Thoughts from a Christian School Principal

"Rah-Rah-Rah-Rah, Sis-Boom-Bah!" "When some loud braggart tries to put me down And says his school is great I tell him right away Now what's the matter buddy Ain't you heard of my school It's number one in the state (Hey, hey! Take it away! Get that ball and fight!) So be true to your school now Just like you would to your girl or guy Be true to your school now And let your colors fly Be true to your school..." The Beach Boys   (Brian Wilson & Michael Love) In October of 1963 The Beach Boys released Be True to Your School as a tribute to their high school. Be True to Your School has become the school spirit anthem of students for decades. As a child of the 80s and 90s I even sang this song and thought of my school. We grew up with a devotion to our school and a pride in who we were. Yet as I have sent my kids into our local public high school from our middle school, it seems school spirit has dwindled over the last decade and as we head into this n...

God's Best Gift "Don't you see that children are God's best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep."  Psalm 127:3-5 (The Message) Psalm 127 tells us that our children are "God's best gift." The Hebrew language used in this verse indicates our children are our inheritance from God, our God-assigned portion. Our children are not simply the result of two adults desiring to fulfill the Creation Mandate and populate the world. Our children were created by God and assigned to us specifically. These verses go on to tell us that our children are designed for victory. They are like a warrior's arrows made to hit the mark and we are blessed when our homes are full of children because our "enemies don...

Do We Really Need Two Months Off? The last few weeks of school are often unproductive for most classrooms, which has led many school to research if summer break is the best option. In  The History of School and Summer Vacation , James Pedersen discusses the contrast between U.S. schools and other higher achieving schools internationally; one noted difference is the length of the school year as many international schools have school year round ( Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education ). Pedersen explains that historically many schools throughout the United States have adjusted the typical 9- or 10-month school year and experimented with year-round school to increase student achievement and reduce summer learning loss. Throughout these studies there has been some evidence of year-round schools being beneficial for elementary and middle school students, but no significant improvement was seen at the high school level. So with that research, wouldn't educators want to signific...

Mission Drives Decisions Ultimately every organization begins with a dream that is developed into a mission. This mission is the launching point for every decision that will be made for the future of that organization. To boil it down to the most basic, the mission determines the budget. When it comes to money organizations may have very different goals. In the for-profit world the goal is to make as much money as possible to better the business and/or people. In the nonprofit world the goal is to serve a group of people the best way possible with the resources an organization has. Obviously, there is more to it than that, but those simplistic definitions help frame the way an organization looks at a budget. In the world of education, these oversimplified definitions become a little less simple. Whether public or private, schools typically take an approach toward money and budgeting like that of a nonprofit. But budgeting decisions can become complicated for a school because depending ...

A school is not a school without students. We can have the greatest programs and curriculum, but without students there is no school. Students are the critical element within a school. Therefore students should be the focus of every element in a school. In a Christian school the focus on the student should only increase as our goal is to not just academic success but also to bring students into a relationship with Christ. I believe this focus requires a critical element, love. Love Although the focus of this blog is on the school setting, I learned something over 18 years ago on parenting from one of my pastors that is applicable to the school setting. He told us how to create an atmosphere in our home and how to correctly discipline our children. As he neared the end of his message I will never forget what he concluded with, "No matter how you discipline the most important thing for your children to know is that they are loved." He went on to tell us that you can "do...

You're stranded on a desert island and can only bring two things. What do you bring? We've all probably played that game before; with answers that made us laugh and maybe even some that made us think. But underneath the get-to-know-you game are truths that reveal what we hold most valuable. How do you choose what to bring? Christian schools strive to have it all; excellent academics, outstanding athletics and extracurricular activities, and an inviting atmosphere. But when a school leader must choose between the three, which is the most important? Which one would you bring with you on the deserted island? Schools with great athletics but a low-quality education do a disservice to their students. In the same way, schools with great academics but no enrichment activities like athletics do not serve their families either. What about a school with high achievements in academics and athletics but the atmosphere is one filled with bullying and low student morale? Then there is the s...