There is a myth that children cannot learn Christian character traits if they attend public school. Whether or not the teachers of your children are Christian, you can help your kids learn and practice the things God would want them to at school. It begins by realizing you are the one in charge of the spiritual education of your children.
Having accepted that responsibility, you need a plan like any other teacher might create. You don’t need a fancy planner, but you do need to jot down the Christian character traits, principles and commands you want your kids to focus on at school this year. Better yet, involve your children in the planning! What do they need to practice intentionally to become more like God wants them to be – a more perfect reflection of God himself? The answers might be slightly different for each child. One might need to work on patience while another needs to be more respectful of authority. Some things you might decide all of you need to work on this year – like doing everything without complaining. (By the way, this process works for children who attend private school or are homeschooled as well.)
Then spend time brainstorming ways they can intentionally practice those things during the school day. Perhaps, they all want to get in the habit of thanking the teacher at the end of every class or school day. Maybe they want to find opportunities to help others throughout the day and then actually help. Maybe they want to focus on being honest and avoid using AI to do their schoolwork. Make sure you have as many options as possible to make it more likely they will get daily practice.
Each afternoon or evening, spend some time chatting with your children. How did their spiritual education progress during the day? Where do they think they grew? Where did they falter – even if it wasn’t one of their personal goals, but they failed to fully be who God would want them to be? What will they do tomorrow to grow? Doing this daily will help all of you stay focused on the most important education of all – their spiritual education. Don’t assume your kids will become faithful, productive Christians by accident. Be intentional this year. You all may be surprised about how much growth happens when you are intentional.
