Finding Beauty in K-12 Education
Written by: Chelsea Niemiec
Outside of school, my childhood was filled with wonder and delight. In school, not so much.
I have fond memories of camping trips, Girl Scout projects, soccer games, pretending to be fairies in the backyard, biking with my cousins, and many other ordinary experiences that come with early 2000s suburban life.
But so many hours of my youth were spent in school. While I did learn to read, write, understand basic scientific concepts, my time spent in school did not enrich my life in some of the most important ways. It did not cultivate in me a strong moral foundation, it did not cultivate in me a love of learning, and it did not encourage me to seek what is good and true.
In fact, my schooling experience often did the opposite. By the time I reached middle school, I had already been put in many situations that threatened the values my parents were trying to instill in me at home. Alcohol, sex, drugs, violence, and lawbreaking were common in my public school community. The pressure to conform to the culture was great and I struggled to live out my Christian faith in such a hostile environment. But that’s where Texas public school zoning boundaries put me.
Traditional public school works great for many kids and families. But for my family, it didn’t.