Education in Crisis
I am more convinced all the time that we need to infiltrate the education system with righteousness. I actually was brought to tears reading today's paper, mainly because the article was much closer to my soul that when in print.
The high school in our neighborhood passes 37.1 % of kids, and the state is preparing to close it all together. This school was the " pride of Charlotte," from the 1940's through the 1960's and became a "national showcase for successful desegregation." ...
The school started this year with 35 new teachers, and 20 will not be back this September. This West Charlotte school has begun offering a $10,000 signing bonus for any experienced teachers that will come teach in West Charlotte, and as to date has paid out nothing as not even one experienced teacher has applied to come.
The current teachers say that " tests don't measure the heartbreaking lives of these kid's."
It is disturbing here when you ask a kid, " What do you want to do after you finish school?" and they stare back at you with a blank look saying " Do ? What do you mean?"
There is so much we can do as the Body of Christ. It is a lie that the school system is closed to the gospel, in fact our experience is that the system is crying out for good news. We have school counselors calling us to work out career days and make-up tests with the kids in our neighborhoods.
Later this week we will take a kid to DHQ for a career exploration day in the IT department. The principal is letting us take kids out of school for discipleship; see the IT department is not only a door plaque to this student, his friend and cell leader works there.
We called his principal and made a covenant stating that if our friend goes to school for 5 days straight then he could come and spend a day with his Jesus Mentor hanging out. We are bringing him on Thursday, and that week he went to school every day will be the only one he completed this year.
He will be given natural lessons in IT installation and web design alongside supernatural deposits of love and hope.
There is so much we can do if only we will.