tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post112025380959715659..comments2023-10-23T12:23:54.134-05:00Comments on Larry James' Urban Daily: Reality Check: Poverty and EducationLarry Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06124477733714017000noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post-1121032859647052172005-07-10T17:00:00.000-05:002005-07-10T17:00:00.000-05:00Larry and others,I believe that Christ can shine i...Larry and others,<BR/><BR/>I believe that Christ can shine in both public and private school. The fact that many are not moving and putting their faith into actions can be found in both places. The largest christian schools are our public schools. Many christians walks the hallways everyday. There are many and a lot more than the small christian schools we have. This is true on the secondary as well as collegiate. Let's mobilize all these christians in the public and private. We continue to think small, but there is a large army in our public schools even in the inner city. Putting your faith to work is what we should be teaching. Our affluent privates school have their own set of issues many are the same as innercity school. So, let's get busy!!!TDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034420351918545865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post-1120588660058238242005-07-05T13:37:00.000-05:002005-07-05T13:37:00.000-05:00Great comments! Epic, my experience tells me that...Great comments! <BR/><BR/>Epic, my experience tells me that the birth of children without fathers in the home or in marriage is also a product of poverty. Not to say that this same thing does not happen in more affluent communities. But there are forces at work in impoverished communities that contribute to the phenomenon in ways I never understood until I moved here. I believe it is naive and not a little foolish to embark on marriage enrichment efforts without addressing in a systemic manner the issues of poverty that affect families and especially young men and women. <BR/><BR/>jbs, what a challenging and "right on" post! I have long believed and contended publically (with fairly heated critical response!) that the abandonment of public schools, especially in urban communities, by affluent Christians has played a major role in the decline of the entire system. While the issues facing urban communities and public education cannot be isolated only to this one fact of life in the nation, it is clear that people of faith and means have often turned away from this public responsibility and opportunity. <BR/><BR/>I agree. You are married to a minister.Larry Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06124477733714017000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post-1120573131322073422005-07-05T09:18:00.000-05:002005-07-05T09:18:00.000-05:00I am a minister in a church who is blessed to be m...I am a minister in a church who is blessed to be married to a minister in our public schools. My wife is an elementary music teacher at a school that is mostly low-income students and I am constantly encouraged by the ministry she and the other educators provide these students and their community. <BR/><BR/>I am discouraged by the inability of the Texas legislature to come anywhere close to educational reform that actually makes sense to educators. <BR/><BR/>I am also discouraged by the fractured response of the church to the social needs of our communities, including educational reform. The church is fracturing into homeschool, private school, and public school camps. While I am sure all three groups have some valid perspectives, I am troubled by how the varied approaches dilute the impact of the church on the community. <BR/><BR/>I wonder what would happen if a church put aside its personal opinions about education and worked together to bless the public schools in its area. What would happen if the church got actively involved in the lives of the students and families within those local schools. How might we be apart of educational and societaly reform? <BR/><BR/>While I recognize the value of private schools and while I am more than aware of the present dangers in the public schools, I cannot help but wonder what an army of Christ's compassion do on the local level in some of the Texas schools and communities. <BR/><BR/>I realize such a public expression of faith is rare in this world of privatized faith but I cannot help but wonder...JBShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17402631780644554479noreply@blogger.com