Ode to Christian Education

In times of change, the LEARNER will inherit the earth

while the LEARNED will be beautifully equipped

for a world that no longer exists. — Eric Hoffer, American Philosopher

I don’t know about the rest of you

But I grew up in a church school

It all started on a Monday morning

When we had to line up in a long queue

There were children from first form to fifth

And the smaller ones in something called Prep

But the bottom line that I can tell you about

Is that there were no shoulders carrying chips!

We had to study all the usual stuff

Mathematics, English, History and the like

We also had to learn to do a craft

Just in case the economy didn’t last

The emphasis at our church school, was on raising good students

Good people, and especially good citizens for the world to come

So naturally we had to study our memory verses

And learn about something called Facing Life!

I remember my first form teacher, Sister Josiah

Big of heart and body too

She taught me that I could do anything

And showed me how to prove it too!

Sister Watts taught us girls home economics,

Sewing, crochet, embroidery, and cooking

She said any woman who had skills like these

Would always know how her family to feed

Brother Forde taught us our Facing Life class

Dealing with everything from relationships to dealing with self

He taught us that we needed to be strong decision-makers

Never fearful to take care of our selves!

I remember having a terrible temper, and one day was asked to apologize

The apology wasn’t deserved, I didn’t feel sorry, and it showed

So Sister Bayne, our principal, she called me aside, and said

“Betty! If you don’t mean it, don’t ever compromise!”

Our church school went further than was necessary

And brought in a celebrity guest to teach,

Her name was Marva Manning and I’ve never forgotten

Anything that she said in her speech

Ms. Manning taught us about dressing on a budget

And how to get our clothing to segue from day to night

She taught us how to be quietly elegant

And how to modulate our voices just right!

And finally there was my fifth form teacher

Sister Maitland, that was her name

She’s the person I’ll always remember

Because of a wonderful game she played.

It was our last semester in high school

When Sister Maitland said she could tell us, each one, who we were

Of course no one believed her

And then the Class was in total uproar!

Sister Maitland had a new name for every student she taught

Which she said epitomized the attributes we displayed

I remember waiting with bated breath

Until my name Sister Maitland gave!

My name, according to the good Sister

Was “Always Willing to Try!”

She explained that that name suited me perfectly

Because I was never afraid to give life a try!

In all the years since I’ve left my church school

I’ve tried valiantly to live up to my second given name

And I can tell you without fear of contradiction

That I have proudly lived up to, and worn, my name!

The results of many of the lessons we learnt

Were often not obvious until we left school

And that was when respect for self, and others, and faith in our Almighty God

Carried us forth to live life most nobly

Our teachers were men and women of great faith

Who strongly believed that teaching was their calling to serve

They loved us, each one, as if we were their own special child

And proudly taught us and guided us to the Word.

So, if you still have doubts about, the value of a Christian education

Look around you as we celebrate today

You’ll see gallant men, noble women, willing workers, lifelong learners, not one shirker

Gladly serving each other in the world, through the Word.