Mr D. Thanks for your post. This is an interesting topic and you have some valuable suggestions. I admire people who teach those grades. They are not easy to teach.

I agree that church schools are not what they should be. Our focus should be on academics and a stronger Bible emphasis. Though they are not what they should be, they are still places where children learn positive Bible truths that affect them for their whole lives.

Some of you sound like you had a very difficult time at church school. My family did too. There were eight children and we were dirt poor. Yes, we had the rich and poor kids in our church school. Yes, we were picked on terribly and we hold some very bad memories. However, that made us grow up stronger people and helped us to be what we are today. We are all strong in the Lord and the majority of us became teachers ourselves. Seeing both sides has made us compassionate and sensitive towards all children and I think that was reflected in our classrooms.

I have had children from large poor families in my classroom. Yes, they were not always treated well by their peers, but I have noted three things:

1. They grew up being stronger and more compassionate people.

2. Most became adults who contributed much to the world and to the church.

3. Though their childhood may have been difficult they have a positive outlook on life.

No doubt, there is room for impovement in our schools and the public system seems to be very inviting at times, but having seem both sides, I would still go through all the bad times I had in church school again. I am determined to 'make heaven my home' and I feel that church school has helped me more in that area than the years I spent in public school.

I can tell you that the academies that I know of as being terrible are:
1)Auburn Adventist Academy, Auburn Washington
even the members of the AAA church wonder what is going on at the school, but really have no control over what happens at the school. I really resent that the academy did not address the issues of bullying, and elietism, they just treated it as "kids will be kids". I was not involved in drugs or drinking, but knowing what I know now and looking back, that is a big part of the reason that I was the odd man out. When the main thing to talk about is Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show, how good is the education being done? There was a history teacher there when I was a student (83-87) that was still a teacher until a couple of years ago!!!! And he was already teaching the kids of kids he had taught!!! Boring...the church schools are part of the reason that I left the church...pretty sad.

I was the odd girl out because I:
1)wore conservative dresses
2)didn't wear make-up
3)didn't date
4)didn't have my own car.

If following the SDA standards place a student in the "geek factor", what are we using our schools for?

Speecher:

I am sorry to hear you left the SDA Church over their Educational System. I am leaving the system after three years, part of the reason being the poor leadership and lack of policy. Yet, I have no plans to leave the SDA Church. They are separate parts of the same big enity. You should try to effect change from within before leaving the church. I have done so, although I admit that it is not easy. Please re-examine your beliefs and pray, pray, pray. The end times will bring a big shaking, and it is my hope that this will flush some of the non-repentant "bad apples" from our SDA Church. Think about it. If you want to vent, please e-mail me at davedavison@kc.rr.com

Mr. D.

I have fond memories of my 3 yrs in SDA academy. I was baptized while there. Oh yeah, there were tormentors there, two were preacher's sons, and one a teacher's son. I feel a good foundation was laid for me there.

My son had a totally different experience. I sent him to our church schools from first grade thru high school. His miserable experience started when he was skipped from first to third grade. The kids he caught up with in third grade made it hell for him.

We are by no means rich or poor, yes, he is a doctor's kid, but he was treated like a pariah in high school; he was never in with the "in" group. So after h.s. I sent him to a public university. Today, he goes to a Baptist church, and has nothing good to say about our schools or the church. I had little inkling of what he was going thru in h.S., otherwise I would have sent him to another school.

GerryC

I have listen to this thread with interest. My wife is a principle and a teacher in the Washington conference...

Our experience here is totally different than in Idaho Conference...The people here are of a broader spectrum of liberal and conservative in thier behavior and thinking...Children here are more spontaneous, less disciplined, and treat each other with less respect than in Idaho...My wife is working to instill this into the children..early on...[she teaches grades 1-4]. This is our first year here in Washington, but I believe that she has laid a good foundation for next year and that next year, the kids will be better yet...

Parents are the key and the teacher is the one who makes the observation. The Parent[s] need to work with the teachers to help make the whole school a good safe enviorment for kids to learn, about the world and themselves...

What was learned by my family in SDA schools:

1. How to be excluded - how to have a very strong "us and them" sense, and if anyone was different in any way - how to make them feel awful.

2. How to be sexually abused and see the school take no notice of it or admit any responsibility - in fact work actively to smear the name of the family in the community.

3. How to make kids who spend 14 years in SDA educational systems despise studying the Bible.

4. How to ensure that the church is viewed as loveless, rejecting, abusive, intolerant, and unkind.

Jack

Gee, aren't advestist schools great! What a winner attitude they have instilled in so many of my friends. None of my friends are church members anymore. One of my clearest memories from the academy is that of a girl being kicked out of school because of how she cut her hair...the message was loud and clear that if you don't look a certain way, Jesus and the SDA church want nothing to do with you!!! She worked hard, got good grades, and I doubt she attends church anymore. What a message that was, I never changed how I looked for fear I would be kicked out!!! Church schools stink!!!

I never went to a SDA School.
My friend Don Laing did.

Our graduation from High School was the same year.

My clas has a lot of people doing menial work and only a few of us went on to further our education. Many of my class have died.

His class, with all of its 'restrictions and rules' created a group of people that is contributing much more to society, (I am talking about MD's, Dentists, lawyers etc,) in my opinion than my class has. One of his class has died and she was murdered.

On the other hand, Military Academies, can make out schools look like a Sunday School picnic when it comes to rules. They produce world class leaders.

Stan

I went through our school system from Grades 1 though 16 or college. During that time I went to four elementary schools one academy and one university. Yes there was rules but being on the west coast we were more liberal and since I was sort of on the conservative side on my dress style and hair cuts anyway I never had any problems. I greatly enjoyed by adventist school system experience. Both my kids are going through our school system same as me and they to have no problems.

I think you guys are looking at all the negative stuff and not looking at the good stuff in our schools. Yes our schools make mistakes but remember this. According to a survey done by the church most kids left the church NOT because of the school but because of their home experience. If the parents are over restrictive it will tend to drive the kids out of the church. After all the kids can come home and get away from those rules at the school anyway.

Jim