As we begin this new school year, I am reminded of the past 36 “first days of school” in my lifetime. All the emotions of students anticipating (joyfully and otherwise), teachers reorienting, parents “rejoicing” . . . me wondering, “What will this school year hold?” We all want everything to go just right. We want everyone to be happy, to be united. We want it all to be perfect. And for the first few days, it seems to be so. The energy has returned to a silent summer facility, the children are back with tales of summer exploits, parents are delighted to be dropping their sons and daughters off at our curb. And I pray it will remain this way, even for just 180 days . . . but deep down I know it probably won’t. As it is with every aspect of our lives, we want perfection but it’s hard to come by. We want perfection, but usually in others, and in the other things that affect our lives (usually to our inconvenience!). We want perfection but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
I believe that this perfection tendency pervades our expectation of school. Everyone is expecting perfection in everyone else. I believe because of the pressures of our society, economy, and time, we are losing both patience and tolerance. We are rushing around trying both to be in control and be efficient, and so lose a measure of the quality of life that comes from growing as people, from relationships, and from face-to-face communication.
Because education has the focus of growing young people, building relationships, and fostering communication, it cannot be perfect . . . well, not in the sense that I’ve just described. We are dealing with people, fallen people, people that are imperfect. Woody Allen once stated that he “could never belong to a club that would have him as a member”. My school will never be perfect as long as I am there! But in Christian education, we answer to a higher authority, with a loftier perspective, offering a HIGHER LEARNING, in that we work together with a common purpose ~ nurturing young people to be perfect. Huh?
That’s right, we do want our sons & daughters to be perfect, and I wholeheartedly agree. That’s why I’m in this business and will continue so until the Lord directs me otherwise. But it’s not the perfection we usually expect or require, rather the perfection God desires. That is a different definition of the word, a different perspective. Perfect, in biblical terms, refers to wholeness . . . a great concept when applied to Christian education! I believe that the educational perspective that we, in Christian schools, bring into the lives of young people is the most complete, well-rounded, holistic, cohesive education the universe has to offer. We focus on the Creator God, the God who is one, God alone. St. Paul told the scholars of Greece, “In Him (God) we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This Creator, through the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross, put all things (meaning everything!), in heaven and earth under his authority. Paul again writes to the learned Colossians, “. . . all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). And then, through the power and counsel of the Holy Spirit, this perspective finds root in these young hearts and minds, leading them into all truth, sanctifying them by the Word of truth, and perfecting them in righteousness and truth (Paul, again in II Timothy 3:14-16).
Now I know this sound quite theological, and it is. But more important to this discussion, it is quite educational and quite practical. Educationally, with this biblical perspective at the center of a child’s growth and development, seeing the world and all in it as being whole, complete and connected through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they grow toward perfection. The school’s philosophy, core values, objectives, curriculum, and programs will all reflect this wholeness . . . it better or it should “cease & desist” working with children. The mandate and responsibility are too crucial.
Practically speaking, the Christian view of God and the world is to be propagated as a daily ritual in the classroom. This “rubber meeting the road” is vital to the students’ “getting it”! The God fearing, Jesus modeling, Spirit-led Christian educator must see to it that both the planned instruction and the “a-ha” moments of the day seek to unify the knowledge, concepts, facts & figures, atmosphere, camaraderie, and discipline around this wholeness of being. Julika, a dear friend and head of a Christian school in Miskolc, Hungary told me, “If we cannot consciously remember to do this, then we should just go to the street corner and sell newspapers!”
Now, do we do this perfectly? No. That perfection is reserved for eternity. But as my wife so often reminds me, we are rehearsing here on earth for the real thing. We “see through a glass darkly” in so much of how we view things of this world, but God has given us a perspective, a set of spectacles if you will, that assist us in seeing the world from His vantage point. We in Christian schools are the opticians of a child’s educational world. We work with myopic, imperfect vision. Then we fit and fashion glasses that begin to bring their vision into clearer focus, in order for them to rightly discern the culture in which they live.
Wow! That’s asking a lot of teachers and schools. Whatdayathink, we’re perfect?
So, as we all begin this another school year, and then travel through the days ahead, let us remember our focus and refresh our thinking about our expectations and our students. Will it be perfect? Doubt it. Will it be fulfilling? Yes, by the grace of God and the love of Christ, and by the soundness (perfection) of the Spirit of God leading us forward and together in the development of this next generation toward perfection . . ..
Bill Stevens
Bill presently serves as Headmaster of Wilmington Christian School in Hockessin, Delaware. Previous to this, he worked as an educational consultant to Christian schools in Eastern Europe and Russia. He has written numerous articles on the subject of educational philosophy and discipleship, and is a conference speaker who is passionate about the role of Christian education in the establishment of the next generation. He and his wife (“Berta”) reside in North East, MD. They have two grown daughters and three grandchildren.