Children Back to School: Are They Safe?
A commentary by Cecil E. Maranville
United Church of God elder, Phoenix, AZ
Posted August 6, 2009
 Many
dangers lurk for children after they reach school, including bullies,
drug users (and pushers) and sadly even sexual predators.
Recently,
I corresponded with an individual who was introduced to marijuana and
methamphetamines by school companions at age 12. He is now an adult
serving a lengthy term in prison.
What can you do to protect your child?
The Cincinnati Children's
Hospital Medical Center provides excellent advice to parents about keeping
children safe. Its article, "Parents
Need to Talk to Children About Safety When Sending Them Back to School" covers
issues such as walking to school, riding bicycles, traveling by school bus and
even after-school security.
Most parents are at least somewhat aware of these
important issues. But awareness of an equally important safety issue
is not so common.
A hidden danger
Once children survive the dangers of
traveling to and from school, as well as other dangers in the shadow
of the school building, are they safe in the
classroom?
That is, will they be safe spiritually and mentally?
Schools teach some
basic character values such as teamwork and good citizenship in the
early years. But after elementary school, education deals mostly with
facts and figures—head knowledge. Don't
misread this as an slight against teachers but as a frank assessment
of reality.
However, schools now are also centers for disseminating an
outlook on life—an
outlook that either fails to support or directly challenges a biblical
worldview. For more enlightening information I suggest you read John
Daugherty's report on
how today's "... liberal speakers outnumber conservative
voices at the nation's top universities graduation ceremonies
by a wide margin."
Unsafe values
My concern is not with politics, but
rather with the attendant political correctness—the
philosophy advocating that determining right or wrong depends upon circumstances
or upon one's personal opinion.
This way of thinking could be as unsafe for your children as a
schoolyard drug pusher. It is the worst security issue you could imagine!
The
consequences affect children for the rest of their lives—not
just in earning a living, but also in managing life. Many
people earn a good living today, but simply can't deal with
life itself.
The danger is that your child could be pushed away from
God. Today's political
correctness demands separation from Christian values.
War against God
Public education today typically resists
any mention of God as Creator, as well as of Intelligent Design. It's
popular to reject any universal authority over human behavior.
The largely
federally funded Public Broadcast System coaches educators on promoting
evolution as the only acceptable scientific explanation for life
and on how to avoid bringing religion into the discussion.
Sending your
child to school is a chancy thing. Many things can happen. Overnight
a susceptible child can seem to slip out of your realm of influence
and into the different universe of influence from peers and teachers.
Will what your child hears reinforce your beliefs, your values, the
lessons you have so carefully taught? Or will it challenge and mock
your family's
values and beliefs?
Prepare your child
You've probably heard some
variation of this famous statement, "Chance
favors the prepared mind." It was actually said by Louis Pasteur
about scientific issues, but it also pertains to our subject.
There
are steps that you can take to prepare your children for knowing how
to respond to this even greater safety issue. And, we can help you.
Introduce
your children to our engaging magazine for older teenagers and young
adults, Vertical Thought.
It includes contributions from people in those age groups, and the editorial
staff is comprised of counselors and clergy who have a solid record
of successful work with youths.
We are aware of the anti-God prejudice
that will confront most students, and we often address scientific topics
in our magazine The Good News,
showing that there is no conflict between God and true science.
Other helps
Look up The Good News magazine's archives and
use the onsite search engine for words such as "science" and "archaeology." Help
your children use this resource. On the same Web site, you will find
this related booklet: Creation
or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?
Too often
parents think the best thing they can do is provide "things" for
their children. And that's what the parents are thinking a lot
about in this school preparation season.
In reality the most important
gift parents can give is personal time spent with their children, time
spent modeling how to live. That will prepare children more than anything
else.
 Ask yourself, how spiritually safe are my children? Then request
or download our rich family resource guide: Marriage & Family:
The Missing Dimension.
Related Resources
How
to Raise Good Children in a Bad World
Standards all around you may be slipping, but here are some principles to help
you stay in charge of your child's moral upbringing.
Bringing
Up a Moral Child
Is proper child rearing a lost cause? What pressures do parents face,
and where can they find help in bringing up children with proper moral
values?
Passing
on Our Faith to Our Children
Teaching our children about God and leading them into a relationship with God
can be intimidating. Nonetheless, all parents have a responsibility to teach
their children about God and His Word.
How
Can We Pass Our Faith on to Our Children?
In a previous article we covered the basic reasons why we should teach
our children about God. Now we’ll look at the actual mechanics
as well as a good general approach to instructing our children.
Help
Your Child Refute Evolution
Your children are likely being indoctrinated with evolutionary teachings and
ideas not only at school, but just about everywhere. Here are some tips for
helping them deal with these false concepts.
10
Practical Ways to Teach Your Children Right Values
Most parents recognize the need for their children to have right values.
But how do you teach them? Here are practical pointers parents can use
to instill those standards, starting today!
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