Imagine something different: The case for new evangelical parochial schools

Not too long ago, my husband and I were watching a series of interviews with famous directors.  In one interview, a director contrasted the difficulties in his early career with his current acclaim.  It's funny, he said, that the same ideas that get you fired early in your career are what you get awards for later.

This is one of those ideas.

What if evangelical churches were able to come together to create their own regional parochial schools?

But what about existing private Christian schools? you may ask.  Or maybe you think, But the public schools in my neighborhood are really good!  Or, That's a nice idea, but we're already homeschooling.  Let me answer each question separately, with a final emphasis on what would make this idea a real game-changer.

Grants don't work: The short-term, non-solution for education reform

As I mentioned in my previous post, "Why Did I Quit Teaching?," I had some encouragement from others to go into freelance grant writing before I got my job as a teacher.  Unfortunately, the Great Recession coincided with my resignation, and I spent three years unemployed.  It was a difficult time for me and I was pretty discouraged.  I had to give up my apartment and live with my parents for about a year until my husband and I got married.  Besides the twin storm clouds of "What should I do with my life?" and "I failed at my first real job" looming over my head, career-oriented job openings were slim and multiple interviews were followed days later with a thin envelope or short email notifying me that another candidate had been selected for the position, or the position itself had been canceled.

So after we got married, my husband encouraged me to find some volunteer work to do that would at least help me get some skills in another field.  I thought that non-profit organizations might be more welcoming of my writing skills and liberal arts background than for-profit corporations, and that would give me a better chance of networking my way to a job.  Since we didn't have a lot of money to spend on gas, I looked for the closest non-profit and found a local high school education foundation a few miles down the road. I emailed its director, offering to volunteer.

Why did I quit teaching?

Introduction

I think, in some way or another, I have always been passionate about education.  This is for two reasons. First, I am fascinated by systems and the way they work.  Education, and public education in particular, is an enormous political, social, and economic system in America, so it's very interesting to think about from that perspective.  Second, I have had a very checkered educational and teaching experience personally, so I have a bit of a unique perspective on it as well.

Since I want to write and research education, I thought a good place to start was my own story.  That story has a particular turning point: the day that I quit teaching.

While I am concerned in large part with the state of the educational system in America, it strikes me that all this hinges on two factors: a student and a teacher.  There have always been students-- children who want to learn (voluntary attendance) or else are made to attend school by social and legal pressures (compulsory attendance).  For the foreseeable future, the kids aren't going anywhere-- a majority of parents still want their children to attend public or private school (though their reasons for it may vary).  But what about the teachers?  Are there still people out there willing to educate both children who want to learn and children who are compelled to attend?  If education is a right, rather than a privilege, is a requirement that we as a nation are capable of fulfilling?

Connection strategies: Outreach events & practices

Here's my last post on connection strategies, a series in which we discuss the way that you can solidify connections and a sense of community between people in your Sunday School or life group.  As mentioned in previous posts, a true community of believers is "sticky"-- it makes people feel loved, wanted, needed, and cared for.  It's more than a social club or a Sunday event; it is the body of Christ in action, meeting needs and growing the Kingdom.  By the same token, outreach is about more than numbers (reaching X number of people, growing by X percent, etc.).  It is about fulfilling the Great Commission and finding more people who need the love and care of Christ.

While your church may have some larger evangelism and outreach strategies in place, your Sunday School or life group can implement its own complementary practices for growth.  Here are some suggestions:

Connection strategies: Social events

In the second post of this series on connecting people in your Sunday School or Life Group we will focus on Social Events.  I think good social events have a bit of an art and a science to them (see 3 Elements of great church events for more details), but there is one thing that should always be clear: church is not a social club. It is a not a place for the beautiful people, the good people, the smart people, or the cool people.  It is a place for all people, and no matter how pretty, good, smart, cool, or all-around awesome we (think) we are, we pale in comparison to the Creator of the Universe Who Sent His Own Son to Die for Us (John 1:1-10, John 3:16).  With that in mind, the focus of church social events should be glorifying God, connecting with others, and reaching out to new people.

Here are some suggestions for church social events that are fun, welcoming to newcomers, and conducive to connection:

Connection strategies: Small groups and dinner groups

This post begins what will be my last planned series on church and Sunday School / life groups for a few weeks.  I have a few other things to write about, including education, that will start to show up in future posts (see my recent post on bravery in motherhood here).

As discussed in the More than a number series, it's important to plan for growth with your leadership team.  Once you get beyond a certain number of individuals or couples, you have a few options to make room for growth.

Facing the (gi)ants

Note: The post below was inspired by the MOPs "Be You Bravely" challenge.  If you're a mom of a young child, please check out this amazing organization at www.mops.org. 

It was well past my regular bedtime as I finally crawled beneath the covers that night.  My husband was gone on another work trip, as had so often been the case since we moved to this new city for a year of training in his new job.  At the end of a long and lonely day chasing after our toddler son, I looked forward to finally snuggling under the warm blankets for a little sleep.

Just as I picked up my smartphone for one last email check before lights out, a streak of black flashed down its side.