May, 1986

My Unseen Teacher
Marc de Waard

My initial reaction? Don't do it. But somehow my voice muttered "yes". And suddenly it dawned on me that a whole page in the Pioneer was mine. It was to be on Christian education. Should I be pro or anti Christian school? Should I use references and good quotes to give bone fida credence to my arguments? Would I put you to sleep in the process? More than likely yes. So what would I do? The Pioneer is an avenue for Reformed members to communicate with each other, to share, to encourage. Thus I would not use it for scholarly purposes. Rather, let me use it to share with you my contacts with Christian education in the hope that it will cause you to look at it in a new light.

To set the tone for this article, I need to stress two premises that this is based on: 1) True education starts in the cradle and ends in the grave; 2) True education is not taught, it is caught. So let's start.

I am 27 years young and my first contact with Christian education came from my Christian parents, than from my church and then my school(s). This sometimes even happened all together- than I was really educated. Grade 9 was my first contact with a private Christian school. Here I boarded five days a week and it was here that God started me on a road that lead to my present life. Here it was at fourteen that I discovered the concept of discipline. It was at this school where boarders had two hours of study hall at night. Here I learned to do my work carefully and neatly and when finished I was allowed to read. And read. Books were (are) more important than T.V. and this lesson was taught to me here. Friendships and respect were caught at this school. Tolerance and kindness, a willingness to accept me for what I was were all practiced on me and I caught them to use them in later life. Most importantly, here I learned more about Jesus, His Lordship, about missions and about myself. God was at work educating me.

Three years went by a I attended another Christian school. Here commitment to the Bible was very strong. I will never forget my Man and Society class where we listened to Bruce Springsteen back then I could mouth all the words to his songs. We then took his whole album and tried to understand meanings; we put his words against His Word and found his wanting.

My first year of university out in British Columbia was a formidable year in my development. Here it was that I was challenged by Christian professors and speakers, by other students and peers to come to grips with my Christian life. This environment took me, a little plant, and made me stronger so that today I can be in the world but not of it. Here I saw professors, staff, faculty in action - a school that was a microcosm of God's family. I saw it and wanted it and I now know that the family of God is real here on earth.

I graduated from university with three degrees and with the errant fact that "I knew it all". Then I had the privilege of teaching in my grade 9 school. God taught me again. Teachers do teach but they are also taught. I saw students commit themselves in chapels, students and teachers alike sharpened their minds with each other's minds and with the things of God. My discipline and family of God lessons taught to me in earlier years were now all proving their value.

Today I look back and I say "thank you Lord for education and for the ten different schools you led me to some private and some public. Thank you for teachers and students who were mentors, examples and goads to me." I saw a president of Wilfrid Laurier University pick up garbage on campus once and I vowed to do the same when I became a teacher - he had just led us in Laurier's Christian Fellowship the night before. in your schools God, I saw your people putting faith and action together. It was in your schools God that I learned, not only the data that piled up in my notebooks, but also the excitement of discovering connections, of seeing the light in that dark place, of having learned what to think about and to have convictions with respect to values. I thank God for the best education wherein Jesus Christ was central and that prepared me to face the real world.

And why do I write this to you 'youth' (and parents too who do sometimes read their kids mail)? I want you to look at Christian education carefully. Look at the N.C.C.'s, the Beacon's, the Trinity's. I have the privilege of being on the board of Redeemer College in Ancaster. Consider it for a university degree. God has taught me much in my short life. I want to share it with you. Call me, write to me, or speak with me at the first family camping. I look forward to hearing from and/or meeting you.