{"id":2145,"date":"2012-04-11T14:38:02","date_gmt":"2012-04-11T18:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thinplaces\/?p=2145"},"modified":"2012-04-11T07:41:15","modified_gmt":"2012-04-11T11:41:15","slug":"the-safety-of-a-christian-school-by-elisabeth-klein-corcoran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thinplaces\/2012\/04\/the-safety-of-a-christian-school-by-elisabeth-klein-corcoran\/","title":{"rendered":"The Safety of a Christian School by Elisabeth Klein Corcoran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Christian school was never in the plan or the budget for my kids. I liked their school just fine and we were set on them finishing out their schooling at our local public school.<\/p>\n

Until one day when my sweet son, then at the beginning of his seventh grade year, asked me if he could transfer to the Christian school in our area.\u00a0When your twelve-year-old makes a request like that, you listen. You ask why.\u00a0You dig around.\u00a0You pray, a lot<\/em>.<\/p>\n

His reasons were heartfelt. He was struggling in his larger classes, being on the shy side. He was struggling with friendships, being on the quiet side. He was struggling with sports (though he loved them), being on the small side. He was struggling with hearing swear words in the hall, being on the sensitive side. I tried to reason with him that the classwork would still be difficult, maybe more so.\u00a0That it would be a challenge making new friends at a new school, halfway through the year. That he might still be on the small side no matter what school he went to.\u00a0And that, sadly, he might still hear swear words and deal with bullying\u2026that the word \u201cChristian\u201d wasn\u2019t a magic pill that would make everything sweet and good and fun and safe.<\/p>\n

He wanted to go anyway. He had been praying about it. He felt it was where God wanted him to be. He kept asking. So we went for a visit and I felt instantly that this would be the best fit for my son, and we transferred him in the middle of his seventh grade year. It was a bit bumpy at first, as all school transitions are, but I can honestly say he is flourishing in this environment, now about to finish up his eighth grade year.<\/p>\n

And then, as my marriage started to see its final days, I knew that my daughter, a year older, was free-falling. I knew she needed safer arms, a stronger net surrounding her. So, at first against her wishes, I transferred her to the Christian school as well. I saw relief in her eyes when I told her of the changes we\u2019d be making. She pretended to be mad at me for about five minutes, telling me later that she was grateful I had made that difficult decision for her.<\/p>\n

I am not an advocate for Christian schools. I am not an advocate for private schools. I am not an advocate for public schools. I am not an advocate for homeschooling. I keep my dog out of this fight, mainly because I have been surprised at some backlash I have received for making this choice for my children.<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, perhaps, I believe I would have been supported or understood. But these days, in the days of social justice (a movement I feel deeply about), I feel like some may see sending my children to a Christian school as a cop-out, or as skirting my responsibility to teach my children to be light in dark places.<\/p>\n

My children currently live lives surrounded by Christians and in Christian environments.\u00a0I don\u2019t advocate this, but this is where we\u2019re at. And yet, at the same time, their childhoods are shaky.\u00a0Their home life is split.\u00a0They no longer go to church every other weekend, not because of their wishes or mine. So because of this, I am confident that my children\u2019s school is my partner through the rest of their growing-up years.\u00a0Their teachers are their fathers, and extra mothers, and they are helping me to raise them and fill in the gaps.<\/p>\n

My children are attending a Christian school because I believe that\u2019s where God is helping me to care for them.<\/p>\n

Elisabeth is mom to two teenagers.\u00a0 She loves spending time with her kids, her friends, reading and writing.\u00a0 She is the author of At the Corner of Broken & Love<\/span> and several others.\u00a0 \u2028Visit her website at <\/em>www.elisabethcorcoran.com<\/em><\/a>. Elisabeth is a proud Member of Redbud Writer\u2019s Guild.<\/em><\/p>\n

This post is one of a series of guest posts about different choices Christians make in sending their children to school. All of them are in reference to an article I wrote for Christianity Today:\u00a0The New School Choice<\/a>, and you can find out more through Christianity Today\u2019s\u00a0This Is Our City<\/a> project.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian school was never in the plan or the budget for my kids. I liked their school just fine and we were set on them finishing out their schooling at our local public school. 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