teacher can pray with them and talk about God.

"Keeping things in control in the classroom helps them to learn. We know as parents there is a bottom line and authority in how we raise our children, that being God. The teachers are able to hold the children to a certain level of behavior and having that backing is important."

 

Making a difference in the world

Nikki Farmer, a sixth grader, wasn't sure what LCS would be like when she first walked through the doors.

"It's a lot harder school work here, but it's easier to make friends. There are a lot of public school kids that aren't the kind of people you should hang out with."

Carmelita Cipolla, an 11th grader at the school, was given the choice to remain in public school or go to LCS for the last two years of high school.

"I chose to come to LCS because at public school you learn the eduaction, but you miss out because that's all you learn. You don't learn how to make a difference in the world with what you know."

 

Echoing lessons at home

Shannon Hayes has a son in fifth grade at Central Heights. His wife, Cathy, has just finished serving a two-year term as president of the Eagle Parent Teacher Organization for the school. He connects the importance of lessons taught at school echoing those at home.

"The Bible says to train up the child in the way they should go," says Hayes, who serves as pastor at Broad River Baptist Church in Eastanollee in addition to coaching middle school basketball at Central Heights. "I love it when my son comes home from school and has learned something that goes along with what we teach at home.

"The things that are taught as fact - which are not factual as far as the Bible is concerned - are reasons why I don't want him in public school"

Most Christian schools still in their infancy don't go through twelfth grade. Many start as preschools and add a grade each year.

First Baptist Weekly Education in Social Circle, with 141 students and 17 staff members, is ten years old. However, for the first eight years it served only children in kindergarten. Now students are accommodated through second grade.

"We feel like we're planting that seed for the future in our children," says Director Kay Mclendon. "In the environment here, children can feel comfortable. They spend thirty minutes each morning in Bible study. They start reading at four years old. They can pray and be around spiritual things."

 

The cost of education

The cost of sending a child to a private Christian school can be taxing for parents. Many schools keep tuition anywhere from $245-$280 a month. Cost issues are a constant battle, says Larry Segars, a board member for Central Heights.

"We try to keep tuition costs down for families. For the teachers, it's a labor of love. They could probably make twice their salary in public schools," he says.

While LCS tuition is significantly less than average - about $4,000 a year per child - it's still a financial challenge for many parents.

Dan and Linda Wooten have home schooled their fourth grade daughter until this year. Linda Wooten has a chronic medical problem that has financially drained the family. They have struggled to make the sacrifice to send their daughter to LCS.

"It was time for her to go to school. She was ready to be around friends. The cost has been a huge issue, but every day I think she couldn't be in a better place," Linda Wooten said.

With the Biblical instruction received in school, parents and teachers say that translates into young believers living out a Jesus-filled life.

"Everything we talk about is related to God," says Wendy Harper, a kindergarten teacher at First Baptist Weekday Education in Social Circle. "The curriculum is all about God's influence in the world."

"In our setting, we make it clear that all students must participate in activities such as Bible classes and chapel each week," says Rearden at Westside. "We have Muslim and Mormon students in addition to Christians from a variety of denominations.

"Recently, there was a Muslim family who pulled their child in order to place them in a daycare center closer to their home. After two days, they came back asking if there was still space for their child.

"They said there was just something difference about this place."