Public or Private?
My wife and I have had to think through this issue recently as our oldest child is about to enter kindergarten. Both she and I are graduates of a private (Christian) high school. We both had incredibly positive experiences at our school and were heavily involved in a variety of areas including athletics, music, and student leadership. My wife went on to Biblical studies and I continued on the road that eventually led me to be a public educator as a teacher and now in administration. A good friend recently asked for a coffee meeting to hear what our decision was in this matter and how we got there. Here's where we stand on this one:

•"...Let your light shine before men..." (Matthew 5:14-16)
Jesus has called us to be a light to the world, so that others would see what we have received through Christ, and "praise [our] Father in heaven" (v.16). I chose to not teach in the private school from which I had graduated when given the opportunity, because of this call. I knew in my heart that God had a place for me in the community at large, and not just for the Christian community. I knew that this call to be a light in the world would happen through our family as we work with others, attend concerts, meet in the grocery stores, etc... For some reason, it didn't fit for me to work in a private setting employing exclusively Christian people and servicing mostly Christian families, and still be able to meet this calling. The decision to send our eldest into the public stream seemed to come pretty easily with this same philosophical position.

•Saturation
The Bible, Christian teaching, worship, prayer can become something you just simply have to do everywhere you go: at church, boys brigade/girls clubs, home... and yes, school. Instead of something that a child is taught strategically and purposefully by his parents and pastors, now teachers join the mix... of course, this doesn't have to be a negative thing, but for many it becomes that, especially if it becomes a tag for every activity at school because it is a Christian school. Instead of teaching it well, it becomes something that is just done... and done... and done.

•Hypocrisy...
In my experience, I have seen how private schools can; please note the use of the word can as opposed to always do; breed hypocrisy. In the public schools I have taught, the students who drink, smoke, do drugs, and are sexually promiscuous do not claim to be Christians. They are what they are, and are not pretending to be anything else at school. Some may hide who they are from friends and families, but that is not because of any pressure from the school in which they attend. Having attended a private Christian high school, the pressure for everyone was to be... Christian. We were forced to take Bible classes, attend chapel and even required to sing the worship songs, and join in prayer whenever that took place... everyone was a Christian at some level. Now, those kids who were 'Christians'..... and drank, smoked, did drugs, etc... forced a great deal of tension into the whole 'Christianity' definition-thing. If we were all Christians, then who were the rest of us to judge those who did this stuff?...

•Prejudice (Note: This section was added on Feb.17th)
I refuse to choose a private school education for my kids because of my own personal fear, dislike, or lack of understanding of other ethnic or religious groups. It is really easy to justify our fears with thoughts of 'a high ESL population' etc, etc... Don't get me wrong, because that should be a consideration in some cases. All I'm trying to say is that it's important to look deep within our hearts to understand what is really at play when we make the decisions we make about our children. Before we had kids, our most important God-given resource that we had to invest was ourselves (talents, passions, ideas, etc). After we've had kids, our most important resource is our families. I know that God knows what my inner-most motivations are, even if I try to avoid recognizing them myself. I also know that He will hold me to account for those motivations and desires.

•If there were no private schools in our community...
...then all those families, many of whom represent stable, godly homes, church attendance, high moral standards, etc... would be involved with and rubbing shoulders with everyone else in the public schools and the community. The church would become an even greater tool and resource for the Christian families who attend public schools and work in the community. I know that the school I work at would be dramatically changed if we added 30 or 40 Christian families from the neighbourhood into our mix... it would add so much to the Christian students who already meet for prayer and are intentional about sharing their faith and love for Christ with their fellow students and teachers.

Is there a purpose for having private Christian schools? Yes, I'm sure there are many good ones. Would I ever send my children to private schools? Yes, depending on the circumstance of each child and the community in which we find ourselves. Would I ever work at a Christian school? Yes, if God called me to do it, I'd be there in a heartbeat. My over-all position on this is clear for the reasons stated above. If you find yourself in a place of having to make a decision on this, I hope some of my thoughts help. Again, we all must do what we feel the Lord calling us to do and where we find peace.

God bless you my friend!