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Heart for Education

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Almost by accident, my husband Derek and I have become career educators. As a result, we talk about education A LOT in our home – What is a good education, who is getting a good education and who isn’t, and how can we improve the educational system? These questions have taken on a new urgency now that we are asking ourselves a far more personal question:

Where we will educate our daughter, Eleanor?

This is where it gets really hard for us. Derek and I struggle to know where we fit in here and what educational option is acceptable. We worry about the impact of any of the decisions before us: about segregation, racism, under-resourced public schools, and a separate, majority white private school, the potential isolation of homeschooling, the choice to have a parent at home to home school, the list goes on and on. Most challengingly, as outsiders we struggle to understand how the segregated schools in the Greenwood area are understood by locals, both black and white, who have lived with and (whether intentionally or not) have maintained this system for so long. This world is broken and it breaks my heart.

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, what is God’s heart for education in Greenwood?

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Does our educational system in Greenwood do justice for all of our children? Can we be said to love kindness and walk humbly with our God in this area of our lives? And if not, what in the world should we do about it?

I pray that as a church we can engage each other with compassion on these issues, bearing with one another, forgiving each other, and loving each other as we are called to do. I pray for guidance and wisdom from the LORD as we seek Him in a broken, sinful world and as we seek to honor Him in the choices we make as parents.

1 Comment

I feel your pain Elizabeth! We chose to educate our daughter in the private school system (Pillow Academy) for 2 reasons: quality of teaching and the Christian emphasis. Although Pillow is not a "Christian Academy" a bibical world view is present throughout the school and religious activities are encouraged. Racism is a problem everywhere, but my daughter graduated from Pillow with a very healthy attitude toward other races. Many couples around here find that home schooling works for the early grades and then enrolling in Pillow by 5th or 6th grade. This gives them a good base of education from you and prepares them for the more "worldly life at the Academy" . Hope this helps.

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