Public Education and the Church
Proverbs 22:6
Train children in the right way,
and when they are old , they will not stray. (NRSV)
Matthew 18:6:
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea . (NRSV)
From the Book of Discipline, Social Principles ¶ 162
"Once considered the property of their parents, children are now acknowledged to be full human beings in their own right, but beings to whom adults and society in general have special obligations. Thus, we support the development of school systems and innovative methods of education designed to assist every child toward complete fulfillment as an individual person of worth..." (Social Principles, #162)
From the Book of Resolutions, # 246
"The public school is the primary route for most children into full participation in our economic, political and community life. As a consequence of inequities in our society, we have a moral responsibility to support, strengthen, and reform public schools." (Public Education and the church, Resolution #246)
"Education is a right of all children and is affirmed by Scripture, which calls us to 'Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.' (Proverbs 22:6)" ( Public Education and The Church, Resolution #246)
The church recognizes children as a sacred trust from God. How do we encourage or deny children access to the things that make for an abundant life? Public education is a mission issue because in our country schools are the place children spend a lot of their childhood. It is the place where as citizens we expect all children to receive the knowledge and skills necessary to live full lives.
A child who cannot read by the end of the third grade faces a major stumbling block to future academic opportunity and meaningful and rewarding employment. Poorly prepared teachers, dismal ugly buildings, unsafe settings and outdated textbooks represent stumbling blocks placed in the road of too many children. When the children encountering these stumbling blocks are disproportionately poor or are children of color, we need to ask in what ways our public schools reflect society's attitudes about poverty and race, power and privilege.
Public schools shape our children. If our vision of our society and our nation includes full lives for all our citizens, then it is important that we as people of faith work to remove the stumbling blocks in our public schools.
Jesus recognized children as infinitely valuable, even those considered valueless in his culture. We give lip service to the value of children, but in practice we often demonstrate a very different perspective. How do we take seriously the stumbling blocks in the way of many children?
How can we turn stumbling blocks into building blocks?