Past Principal Points

Reasons to Re-Enroll, or Not!

For most families, there is no question about re-enrolling. They came to AKCS to get an excellent education in a thoroughly Christian environment and plan on staying forever. Generally, 90% of our students do return every year. Sometimes, however, it’s a more difficult decision. While in general, I believe every child should be in a Christian school if possible, there are times when that is not the best choice. Usually, this is only at the secondary level. The trick is to know which arguments are really valid and which ones are faulty. Over the years, I’ve heard some pretty fuzzy thinking, so here are my thoughts on some bad reasons and some good reasons for not re-enrolling—a partial list.

One of the bad reasons, for secondary students, has to do with options. This is less of an issue every year as we increase the number of electives we offer. AKCS offers courses in computers, art, drama, French, cooking, psychology, law, and industrial ed. Scores of other courses are offered through distance education or online. While the total list may not be as long as in some schools, our students have access to all the critical electives they might need. And what students don’t realize is that in a large high school they often cannot take the courses they wish because of time tabling difficulties.

However, choosing a school because of the electives offered is never a wise move. Students who are university bound should be focusing on the core subjects as much as possible, taking biology, chemistry, and physics, and that leaves very little time for electives. Also, the most important “elective” of all is Bible, and that is not available in public schools. What could be more important than taking Career and Life Management which deals with marriage, family, money, and careers, from a Christian perspective? Students and parents need to look past the quantity of courses listed and consider what their child really needs and will really be able to get. When it comes to electives, we offer an excellent range of courses. When it comes to the core, AKCS consistently outperforms most other schools.

Another reason students will sometimes give is that they don’t get along with a particular teacher. While one hopes for excellent relations between every student and teacher, this doesn’t always develop. However, each year is new; teachers come and go, and they change and grow over time (as do students!) Transferring to another school is no guarantee of getting along better with teachers, although maturity often is! Our experience is that as students get older they find the teachers get better every year… hmmm! J

Sometimes a student will want to change schools because they have no friends. This is a tough one to solve, for sure. Parents and students alike need to ask themselves why this is so. Will they make friends more easily in another school, or are there changes that they need to make personally which will help them establish friendships? I have found, in general, that friendly kids make friends easily wherever they go while others always struggle in this area.

Sometimes parents will feel that they can no longer afford a Christian education for their kids. We have always had a policy of not turning a child away due to lack of funds, so this reason usually boils down to priorities. Every year we have several families receiving some form of financial aid. In many cases these are short-term situations due to specific employment issues. Generally, once the employment situation stabilizes these families are able to resume paying full tuition. We believe that “where God guides, He provides” so the money will be there (perhaps in part from the school) when it’s needed.

There are also a couple of good reasons for not re-enrolling. The first is that AKCS might not have an appropriate program for a child. Over the years, I have encouraged families whose children are more than one year behind their expected grade level to consider other schools. AKCS does a good job with students with mild learning disabilities; we do not do well (at this point) for those with moderate to severe difficulties.

A second reason for a student to not re-enroll is where, through their attitudes and/or behavior, they have made it clear that they are not supportive of the program and values of the school. In these cases, it is better for the student (as well as parents, teachers, and classmates) that he or she moves to a different school.

A third reason to not re-enroll is that God is calling the student away to another school. This may be because he or she has gifts in evangelism or because there is a very special program which another school offers that seems to be part of God’s long term plan for that student. The bottom line is that every child should be where God wants him or her. This is really the heart of the issue, and it is a matter for prayer and clear thinking. How can a student know God’s will in this area? They should ask advice from the most caring people in their life: their parents and teachers. If these two agree on the move, it is probably a good idea. If they don’t, it’s probably not a good idea. Regardless, the decision should be made on the basis of eternal values, not merely personal preferences, for the consequences can be very significant.

Brian Hazeltine, B.Ed., M.A.
Principal, Airdrie Koinonia Christian School

Last modified: 2004/05/06