If your child is coming from a public school or secular learning environment, you may be curious about the best ways to transition your child to faith-based learning. Certainly there are subtle differences, but none are so major that your child won’t adjust quickly. For many families, the choice to transition to a faith-based program comes after years of questioning or disapproving of elements of the public school curriculum. However, it is important to remember that faith-based learning still fosters critical thinking skills and helps your child to grow into a productive member of society.
In this brief article, experts from a Christian middle school in Clearwater, FL with Lakeside Christian School share a few tips to help transition your child to faith-based learning.
Building friendships with other students will help your child more seamlessly transition to the faith-based environment. This will help them understand the connection between fellowship and learning, while also helping them build meaningful friendships for life.
In many cases, the transition from public to faith-based learning comes with a shift in your child’s interests. If your child is showing new interests in their faith-based program, try to be supportive of these interests while giving them space to explore and grow.
Your child may have questions about faith-based education and how it differs from public school curriculums. For example, a public high school may have a more liberal sexual education program than a private Christian high school in Clearwater, FL. That might create questions about why the programs are different and what this means, or if they must share the same faith as their school. In some cases, faith-based learning might push students to investigate and fully understand scripture in a way that makes them have questions. This is all healthy, and having an open dialogue with your kids about these differences is important in transitioning from public to private schooling.
Your child, no matter their age, is looking to you to figure out how they should behave and interact, especially in a faith-based environment that is new to them. Keep a positive attitude — even when your teen is moody about the change — and be proactive in getting them involved in getting to know their new school.
A major element of faith-based learning is, well, faith. This seems obvious, but for some children, it comes as a surprise when they are expected to begin learning Bible lessons and parables. Preparing your child for the added curriculum elements can help them adjust more easily, as they will understand that school isn’t just for studying Math, Science, English, and History.
Just as your child will get the opportunity to be included in Bible lessons, your child will also be given the opportunity to participate in prayer on a daily basis. If your child is comfortable with prayer and it is a part of your home, you are one step closer to making the transition easier. If your family doesn’t often discuss prayer, before your child’s first day in a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, practice praying together. This can help ease some of the discomfort your son or daughter might feel when others are praying if it is not something they are used to.
Especially if they’re coming from an environment where they are in a classroom with 30-40 other students on a daily basis, the smaller class sizes of a private school can be a culture shock. It’s important to discuss with your teen the differences in class size and what that means on every level: social, educational, and emotional. Your teen might even admit that they feel vulnerable in a smaller class size, but that is totally normal. Without a large crowd to blend into, it’s easier to stand out — but for some kids this takes a bit of adjusting.
Above all else, in order to transition your child to faith-based learning you must choose the right school for your individual child. Lakeside Christian School is a private, faith-based school with skilled teachers who can help your child or teen transition into their new environment with little disruption to their lives.
Lakeside Christian School is among the best private high schools in Clearwater, FL, and uses a tailored approach to your child’s education. If you’re interested in learning more about how we challenge all of our students to achieve their academic and personal goals, give us a call.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.