Going Public

David Pritchard, Kelli Pritchard, Dean Merrill

Description

"Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Taking this verse at face value provides the perfect opportunity to prove it in the educational setting of our children, say the authors of Going Public. By nurturing the life and power of Christ within them, students will be ready to stand against negative influences no matter the environment, even bringing light to a dark place. They will also benefit from many of the services that the public school system has to offer. Readers of this practical guide will learn how moms and dads have a strategic role to play in the ongoing development of their school-age children. Discover what the Bible says about education, the three most important things to teach your public-school child, how to shape your child through teachable moments, the importance of getting involved at school, and why everyone should homeschool in addition to public school.

Sujets

• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441224361
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

P RAISE F OR
Going Public:
Your Child Can Thrive in Public School

God brought David and Kelli Pritchard into my life at a time when the odds were against me. David and Kelli opened their home and their hearts to me, allowing me to watch and learn how a godly family lives and loves. I continually thank God for showing me all I could hope for, desire and have in a family.
Michael DeGraw
Teenager who lived with the Pritchards for a time
Going Public reveals the Pritchards’ hearts for unconditional love and aggressive positive involvement by parents in their children’s educational life, and provides many excellent suggestions for parents to use with regard to their interaction with schools. The Pritchards’ insightful book is clearly founded on Christian principles and establishes the sort of connections all Christians should have with others—even those who serve at “government” schools. Parents who read Going Public may end up being better informed on schooling issues than the educational staff with whom they interact throughout their children’s public-school experience. I heartily recommend this book to professional educators and parents alike.
Daniel C. Elliott, Ed.D.
Professor and Curriculum Specialist
Office of Distance Learning
Azusa Pacific University
Going Public is the right book at the right time for frazzled and frantic parents. I have known the Pritchard family as pastor and friend for more than 20 years. Their insights and experiences will bring purpose and peace to many lives.
Darcy Fast
Former Major League Baseball player
Senior Pastor, Centralia Community Church
The composure and poise that Tavita Pritchard showed when he was thrust into the national spotlight is the type of character quality that takes a lifetime of parenting to produce. I highly recommend this book and the message that the Pritchards have on parenting.
Jim Harbaugh
Stanford University Head Football Coach and Former NFL player
Over the past two decades, we have witnessed David and Kelli’s wise, biblical and practical approach to raising their own children and countless others. You are holding an excellent tool for all parents who want to raise kids who will find and fulfill their God-given destiny.
Sam and Kathi Katina
The Katinas
As David and Kelli’s pastor, I have had many opportunities to observe their lives up close. They are an amazing couple with a unique blend of passion and compassion for Jesus, life and people. I know that God will use the principles they have built their lives and family on as they share them with others.
Dr. Jim Kennington
Pastor, Lake City Community Church
While many Christian families fear the negative influence of public schools, the Pritchards remind us that we don’t have to “take God into the public schools,” because He’s already there! Finally, a positive, practical book that encourages people to work together as a family and impact our schools and communities for Jesus.
Kjel and Leslie Kiilsgaard
Public high school teacher and coach
High school counselor
Christian parents sometimes agonize about issues related to their children’s education—and often with good reason. Going Public is a wonderful resource that takes families beyond pat answers and “conventional wisdom.” I especially encourage parents to instill in their kids the “Big Five,” as the Pritchards recommend (see chapter 11 ). David and Kelli Pritchard provide practical content that will assist parents throughout their children’s school years.
Alex McFarland, M.A., D.D.
President, Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Veritas Graduate School
If you want to find out what marriage and parenting is all about, just watch David and Kelli as they interact with each other and with their children. One of the things that strike me the most is the love and respect their children have for them. If the proof is in the pudding, you only have to watch the Pritchard family to see a model of a family that loves each other and the God who created them.
Bill Paige
Vice President and Special Assistant to the President of Young Life
As a coach, I am always looking for examples of devotion and self-control so that I can relate those qualities to our team. The Pritchard family is a perfect example of those qualities. I personally know all eight of the Pritchard children and have taught and coached two of them. They reach for the highest stars, knowing that if they fail, they will still hit the moon.
Jonathan B. Randall
Physical Education Instructor and Head Football and Baseball Coach
Clover Park High School
Because the Pritchards believe every child is of great value and worth, their home has become a refuge for many who have been forgotten. They have been able to give to “the forgotten” who have crossed their path and call them “friend.”
Steven R. Ridgway
Executive Director, Northwest Network Foundation
David and Kelly Pritchard have been modeling good parenting for the last 20 years. Their methods are based on sound principles that will work in any culture and with any type of children. You will be blessed as you read their parenting strategies based on the concept that children are most fulfilled when their parents are in control.
Don and Robin Stuber
National Directors of Small Town Ministries, Young Life
Going Public is a must-read for anyone considering public education for their children. David and Kelli Pritchard remind us that the responsibility of raising our children begins and ends with their most influential teachers—parents.
Lynne Thompson
Author, Official Soccer Mom Devotional
What’s a Christian parent to do when it comes to school choice? Should Christian parents homeschool, send their children to Christian school or enroll them in public school? I do not believe that there is one correct answer for all. However, for parents choosing public schools for formal education, Going Public: How Your Child Can Thrive in Public School is a must-read.
Parents need to saturate their homes with the truth of their faith 24/7 and play a major role in the daily formal education, whether that training takes place exclusively at home, in a Christian school, or in a public school. In Proverbs 22:6, parents are told to “train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.” Training does not merely come from isolated formal training, but is the sum total of the life experiences.
The Pritchards point out the importance of teaching children the fear of the Lord, the need to obey parents, and the importance of maintaining self-control to thrive in the public-school environment. Further, they give practical tips on what to do and what to avoid. In the process, they tackle the tough issues, such as how to deal with sex education, the homosexual agenda, the roles of moms and dads, and the public-school campus as a mission field for believers.
Using biblical truths and practical examples, David and Kelli Pritchard have succeeded in writing a “how to” book about thriving in public schools.
Finn Laursen
Executive Director, Christian Educators Association International www.ceai.org

2008 David and Kelli Pritchard
Interior photos © Karie Hamilton. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
Baker Books edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-2436-1
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
AMP —Scripture taken from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright © 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
NASB —Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible , © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
NKJV —Scripture taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
TNIV —Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version ® TNIV ®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights requested worldwide.
This book is dedicated to all of the families who deeply care about educating their children, as well as the teachers and staff who daily serve those students.
Contents


Foreword By Denny Rydberg, President of Young Life
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
You Can Do It!
Chapter 2
Is Public Education an Evil Plot?
Chapter 3
What the Bible Says About Education
Chapter 4
The Most Important Thing to Teach Your Public-School Child
Chapter 5
The Second Most Important Thing …
Chapter 6
The Third Most Important Thing …
Chapter 7
The Magic of Being Nice
Chapter 8
Submitting to Authority
Chapter 9
Teachable Moments
Chapter 10
Up Close and Personal
Chapter 11
Everybody Should “Homeschool”
Chapter 12
Your Very Best Chance
Chapter 13
For Men Only
Chapter 14
The Nearest Mission Field
Chapter 15
The Moon Is Round
Afterword
From Our Children
Foreword
By Denny Rydberg, President of Young Life
Some called it the biggest upset in college football history. On October 6, 2