If you have ever had a child in public school, you understand how challenging it can be. Not only can it be difficult to keep up with the Common Core curriculum, but as Christian parents, it's very hard to help your child maintain his "moral compass" during those years. 

All too often, kids in public school come home with brand new words they learned from their peers. Not only that, but they also spend a significant amount of time learning the behaviors of other children that they see modeled for them every day. If your family has always upheld a strict "no hitting" policy, and your son or daughter comes home one day thinking that hitting is a good solution when there's a problem with a sibling...well, let's just say it's difficult to re-teach them what your family believes about that type of behavior. 

The importance of preserving family values is one of the main reasons many parents choose to send their children to a private or Christian school. Public schools are very large, and the number of teachers and teacher's aides available is very small. It's difficult for teachers to keep a close eye on everything that's happening, and children who "tell" are often labeled as "snitches" and shunned by their peers. 

Here at Foundations Christian School, we do things differently. Our students are taught what is expected of them from the very beginning. They understand that the values we hold here are exactly the same values their parents hold at home. Because of this, the atmosphere is pleasant, and extremely conducive to learning. It's our goal to support our parents in their efforts to mold their children into growing Christians, and it truly makes a difference when the transition from home to school is seamless. 

If you'd like more information about Foundations Christian School, it's definitely not too late to enroll your child for this school year. We're excited to meet your son or daughter, and we'd love to answer any questions you might have. Contact us today!

I read an article this morning that made me feel a little uneasy. Even so, I would imagine that this type of thing is happening all over our country. The article, posted on newsobserver.com, was written by the husband of one teacher in North Carolina. 

His wife had spent seven years in the North Carolina public school system. Like most teachers, she began her career full of exuberance for her job. She couldn't wait to delve into her work, and ignite truth within the minds of the students who would be placed under her care. However, her dreams for what being a teacher would be like would soon be overturned. 

He states, "As each passing year of new policies and tests fails to deliver the results they desire, rather than reform their thinking, these officials create new policies and new tests and pile them on top of the old ones. They, with the raising of a hand and a stroke of a signature, applaud themselves for their feigned ingenuity without thought or regard for those who will have to bear the burden of it." In short, the education officials in the state of North Carolina weren't trying to fix a system that was already broken. Instead, they were trying to cover it up, congratulating themselves for making change, without caring whether or not the change would be a lasting one. 

Being a teacher is hard, especially in the public school system. The Common Core was put into place with the assumption that all children are created equal, which is simply not the case. Teachers are overburdened with mountains of papers to correct, multiple reports to hand in, and report cards that must be finished by a certain date. As if that wasn't enough, this husband cites several instances where his wife was pulled from her own classwork to cover a gym class when the teacher called in sick. He also explains with disappointment how year after year, his wife was not given a pay increase after she had been promised one. Instead, she was given more work to do, causing her to forgo any type of social life during the school year. 

If you have a child in public school, you understand how broken the system is. Not only is the work difficult for kids (and parents) to understand, it's causing teachers to want to walk off the job in favor of a 9-5 position with a company that won't place such high demands on them without compensation. I feel for this teacher, and I applaud her for embracing her sanity and doing what she needed to do in order to remain whole for her own family. 

At Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY, we have some of the best teachers in the area. These are people who wholly invest in our children, each and every day. They spend time with them, one on one, giving them the attention they need. They lean on each other when times get tough, and the students are growing, maturing and thriving in their education. We know how important it is to invest in our teachers so that their cups are running over. In turn, they pour into our kids. It makes a difference. 

As you may know, I am a parent whose children are students at Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY. 

Except for one year of Christian school when they were younger, my children have always been a part of the public school system. I can't say that I've been impressed with the results of their public school education. 

Bullying has been a big problem for one of my children. He is currently in sixth grade. Last year, he was in fifth grade, and attended an Elmira school. Each week, it seemed like he came home with yet, another story about being bullied while he was in class. One of the things that surprised me, however, was that it wasn't always only the boys who were doing the bullying. On many occasions, he told us that one of the girls in his class threatened to punch him in the face and break his glasses. This behavior continued all year long, and I continued to get reports from him that there were problems with various students in his fifth grade class.

The bullying he experienced made it difficult for him to make any real friends at school. He actually showed a real distaste for school, and even getting him to do his homework posed some real challenges. He would come home and have to be told to do his homework, and sometimes it would take him hours. If you were to ask him how he liked school, he would tell you that he "hated it." 

The bullying my son experienced was one reason I felt prompted to find another education alternative for him. I desperately wanted him (as well as my two other children) to go to a private school. However, we didn't think we could afford a private school education for our children at the time. A quick peek online at other local private schools told us that the tuition was far out of our reach. We felt trapped. 

Bullying is a serious problem in public schools, and Business Insider lists some staggering statistics about it that many parents probably aren't aware of: 

• Bullying affects nearly one in three American schoolchildren in grades six through ten.
• 83% of girls and 79% of boys report experiencing harassment.
• Six out of ten teenagers say they witness bullying in school once a day.
• It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. 
• 35% of kids have been threatened online.
• Bullies often go on to perpetrate violence later in life: 40% of boys identified as bullies in grades 6 through 9 had three or more arrests by age 30.
• One of every 10 students who drop out of school do so because of repeated bullying.
• 75% of school shooting incidents have been linked to bullying and harassment.
• 64% of children who were bullied did not report it.
• Nearly 70% of students think schools respond poorly to bullying.

Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY has changed my son's mindset about school. My daughter commented to me one day, "Mom, I've never been in a place where everyone loves each other. We all just love each other at school." That made me very happy. 

As far as my son's issues with homework and "hating" school, those issues are gone. He looks forward to school every day, and I have not had to remind him once to do his homework. In fact, he has an essay due at the end of this week, and he has all ready written six pages of it. I am so thrilled with his progress, and I love what Foundations Christian School has done for his confidence, self-esteem and work ethic.

If you have a child who is experiencing bullying at school, please know that there is something you can do to change that. Foundations Christian School is an excellent, affordable alternative where your child will not only be cared for and loved, but he or she will thrive in the type of environment the school offers. If you'd like more information about Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY, please contact us! 

"I can't understand my child's homework! How do these teachers expect us to be able to help them with their homework when we have to teach ourselves how to do the work too? No third grader should have to do this...it doesn't even make any sense!"

That phrase is a typical one spoken by the parent of a public school child in the state of New York. Many parents are posting on Facebook, venting to their friends about how frustrating the Common Core is. They're getting plenty of sympathy, and very few answers to their dilemma.

However, when you take a peek at Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, New York, what you find is quite different. You don't see frustrated parents who constantly have to bug the teachers about how to do their kids' homework. You don't see kids who are holding back tears because they just can't make sense out of what they're supposed to be doing. You don't see a negative atmosphere because the teachers can't stand what they're being required to do, either. 

Instead, you'll see children who are happy, and who are enjoying school because they get to have a little bit of control over what they do each day. You see kids who are eager to do their work because the one on one instruction they're getting helps them understand it completely. You see kids who are digging into the Bible each day, and who spend a portion of the morning a few days a week to glorify God in worship. 

Foundations Christian School is different, and the proof of that is seen in each and every one of our students. Even after a month of school, parents are noticing changes in their children:

• More confidence
  
• A better relationship with God
  
• More love for their fellow-students
  
• Solid friendships
  
• Better grades

It's easy to see how different the education is for kids here at Foundations Christian School. If you'd like more information about our curriculum, or if you have questions about enrolling your child, contact us today. We'd love to talk to you!