From the Principal’s Desk
Dear Parents,
Yesterday I was talking to a couple who have a friend who teaches in a public school in San Francisco. They said that the lady is absolutely beside herself and doesn’t know what to do because the students are out of control and the teachers can do next to nothing about it. This teacher relayed that students have all kinds of protective rights, and if there is some sort of classroom problem, the teacher takes the brunt of the repercussions, in other words gets the blame. To compound the problem, teachers must only use positive words, and can never tell the students that they are wrong or that something is bad.
As I heard the story, two major thoughts came to mind. One was that this chaotic scene, which is fairly typical in the public school today, is the result of an anti-God mentality and a despising of being held accountable for sin. People want the benefits of a Christian worldview, but they don’t want Christ to have any part of their lives. They want to live how they want without being told they are wrong. It doesn’t work that way. When leaders take God out of the equation and people live however they want, things fall apart, respect goes out the window, and breakdown occurs in a major way.
The other thought was that one cannot expect a positive outcome in child training if only “positive” words and actions are taken. The Bible teaches that the rod and reproof give a child wisdom (Proverbs 29:15). It says that children are to be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Both passages teach the combination of discipline and instruction. There is a place for positive reinforcement, but the negative must also occur. Scripture teaches that the correct use of both are necessary for children to turn out the right way. Children do not fully understand what is right unless they know what is wrong, and they must be held accountable for the wrong that they do.
What a mess! School districts, administrators, college professors, and, in many cases, teachers themselves would rather see society implode through the abhorrent training methods being used with children today than to submit to God and follow His Word. It makes me thankful for Bethel Christian Academy, where children are taught the truth and where they are held accountable for their actions. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
Yesterday I was talking to a couple who have a friend who teaches in a public school in San Francisco. They said that the lady is absolutely beside herself and doesn’t know what to do because the students are out of control and the teachers can do next to nothing about it. This teacher relayed that students have all kinds of protective rights, and if there is some sort of classroom problem, the teacher takes the brunt of the repercussions, in other words gets the blame. To compound the problem, teachers must only use positive words, and can never tell the students that they are wrong or that something is bad.
As I heard the story, two major thoughts came to mind. One was that this chaotic scene, which is fairly typical in the public school today, is the result of an anti-God mentality and a despising of being held accountable for sin. People want the benefits of a Christian worldview, but they don’t want Christ to have any part of their lives. They want to live how they want without being told they are wrong. It doesn’t work that way. When leaders take God out of the equation and people live however they want, things fall apart, respect goes out the window, and breakdown occurs in a major way.
The other thought was that one cannot expect a positive outcome in child training if only “positive” words and actions are taken. The Bible teaches that the rod and reproof give a child wisdom (Proverbs 29:15). It says that children are to be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Both passages teach the combination of discipline and instruction. There is a place for positive reinforcement, but the negative must also occur. Scripture teaches that the correct use of both are necessary for children to turn out the right way. Children do not fully understand what is right unless they know what is wrong, and they must be held accountable for the wrong that they do.
What a mess! School districts, administrators, college professors, and, in many cases, teachers themselves would rather see society implode through the abhorrent training methods being used with children today than to submit to God and follow His Word. It makes me thankful for Bethel Christian Academy, where children are taught the truth and where they are held accountable for their actions. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton