Adventist Education Forum » Jerry Furst

Some Thoughts on Home Schools

Jerry Furst — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:15:55 +0000

Some Thoughts on Home Schools. For many years home schools have been a real challenge to Adventist educators especially in the small schools. When a small church school is trying to maintain an enrollment to remain economically viable, having several church members school their children at home makes it very difficult to continue the operation of the school. I have seen, on occasion, real hostility develop between home school parents and those who support the church school. I have also seen some very poorly operated home schools which deprive the children of a good basic education. However, I am aware of a number of home schools which provided a superior education to their children and they should not be discounted by supporters of Adventist schools.

I would suggest that Adventist teachers, principals, and conference personnel find ways to open up dialogue with Adventist home school parents and search for areas of mutual cooperation. We should try to be as inclusive as possible in our schools as we offer Christian education for our young people. Many home school parents would appreciate being able to avail themselves of some of the services of the Adventist school. There is no reason why our schools should not be as accommodating as possible in such cases.

So, here is a call for collaboration between Adventist parents who home school their children and Adventist schools. We are both in the business of preparing our children for the soon coming of Jesus and we would both benefit by working together on this important mission.

The Complex Mission of Adventist Education

Jerry Furst — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:58:52 +0000

In my years of work in Adventist schools I have tried to keep focused on the basic goals of Adventist education. This has sometimes been a difficult matter because parents send their children to our schools for a variety of reasons. Some want a safe place where their children can be protected from the rough and tumble life of a public school. Others want the academic benefits found in Adventist schools with smaller class size and teachers who give individual attention to their child. Still others value the spiritual atmosphere of the Adventist school. These are just a few of the things Adventist parents look for when selecting a school for their children.

While the mission of an Adventist school is indeed quite complex, Adventist educators must never lose sight of our primary reason-to-be: to bring our children and youth into a personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. As Larry Blackmer so eloquently stated in his recent article in the Review, we must maintain high academic standards in our schools, but first and foremost we must inculcate “distinctly Seventh-day Adventist values in our children.”

Trying to meet the multiple goals set for our schools is sometimes a daunting task. But success can only come as we keep the main goal in constant sight. I am very pleased to see that the educational leaders in the North American Division is giving renewed focus to the Adventist distinctives in our schools. Their effort in this will be a great service to Adventist teachers and administrators as they focus on the complex mission of our schools.

It is Time for Leadership

Jerry Furst — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:52:46 +0000

In my previous post under the section on School Improvement, I expressed concern about the quality of our Adventist schools, and especially the small schools. One of the respondents gave the following explanation for this situation: “My theory on why so many of our small schools are subpar and failing: they are being run by amateurs in their spare time.” I think she is at least partly correct. The operating boards of our small schools are filled by people who are not professional educators and certainly do not give full time thought to the operation of the school. However, this is true of most not-for-profit organizations not just Adventist schools. Very few institutions in the nonprofit sector have full time professionals on their Board of Directors. So, how do we deal with small schools who have non-educators making the decisions about their operation?I have pondered this question for many years as I’ve worked with our Adventist schools, especially the small schools. I think the answer lies partly in the matter of leadership. Here is an excellent opportunity for the professional educators among us to give the training and guidance that is needed for good decision-making at the local operating level. If amateurs don’t have the tools to make good decisions for our small schools then the professionals should step forward and provide the leadership to fill this need.

First, members of local boards should be instructed in their proper role on the board. They need to be shown the difference between policy making and management. They should function in the policy arena and leave the management to the Head Teacher. Second, board members need to be instructed in their proper oversight role and shown the difference between oversight and micro-management.

A further area for leadership by the professional educators is to help head teachers in small schools understand how they are to function in the management of the school. If they don’t manage in a proper way there is a temptation for operating boards to dabble in this area of school operation.

So, this is a call for leadership on the part of our professional educators within the Adventist system. It is badly needed, especially in our small schools

Good Enough for Who It’s For

Jerry Furst — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:08:45 +0000

“It is good enough for who it’s for,” stated my friend in response to a query regarding a project he had just completed for me. We both laughed at this little joke that had become standard between us whenever I asked about how good something was. But over the years I have thought about how this same statement has been applied in Adventist schools. It seems that mediocre teaching is good enough for small schools or kids living in a rural area. We don’t have to have outstanding education as long as it is Christian education. In fact, I’ve heard it stated a many times over the years that a poor Adventist education is far better than a good public education.

I find such an attitude to be totally inconsistent with our Adventist philosophy. From my perspective, good enough should never be acceptable. Adventist education should be the very best and still strive for improvement. Our small one-room schools should have the same high quality of instruction as the very best suburban school. Average teaching should never be accepted as good enough. God’s high ideal for his people can best be exemplified in the very best education for our Adventist young people.