By Rex Shepherd

School days, school days, Dear old golden rule days.’Readin’ and ‘ritin’ and ‘rithmetic, Taught to the tune of a hick’ry stick.

The above lyrics reflect a time in our nation’s history when education was influenced by three major concepts - high academic standards, a belief in God, and a belief in discipline. While the "hick’ry stick" might be a little drastic, many parents long for the days when the school was a safe place to send your kids; a place where they would be immersed in the concept of "good and bad;" and a place where they would be held academically accountable. Today, these traits are still available at Christian schools.

"We have found," said Chris Vance, Director of Madison Christian Children Center at Rose Lane and 12th Street in Phoenix "that our parents appreciate the fact that their children are in a safe environment where they can learn about God. We have a positive, healthy environment where the students are surrounded by loving, Christian teachers.

"That’s also the case at Christ the Redeemer Lutheran School," Maura McCoy, th e school’s Admissions Counselor at the campus located at Dunlap and 43rd Avenue said "combine that with the higher educational standards we require and you have the core values that motivate parents to bring their children to us."

It is expected that these would be traits for today’s Christian schools, but what may not be expected is the trend taking place to serve the parents as well as the students. "We have an extremely strong parent/teacher community," McCoy explained. "It is by working together that we can ensure the success of the students and that is the goal of both the school and the parents." "We feel the same way," Vance agreed. "In fact, one of our major goals is to provide training and support for our parents. These are difficult times, and the partnership between school and parents is a welcomed condition on everyone’s part."

Making the decision to send children to a Christian school is a major one, especially in light of the current economic conditions.

"It is interesting," Dr. J. Patrick Otto, Chair of the Graduate School of Education at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma commented "that many people will scrimp and save to send their children to a noted Christian college, and yet they don’t see the need to sacrifice to ensure that their children have a God-based, quality-emphasized elementary and high school education. After all, that is the very foundation that we build the rest of their life on, and we all know that a structure is only as sound as its foundation."

One of the concerns parents often voice regarding sending their children to a Christian school is that they fear they may be doing them an injustice by cloistering them. Christian schooling is thought of by some to be similar to gardening ….the longer you can keep that plant in a controlled environment, the better chance it has to survive and be productive. It will eventually have to be transplanted in the garden, but protecting it as long as possible enhances its chances for fruitfulness. The same is true of our children. They will eventually have to function in the world, but the longer we can keep them in a Christ-influenced environment the better chance they have for success and happiness.

If you would like to learn more about Christian Education and the two schools discussed in this article you can contact Chris Vance of Madison Christian Children Center at 602-265-7885 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Maura McCoy of Christ the Redeemer Lutheran School at 623-934-5896