Choosing the Best Curricula
by Sylvia Robinson, PhD., Director of Curriculum
& Instruction
Some schools attempt to ensure the religious content of
their curriculum through the use of textbooks written and published
especially for Christian schools. Many schools use such textbooks exclusively,
for all subjects. This is commendable if the quality of instructional
material is at least on a par with that which is available from secular
sources. Unfortunately, however, much of what I have seen in this area
is sadly deficient.1
Such textbooks may be "Christian," but if they
fail to capture the interest of students and fail to convey the subject
matter clearly, their use becomes counterproductive. My own experience
is that a teacher can more successfully supplement a good secular textbook
with her own Christian input in class discussion than try to correct
the educational deficiencies of an amateurish Christian textbook. Administrators
making purchasing decisions can help improve the overall quality of
the Christian textbook market by buying only those specific products
that measure up to high academic standards, rather than bring in a publisher’s
complete line which may include a mixed bag of books, some excellent
and some inferior. Such selective buying should eventually raise the
quality of our own textbooks by forcing them to compete directly with
secular books. On the other hand, buying inferior books just because
they are "Christian" has the same weakening effect as when
a businessman hires incompetent friends rather than qualified workers
who can get the job done right.2
Should resources known to be authored by non-Christians
be banned from the Christian school? Should we reject Webster’s
English Dictionary on the basis that non-Christians have been contributing
editors? The answer is, no. God, in His wisdom, has given insights to
all people. This is known theologically as “common grace.”
Many of the great discoveries, advances, and even educational resources
have occurred as a result of the work of non-Christian people. One reason
for using a book authored by a non-Christian is that we should be vigilantly
looking for the evidence of a non-Christian worldview. However, in a
work written by a Christian, we may be lulled into a false sense of
security.3
The bottom line is, the whole issue needs redefining.
Choosing the best curricula should not be about whether the author was
a Christian or a non-Christian. The question we ask when choosing our
resources should be, “Which curricula conforms to our mission
statement and will assist us most effectively to work out our educational
purpose and goals in the Christian school?”4
__________
1 & 2Reed, Cecilia “What Makes
a School ‘Christian’” in “Here, Fix My Kid”
at http://ww7.com/herefixmykid/#what
3 & 4Edlin, Richard The Cause of Christian Education Vision
Press: 1998.
