Advancing Christ-Centered Education with a Public School Background

During her 16 years of working in public schools, Meghan Coates was skeptical of private education. 

“I was thoroughly convinced that in private education, they must be skipping something,” Coates said. “I would get to the end of the day and think, ‘I worked my tail off today. How in the world did they have time for chapel, to study the Bible, or to stop and pray with their kids?’” 

Now the Head of School at ACSI-accredited Scofield Christian School in Dallas, Texas, Coates sees what she was missing.

“What I've come to realize is that when Christ is infused into everything that you're doing, you're not having to stop and have Bible time,” Coates said.  

Coates knows it still takes wise time management to incorporate things like chapel, but that’s a privilege that Christian schools uniquely possess. 

“I've been really pleased that nothing's missing in private education,” she said. “The greatest benefit is that, along with the academic excellence, you also get to have Christ at the center, and that's just something you can't do in the public education world.” 

Instructing the Whole Child 

One clear distinctive Coates sees in Christian education is its approach to discipline. Students misbehave in public and Christian schools alike, but a teacher’s approach can be much more holistic in the latter. 

“I'm able to speak to a kid and tell them, ‘Not only is this not the standard that we're supposed to live under, but also, it's not who you were created to be,’” Coates said. “Explaining to them that God made you in His image, and in His image means that we behave in a way that is glorifying to Him.” 

That philosophy moves beyond a black-and-white set of rules that lack a deeper purpose. 

“Teaching them through the lens of who they were created to be, not just the rules that we have to follow,” Coates said. “That's been so sweet and so eye-opening to me.” 

She isn’t the only one who appreciates reaching students on a deeper level. 

Toby Walker spent several years as a public school educator before becoming a principal at Grace Cascade Christian Schools in Medford, Oregon. 

“I think public schools have a lot of great resources and training to meet the needs of diverse learners: students who are on IEPs, who have learning disabilities, but also students who are scoring fours and fives on AP tests,” Walker said. “Then, private schools really focus on the whole child. You can develop a program, an opportunity, and an environment where every kid can flourish not only academically, but spiritually.” 

This integration of faith and practice extends beyond student discipline and into curriculum and instruction. 

Expanding the Educational Toolbox 

Dr. Jason Nave, Head of School at Crossings Christian School in Oklahoma City, spent five years teaching and coaching in public schools and now more than 15 years as a Christian school educator. 

“I value my public school background,” he said. “It really makes you appreciate when you get into a Christian school, so you have a backdrop with which to compare.” 

Nave found the public school curriculum confining, especially when addressing moral issues without the ability to reference Scripture. 

“In our public school systems, our hands are tied,” he said. “We're all sinners who need a Savior, so things have rapidly changed in our society, and our Christian schools are on those rapids as well. The difference is we can face them with absolute truth and a moral bedrock.” 

Dr. Jon Hill has a similar outlook. Currently the Superintendent at Rosslyn Academy in Kenya, Hill has split his career roughly 50-50 between Christian and secular schools since he became an educator in 1999. 

“In secular schools, it was in some ways quite frustrating as a Christian because it felt like I couldn't bring all of the tools in my toolbox,” he said.  

Hill saw plenty of opportunities to glorify God in a secular school, but he enjoys the breadth of tools he can use in Christian schools.  

“I just appreciate it now so much being able to have conversations about the same things but being able to bring the gospel into that situation,” he said. “Being able to pray with people who are in conflict, being able to seek common ground, and to try and bring the authority of Scripture into those conversations. It's so much more professionally rewarding for me to open that toolbox in those conversations.” 

For educators considering the transition to a Christ-centered school, the shift can feel both exciting and daunting. 

Making the Transition 

Coates acknowledges that a public school educator might feel the weight of acting as a disciple maker in their classroom. 

“I have to be mindful of the way that I approach everything because kids are looking to me as an example of Christ,” she said. “It may feel scary and you may feel unprepared.” 

She remembers when she was first hired by a Christian school. 

“I thought, ‘Do they know what they're doing? What experience do I have that is actually valuable?’” Coates said. “What I found is that if you love the Lord and you care deeply about discipling the next generation, as well as knowing how to teach your subject area well, you're going to be fine.” 

 Most of all, the fields are ripe for harvest. 

“We need excellent educators who are well-versed in the world of education, who deeply love Jesus, and are passionate about discipling the next generation,” she said.  

Acknowledging the Gap 

Kristen Ainsworth trains future public and Christian school educators to teach from a Christian worldview, but the idea of incorporating biblical wisdom into the classroom used to be foreign to her. 

Ainsworth grew up in public schools, and her first 12 years of teaching were in public schools. She trained at a Christian university in a teacher education program but never received—or learned how to apply—biblical worldview integration in a classroom. 

“We had chapel and we had required Bible courses, and our teachers were always willing to pray with us, but then our content was separate from that,” she said. “We were never taught to think Christianly about our content.” 

Ainsworth sees a gap between Christian educators’ spiritual beliefs and their training. 

“Our theological formation doesn't match with our pedagogical formation,” she said.  

Part of the issue, Ainsworth believes, is that Christian higher education institutions often train future teachers primarily for public school environments and can undervalue the full-fledged biblical worldview integration that is possible in Christian school settings. 

“Typically, that's because many of your teachers are going to teach in public schools at some point in their career,” Ainsworth said. “Oftentimes, Christian schools are only hiring teachers who've had a few years of experience under their belt.” 

Ainsworth advises Christian K-12 schools to find the Christian colleges and universities that are training future educators in biblical worldview formation and then be willing to hire those teachers right out of college. 

She will speak at the upcoming Rooted Educator Worldview Summit, taking place June 15-17 in Colorado Springs, on all of these topics and more. 

“Together we'll uncover insights that can impact our students to become the Christ followers we hope they will become as a result of their time in our Christian schools,” Ainsworth said.