Questions for Your Christian School Principal

Questions for Your Christian School Principal

Brian Hazeltine

Principal, Airdrie Koinonia Christian School

1) Brian, we’ve talked a lot about the importance of Christian education, but there are a number of Christian schools in the area to choose from. How do you go about deciding which is right for your family?

a) This is an important question to address. I’ve been involved in Christian education at three different schools for over twenty years now, and I can assure you that there is great variation among them. Unfortunately, in my view, some of the most important differences are not obvious, so parents need to do some digging to evaluate the various options. Today, I want to suggest some lines of investigation for our listeners to pursue in order to really understand the philosophy and program of the school before they enroll. Unfortunately, Christian schools vary widely in their application of Biblical principles and their utilization of the best educational methods.

2) What do you mean by that?

a) Some schools see a Christian perspective as an add-on to their academic program. They wouldn’t necessarily verbalize this, but in looking at the program and talking to parents and students, it becomes apparent that the Christian perspective is not fundamental to the school. There may be a weekly chapel or Bible class, but the Biblical worldview is not driving everything that is done. The academics are considered the most important, and the Christian perspective is kind of a nice extra touch.

3) You obviously think that there is a better way to do things!

a) Yes. In the Koinonia Schools, we believe that Biblical principles should permeate every aspect of the school from staff to students, textbooks to policy manual. There would be no question, for example, about hiring a non-Christian teacher to teach a subject like math. Only believers would be eligible to sit on the school board. After all, a school can only be as Christian as the people in it.

4) You mentioned using the best educational methods. What are you thinking of there?

a) Many schools uncritically accept the latest trends in textbooks and methods and change them as often as the Department of Education changes its emphases. It is, therefore, very important that parents carefully evaluate a school to determine whether, in practice, it is thoroughly Christian and educationally sound. Koinonia Schools have, since 1982, developed a reputation for both spiritual and academic excellence because of a number of specific practices being implemented in every Koinonia School. These practices are not immediately apparent to a visiting parent, nor are they true of all Christian schools, but they are, in large part, what makes a Koinonia School truly distinctive and truly Christian.

5) Give me some examples.

a) One area would be the textbooks. Many studies have shown that one of the best indicators of what will be taught in a classroom is the textbook. It is often more important than the departmental curriculum guide. Secular texts contain humanistic values and subtle biases which may be overlooked by a teacher but which are opposed to Scripture and undermine Christian education. Christian texts bring a vital Biblical perspective to every subject which helps students develop a Christian world view. Koinonia Schools use texts from Christian publishers wherever possible. In some cases, such as Canadian Social Studies, there may not be an adequate text, but in most cases schools can find them.

b) Not only do Christian texts provide a critical Biblical perspective (and remove the humanistic one), but they are usually quite a bit more challenging. They often have expectations that are similar to schools 50 years ago. Often, secular texts have been "dumbed down" to accommodate poor readers. In other cases, they encourage the use of unproven or discredited teaching methodologies. By contrast, most Christian texts cover more material in greater depth, and are written at a higher level and so students are challenged to achieve at an equally higher level.

6) What are some other things that parents should be aware of?

a) More important than textbooks are some of the fundamental approaches being used. One of the most obvious was the choice to abandon phonics back in the 70’s & 80’s. This trend started in the public schools, but then some Christian schools followed suit because their teachers were trained in secular universities and didn’t know better. The result of the whole language approach was disastrous. Not only did it undermine students’ reading abilities, but it had the hidden disadvantage of handicapping students when it came to spelling! Most words follow phonetic rules for spelling, so having knowledge of phonics obviously helps spelling.

b) Spelling itself is another area where a new philosophy took hold in our schools. For about a decade, Alberta Learning did not have a recommended spelling series because it was thought that students should learn this intuitively as a result of daily reading and writing. The reality is that students need systematic (not hit and miss) phonics instruction in grades one and two and they need instruction in spelling. So the question is, as a school, do we take our cue from the latest educational fad, or do we think independently and Biblically about these things. Thankfully, the pendulum has swung back and you now find the direct teaching of phonics and spelling to be more common.

7) What are some current educational trends that we should be alert to?

a) There are three that come to mind. The first is activity based math and science. The philosophy behind this is that students learn best by doing, not by hearing. And there is truth in that. Good math and science teachers have always included hands on activities to help students better understand a concept. The problem comes when it is thought that all learning should happen this way. Some of the activities can be very time consuming for the amount of learning that occurs. Here’s a great example from a grade 10 math text. The teacher is to bring a large bag of M & M’s to the class, pour out a bunch on to the student desks. Students are then to eat the ones with the M’s face up and leave the remainder. Then they are to plot on a graph the distribution of the remaining M & M’s they see in front of them. From this they are to be able to identify whether the distribution is random or follows some kind of pattern. Is it worth the time (and sugar high) of doing this activity to teach that if we simply throw things onto a desk we will have a random pattern?

b) Another is student-centred learning. The philosophy here is that the student should direct his own learning. The student knows best where their interests lie and what they need to learn. The teacher is to be a coach and guide students into learning. We are swinging back from this one too as the research has come out supporting what is now referred to as “direct instruction.” In direct instruction the teacher determines the learning that is going to take place. The teacher chooses the activities, directs the learning, and evaluates the outcome. These are two radically different philosophies of education, and they come from very different philosophies about human nature. One has to decide whether one believes that the student knows best or the teacher knows best. As you can guess, I am of the opinion that education actually works and that better educated and knowledgeable people (that is, teachers) know more and are better equipped to make educational decisions than students.

c) The last item I will mention is what I call “the computer or internet as teacher.” This, of course, has developed only in the last ten to twenty years, but is going to be just as futile as many of the other educational fads. Again, let me be clear that I think computers and the internet are hugely valuable tools, but they are just that: tools to be used in the hands of a professional educator. No computer program can replace the wisdom and discernment of a good teacher. No computer praise, “Well done, Johnny” means anything compared to a teacher saying, “Good job, Jon.” There have been a couple of excellent books written on this topic that I would recommend to our listeners, “The Child & the Machine” by Armstrong & Casement, and “Failure to Connect” by Dr. Jane Healey. Both of these books describe the lost learning opportunities that are occurring all across North America as students spend hours in front of machines that could be better spent with a book or in a class activity. Unfortunately, parents can become quite enamored with these machines. Parents sometimes wonder why we aren’t teaching PowerPoint in grade two or three. My answer to that is, “Why would you want your child using valuable school time to learn a home appliance?” I am much more concerned that we develop good readers in the early years. There is plenty of time to teach PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc. in the later grades. Again, parents need to explore the philosophy of the school and see if it really makes sense. Do some reading and some investigating.

8) You are not opposed to hands on math or using computers in school to help kids learn, are you?

a) Not at all, and I want to be clear on that. Good teachers always make use of new methods and technology, but the key to this is balance. Computers won’t replace a skilled and loving teacher. Calculators should not be used as a tool for solving simple math problems. (Kids need to know their times tables!) Rather teachers should incorporate these tools carefully and slowly and in ways that don’t abandon some of the methods that have been shown to be successful. For example, there are many effective elements in whole language reading instruction. I hope every primary teacher makes use of them. However, students still need a comprehensive and systematic phonics program along with this. It is not an either or issue but a both/and one. Many schools, however, simply swing from one educational extreme to another. I think parents would do well to look for a school that has a well thought out philosophy of education that is based on what we know from the Bible about human nature.

9) Let’s turn to some of the spiritual matters that distinguish one school from another. In some of your articles, you refer to schools as being "Discipleship" schools or "Missionary" schools. What do you mean by that?

a) Schools which follow the Missionary model will include a certain percentage of non-Christian families in the school for the purposes of evangelism. The philosophy here is to welcome families into the school if they are willing to have their children taught the Christian faith. The hope, of course, is that teachers and fellow students will be able to lead these students to Christ over the next number of years. In a Discipleship school the focus is on training the children from Christian homes, and in the upper grades, equipping students who themselves have made a Christian commitment. The hope is that once equipped these students will be effective evangelists in their communities, on their sports teams, on mission trips, etc. Now, I don’t think one model is right and the other wrong, but these two philosophies lead to two quite different schools.

b) And I think that the history of Christian education has shown that schools that follow the Missionary model tend to lose focus as the influence of unbelievers increases with time. Sometimes what happens is that unbelieving parents can become the majority or get positions of influence on the school board and over time, the school departs strikingly from its original vision. Of course, Discipleship schools can become ingrown and forget the reason why they are discipling children, but overall, I think they can provide a stronger spiritual environment. It’s difficult, for example, to ask a group of students to take some time to pray for one another when some aren’t even believers.

10) I take it that Airdrie Koinonia follows the Discipleship model?

a) Yes. Actually, all the Koinonia Schools use the Discipleship model of Christian education. We believe that the Christian school is primarily designed to assist Christian parents in raising their children for the Lord. At least one parent, therefore, must be born again. Koinonia Schools are Christian institutions where believers come to fellowship and minister together in order to equip young believers for the work of the ministry. We believe that including unbelievers in our prayer times and Bible study times is inappropriate.

11) How do Prayer, Bible study, and Chapels fit into the program at Airdrie?

a) Every day begins with staff prayer and fellowship. This time helps focus everyone on the purpose for our existence. Each classroom then has its own time of prayer and/or devotional reading. We also believe that a thorough course in Bible is vital to a Christian education. It is not an extra, and it is not a complementary course. It is not an option; it is part of our core program. You know, I think that you tell a lot about a school by how they view the place of Bible. Some Christian schools either don’t have a separate Bible program or allocate a very small amount of time to it. I think this says something about the values of the school. Where you allocate your money and your time is a good indicator of what you think is important. In Airdrie we allocate the same minutes of instruction to Bible as we do for our other core subjects. We believe that students who leave our schools should be thoroughly equipped with knowledge of the Bible, theology, ethics, church history, and the Christian perspective on contemporary issues. This Bible class is in addition to Morning Prayer and in addition to the integration of a Biblical perspective into all our subjects. We also have weekly Chapels where students learn to worship together and receive encouragement from others. Most of our students see this as the highlight of the week. Again, this won’t be obvious to an inquiring parent; they will need to ask some specific questions.

12) You’ve referred several times to the Koinonia Schools. Tell me a bit about that organization.

a) There are ten Koinonia Schools across the province of Alberta from Medicine Hat to High Level. All Koinonia Schools subscribe to a common statement of faith, common admissions policy and common hiring policy. While each school is independently run by a parent board, we have chosen to link together for fellowship, encouragement and accountability. Actually, I feel that being part of the Koinonia system has enabled us in Airdrie to blend the best of both worlds. What I mean is that schools run by large, multi-school boards (such as the public or separate system) often lack the freedom, flexibility, and commitment which come from local control and ownership. On the other hand, some independent schools often lack the accountability and support which comes from a close association with other Christian schools. In Koinonia we have local autonomy together with outside accountability to a larger organization. The Koinonia Superintendent and the other experienced Koinonia Principals bring wisdom, encouragement, and accountability to each school while allowing each one the freedom to pursue its own individual vision. It’s pretty neat, actually, and it is certainly something I would encourage parents to investigate carefully. Calgary is blessed with a number of great Christian schools, and they are all unique, but there are also some here and across the province that I could not recommend to parents. I think looking at how the school is organized and governed will say a lot about the kind of school you will get.

13) You mentioned hiring policies. How do you ensure that you have and keep a quality staff?

a) I think that hiring and keeping the best staff possible is the single most important thing we can do to provide a quality education for our students. All hiring is done by the local Koinonia school board, which is composed of parents with children in the school. They have a big stake in finding the right people. That’s one of the nice things about being an independent school. We hire teachers specifically for our school, for our kids. As a parent, you think pretty carefully about who you are going to put in the classroom to teach your own child. So, we work very hard at this.

b) Again, I think hiring is one of those areas where parents need to become informed. All of our teachers must be born again Christians who subscribe wholeheartedly to our statement of faith. That’s fundamental. We also believe that Bible college training is vitally important, for the teacher is expected to bring a Biblical perspective to every course. While public schools and even many Christian schools do not recognize these years of training for pay purposes, Koinonia schools treat them the same as additional years of university education. Of course, our teachers must have a Bachelor of Education degree also, but we look for both the professional training, and the Bible training. This training is vital, and so we are prepared to pay for it.

c) I also think that it is important not only to hire the right people but to keep the right people. We do this by providing reasonable salaries and tuition support for one. And we reward loyalty and ensure stability by giving additional advancement to teachers for every five years that they remain with Koinonia. In effect, we count five years with Koinonia as equivalent to another year of university or Bible College education. I think a parent could check into the salary grid and find out a lot about a school’s values by looking at that. Also, they should investigate staff turnover. Any time there is a large change in staff several years in a row, there is something not right going on. People need to find out what’s the root of the problem and decide if it is getting addressed or not.

14) Are your teachers required to get further training after they join your school?

a) We expect all of our teachers to obtain certification from The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). ACSI is the largest professional association of Christian schools in the world. In order to receive ACSI certification, a teacher must have a Bachelor's degree, the equivalent of one year of Bible school, and must complete a course in the Christian philosophy of education. In order to maintain their certification, they must continue to pursue professional development in both education and Bible knowledge. Some of our teachers come with these qualifications, but they must continually upgrade their skills in subsequent years. We will provide funds to help pay for the courses teachers need to obtain their ACSI certification. And then once they have it, we will pay an additional bonus as long as it is maintained. Again, a school pays for what it values. Follow the dollars and you will likely find what is most important.

15) Should parents judge a school by how their students perform on standardized tests?

a) Standardized tests do not tell the whole story of a school's performance. Obviously, they can reveal nothing about the kind of character development that is taking place. They tell nothing about the relationships between students and teachers. They do not indicate the quality of the art or music or Bible programs. However, they are a useful indicator of a school's ability to teach students the core academics. Koinonia Schools have always used standardized tests to verify the quality of their instructional program. Long before the province of Alberta began to require achievement tests and diploma exams, the Koinonia Schools were using the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills to ensure that the essentials were being well taught. After all, if a school can't teach the basics, what guarantee is there that they can do the more complex task of character development? Now, of course, like all accredited schools, our students write the Provincial Achievement Test and the High School Diploma Exams.

16) How do your students do at Airdrie Koinonia?

a) They do quite well on all these tests. Of course, there is fluctuation from year to year, but we post the five year averages on our website for parents to see.

17) I didn’t see your school in the recent high school listings in the paper. Why is that?

a) Our high school is still a bit small to have enough students writing all the various exams to make it into the ratings. But a parent can compare how our students are doing by looking at the website and drawing their own conclusions.

18) Any final thoughts?

a) Koinonia Schools have a long tradition of providing an education which is uncompromising in its focus on academic excellence with spiritual integrity. We do not believe that it is necessary to sacrifice one for the other, and we encourage parents to investigate every school carefully to ensure that both are being provided. If the values presented here reflect your priorities also, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss enrolling your children with us.