Be True to Your School

I recently discussed with a friend a column written by Cal Thomas. Mr. Thomas talked about the Christian virtues of leaving public schools behind. I never thought that anything would annoy me more than Cal's dye job and cheesy mustache, but I guess I was wrong. While I understand parents wanting to guide their kids away from flawed logic and improper interpretation of moral issues, it is absurd to think that the "Christian" thing to do is take away the potential for proper influence in those situations.

My sister kept foster children a LOT. Many of these kids were raised in crack houses and had seen horrific things. Something they had not seen, however, was a family that loved each other and prayed together and played together and experienced joy. One of my favorite memories is of a little girl from East St. Louis riding on a tractor driven by crazy Uncle Val to a pond with a bunch of Durringtons to fish and catch frogs and get as muddy as possible. It was admittedly a rather Rockwellian moment for any family, but to her it was more than that. Hopefully it was a glimmer of light in a dark world. A flash of hope saying to her that she had options beyond her upbringing. Her squeal of glee as she touched a frog might have been a precursor to other joy she had not thought possible.

The same is true in schools. There are some kids there who come from very scary homes and they long for some form of stability. When my wife was doing her student teaching she did half of her time at a school in a very rough part of town. Two murders had taken place within months of each other across the street during the year. The other half of her training was at another school district in a much more upscale part of Abilene. She was amazed at the difference between the kids at these schools. The suburban kids were rude and disdainful while the kids from the barrios were so grateful for a secure environment that they responded positively. It drove home to us the importance of being salt and light.

I am still cautious about the things to which my kids are exposed to the point I have even been called overprotective and a reject from the stone age. (I remain especially unapologetic about that after finding familiar faces on websites depicting convicted sex offenders.) But I do not think regulating those items to which our kids are exposed is a substitute for being a positive example to those around us. It is good for us to stand as firm examples of strong families to those around us rather than hide our lights under a bushel. Is it easy? No. Does it prepare our kids better for the real world? Probably. Are there exceptions to that rule? Maybe. But my mind keeps going back to another parent who allowed his Son to go into a tough world when it may have been more comfortable to stay home. I, for one am grateful for the influence that Son had.