Chris, thanks so much for sharing your journey in this. I'm genuinely horrified at the lack of real engagement with the actual issues that you have received - sadly the ideology of the left leads me to believe things would be even worse under a Labor government. That a teacher would ever say to a child 'you shouldn't tell your parents' about _any_ event, experience, or feeling that they have while out of their parent's care is a red flag of the highest order.
When I first started thinking through my kids education, I was wholly committed to public education as a societal good and was adamant that my kids would be in the public system and we would, with help them to navigate that - i should also note that I was a teacher in that same system. When my family and I came to follow Jesus, I remained committed to that principle, with an added intent to 'be salt and light' - but 3 things changed my mind.
1. I witnessed first hand the dismissal of parent concerns, unless that parent was well connected to the staff or was thought highly of. This was both in my role as a staff member and as a parent of a child who was experiencing severe bullying. This was to the point that the anxiety over it was keeping them awake through all hours of the night, and their capacity to cope with even the smallest things diminished rapidly. When we raised it with the school, we were essentially told 'yep those kids can be a bit tough but your child's not the only one who has experienced it and they just need to build resilience'.
2. I saw how faith was dismissed and even ridiculed in the public sphere in a high school environment - by teachers and ancillary staff, as well as by peers
3. The LGBTQI+ issues you raise weren't on the horizon yet, but I disagreed with sex education that included for people under the age of consent actual practise putting a condom on a banana in a dark room and an open Q and A question session for 13/14yo where a student had anonymously asked "what are flavoured condoms for?" And the teacher, after reading the question out loud replied "so you don't have to taste rubber when you give someone a headjob". Knowing the students in that classroom, I estimate more than half saw this as a lesson on how to, rather than an education on sexual health, and many would have been very embarrassed by the teacher's comment and highly unlikely to ever say anything to their parents about it.
There were other events that were overtly sexual within the school population that I witnessed, but which likely happen in any environment where there are large groups of teenagers who are goong through puberty, and learning and experimenting with expressing their sexual nature. It was the 3 above however that led me to make the decision that I wanted my children to be in a school in which parent input is both welcomed and supported, one where their faith would not be seen as incompatible with being intelligent, and where as they grew and wrestled with their own understanding of faith and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, they wouldn't immediately be an anomaly as a result.
Sadly Christian schools also failed us in some aspects, but I look at my children now and they have solid Christian friendships that continue beyond school and they have learned to think and question and form views not just based on what others think (even when I don't agree with a view that they have formed, I'm grateful that i can see that they have formed it not simply absorbed it).
So glad your child has found a supportive environment and is enjoying the change. Praying for you and the family in amongst this.
Thanks for your prayers and support. You raise many salient points.
The public education system in this state (but for one or two good teachers, which we have experienced) is in dire straits, due mostly to ideological captivity to the hard left.
I hear your point re the ALP, but personally, I'm done with giving the Liberals a free pass because Labor would be worse. I'd rather it get worse so we can start fixing it, than the Liberals who just allow it to happen slowly and more subtlety whilst trying to claim they are standing against it, which they are not.
Discipling your kids is hard work! But God doesn't give us anything we can't manage in His strength!
Once again thanks for the prayers, I genuinely appreciate them! :)
Please don't hear me giving the Liberals a free pass - political leadership on both sides is simply appalling, and I don't see the way out of the quagmire (except for 'Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!').
Sadly even the right is subject to the hard left, who appear so amenable but spew vitriol and hatred at those who don't agree with either their ideology or their methodology.
Thanks for sharing Chris. I’ve been wondering how your family has been getting on. I recently listened to the witch trails of jk rowling (Spotify) which explores some of the social issues surrounding these things. You may find it interesting. Claire.
I was shocked to see the content of all those posters, especially the one with the Premier's photo! A rainbow flag draping the principal's desk is appalling. Thanks for sharing your story. Most members of the public don't go into school buildings and would have no idea that this is happening.
Chris, thanks so much for sharing your journey in this. I'm genuinely horrified at the lack of real engagement with the actual issues that you have received - sadly the ideology of the left leads me to believe things would be even worse under a Labor government. That a teacher would ever say to a child 'you shouldn't tell your parents' about _any_ event, experience, or feeling that they have while out of their parent's care is a red flag of the highest order.
When I first started thinking through my kids education, I was wholly committed to public education as a societal good and was adamant that my kids would be in the public system and we would, with help them to navigate that - i should also note that I was a teacher in that same system. When my family and I came to follow Jesus, I remained committed to that principle, with an added intent to 'be salt and light' - but 3 things changed my mind.
1. I witnessed first hand the dismissal of parent concerns, unless that parent was well connected to the staff or was thought highly of. This was both in my role as a staff member and as a parent of a child who was experiencing severe bullying. This was to the point that the anxiety over it was keeping them awake through all hours of the night, and their capacity to cope with even the smallest things diminished rapidly. When we raised it with the school, we were essentially told 'yep those kids can be a bit tough but your child's not the only one who has experienced it and they just need to build resilience'.
2. I saw how faith was dismissed and even ridiculed in the public sphere in a high school environment - by teachers and ancillary staff, as well as by peers
3. The LGBTQI+ issues you raise weren't on the horizon yet, but I disagreed with sex education that included for people under the age of consent actual practise putting a condom on a banana in a dark room and an open Q and A question session for 13/14yo where a student had anonymously asked "what are flavoured condoms for?" And the teacher, after reading the question out loud replied "so you don't have to taste rubber when you give someone a headjob". Knowing the students in that classroom, I estimate more than half saw this as a lesson on how to, rather than an education on sexual health, and many would have been very embarrassed by the teacher's comment and highly unlikely to ever say anything to their parents about it.
There were other events that were overtly sexual within the school population that I witnessed, but which likely happen in any environment where there are large groups of teenagers who are goong through puberty, and learning and experimenting with expressing their sexual nature. It was the 3 above however that led me to make the decision that I wanted my children to be in a school in which parent input is both welcomed and supported, one where their faith would not be seen as incompatible with being intelligent, and where as they grew and wrestled with their own understanding of faith and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, they wouldn't immediately be an anomaly as a result.
Sadly Christian schools also failed us in some aspects, but I look at my children now and they have solid Christian friendships that continue beyond school and they have learned to think and question and form views not just based on what others think (even when I don't agree with a view that they have formed, I'm grateful that i can see that they have formed it not simply absorbed it).
So glad your child has found a supportive environment and is enjoying the change. Praying for you and the family in amongst this.
Thanks for your prayers and support. You raise many salient points.
The public education system in this state (but for one or two good teachers, which we have experienced) is in dire straits, due mostly to ideological captivity to the hard left.
I hear your point re the ALP, but personally, I'm done with giving the Liberals a free pass because Labor would be worse. I'd rather it get worse so we can start fixing it, than the Liberals who just allow it to happen slowly and more subtlety whilst trying to claim they are standing against it, which they are not.
Discipling your kids is hard work! But God doesn't give us anything we can't manage in His strength!
Once again thanks for the prayers, I genuinely appreciate them! :)
Please don't hear me giving the Liberals a free pass - political leadership on both sides is simply appalling, and I don't see the way out of the quagmire (except for 'Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!').
Sadly even the right is subject to the hard left, who appear so amenable but spew vitriol and hatred at those who don't agree with either their ideology or their methodology.
Thanks for sharing Chris. I’ve been wondering how your family has been getting on. I recently listened to the witch trails of jk rowling (Spotify) which explores some of the social issues surrounding these things. You may find it interesting. Claire.
I did listen to that podcast! Very interesting.
I was shocked to see the content of all those posters, especially the one with the Premier's photo! A rainbow flag draping the principal's desk is appalling. Thanks for sharing your story. Most members of the public don't go into school buildings and would have no idea that this is happening.
I remain shocked to this day by how overt it was, and how little could be done about it.