How Parents May Help Their Church School by Frederick Griggs

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 28, 1916

How Parents May Help Their Church School

By Frederick Griggs

FREDERICK GRIGGS

At this season of the year, when the schools are opening after the long summer vacation, a few suggestions to parents as to ways of building up the educational interests in their church may not be amiss.

First of all, it is important that the principles of Christian education should be thoroughly understood. These principles are set forth in the Scriptures and in the Spirit of prophecy in a clear and comprehensive manner. The more fully they are known and appreciated, the heartier and more effective will be the work of parents in the education of their children and young people. To study and understand them is one of the first obligations of parents, and indeed of all church members, whether parents or not; for the Spirit of prophecy definitely says that the first work of the church members is to interest themselves in the educational and spiritual welfare of the children and youth. In two or three of our local conferences, every church having as many as six children has established a school, and is maintaining it.

Where the church enters understandingly upon the establishment and maintenance of a church school, success crowns its efforts. And this is not saying that there are not many difficulties — difficulties that sometimes seem insuperable — to be met and overcome.

The spirit in the church that enables it to conduct a school for the children influences those who are too advanced

for the elementary school; and the young people, catching this spirit, seek an education in our academies and colleges. Here again church members often have abundant opportunities to help the young people in securing the advantages of these schools.

Another way in which parents may help the church school is to pay their dues promptly — tuition and pledges. The financial obligations upon our church schools are often a considerable burden to the church. But many experiences have thoroughly established the fact that where the whole church unites in meeting these obligations, where the children are taught to assist themselves in securing their tuition and school expenses, and where all are forehanded in making provision for the financial interests of the school, prosperity is the universal rule, and the teacher is paid a good wage regularly and promptly.

Loyalty to the board of management and to the teacher in her work is not the least means of helping the church school. It needs must be that in a matter of so many complications as the conducting of a private school, there will be many matters subject to criticism, just and unjust. It should be the earnest effort of all church members in general, and of all patrons of the church school in particular, to correct all matters which are subject to just criticism if they can be corrected. Most parents have perplexing problems to solve in dealing with two or three children. Many of these problems they are unable to solve satisfactorily to themselves, yet it often occurs that these same parents stand ready to express unkind criticism of a teacher who has not simply two or three to care for, but a score or more.

There are few teachers who make no mistakes in their work; but their mistakes are generally not so serious in the results to the welfare of the school as the attitude which the child, the parents, and their friends take toward it.

The parent who is loyal to the school not only desires his children to obey its regulations, but sees to it that so far as his power and influence go, they do obey them; and he stands ready to punish infractions of the regulations, and thus support the school management. When a child understands that father and mother will not uphold him in disobedience to the school requirements, he is far more likely to be obedient than he would be under other circumstances.

It is possible that the school may have some unwise requirements, or that seem so to the parents. But it is well to remember that the child is harmed more by objecting to and resisting the rules of the school (even unwise rules), and by the sympathy of his parents, if they express their criticism before him, than he could possibly be by explicit obedience.

Another thing, one which serves as a solution of many difficult school problems, is frequent visits by the parents to the school and with the teachers. Parents are busy; the cares of home and life press heavily upon them; and yet a visit to the school is an encouragement to the teacher as well as to the pupils, and enables parents to deal intelligently and wisely with their children in matters relating to their educational interests.

Social gatherings in which the teachers and parents come together for a mutual consideration of their problems are of benefit. Many of our schools are establishing a Parents-Teachers Association. It is an organization which may have a president, a secretary, and a committee to prepare the program and look after the general management of the association. These meetings are of large educational and inspirational value.

After all has been said, the determination to push steadily forward, and at any cost give the children a Christian education, will make every parent helpful in his relations to the school and its management.