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OLD PATHS
CHRISTIAN 
ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL


“Morally Pure, Academically Sound, Spiritually Strong”



POLICY HANDBOOK
FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND TEACHERS



“Thus saith the LORD, 
Stand ye in the ways, and see, 
and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, 
and walk therein, 
and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6:16
 

Mission Statement

We exist as a school to provide children with a traditional education and morally pure examples, to present a pure Christian life as both desirable and attainable, and to urge trust in Christ’s gospel both for salvation and for life as a good testimony, no matter what the cost.

Basic Tenets of Belief

1.  Both the Old and the New Testaments were inspired by God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8)  Therefore the entire Bible, studied in its own context and apart from preconceived doctrines of man, is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (II Timothy 3:16) We do not believe in the sort of dispensationalism that arbitrarily dismisses whole sections of the Bible as pertaining to only one time or one people group.

2.  The King James Bible (A.D. 1611) is the Bible version we use.  It is definitely the most traditional English translation of the original manuscripts, and likely the purest.

3.  The Bible (especially the Creation account in Genesis) must be understood literally unless a passage announces itself or another to be figurative (see the parables of Jesus and Hebrews 9:6-14).

4.  There is only one God, eternally existent in three persons -- Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

5.  While fallen human individuals may not always perceive or understand Truth fully, absolute Truth (as opposed to situational ethics or relativism) eternally exists in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Truth is continually manifested in His laws, whether physical (e.g., the law of gravity, the laws of thermodynamics) or moral (e.g., the law of sowing and reaping).  (John 14:6)

6.  Jesus Christ is God.  He is also the only mediator between God and man.  (I Timothy 2:5)  He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life.  He was the only One who could offer His body and blood in atoning death for mankind, and He did so when He was crucified.  After three days, He arose from the dead.  Forty days after His resurrection, He ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the throne of God the Father. (Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 8:1, and Hebrews 12:2)

7.  Christ’s second coming will be personal, visible, physical, and glorious.  It will coincide with the resurrection of all believers and will happen before God’s wrath is poured in its entirety upon the earth, but at a time in the future which is known only to God the Father.  After Jesus’s feet touch upon the Mount of Olives, He will begin His reign on earth for one thousand years, after which there will be a second resurrection.  Finally, He will create a new heavens and a new earth.  (Revelation 19-21)

8.  Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary for the salvation of the human soul (Romans 8:1-17).  The Holy Spirit indwells each believer and enables each believer to live a life that is pleasing to God. (John 1:12)

9.  Salvation is obtained by the grace of God, not by works, but through an individual’s personal faith in Him, which is always followed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (faithfulness) in his or her life.  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

10.  Saved individuals will be resurrected to eternal life, and lost individuals will be resurrected to eternal damnation (Matthew 24:31-46).

11.  Every believer is obligated to share his or her faith.  (Romans 10:9-11; Matthew 28:18-20)

12.  A child of God is not exempt from tribulation or trial; in fact, tribulation and trial are vital to the development of any Christian.  (John 16:33; Acts 14:21, 22)


Admissions Policy

Old Paths Christian Elementary School accepts students of any national or ethnic origin, provided they are prepared to handle the school’s academic program demands, to respect the school’s basic tenets of belief, and to abide by the school’s disciplinary standards.

Hiring/Firing Policy

The greatest distinguishing trait of Old Paths Christian Elementary School is the selection and quality of its teachers.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School is an educational experiment which seeks to illustrate the absolute truth of Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go:  and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  Although there are many determining factors in the training of any child, not the least of which is his or her home environment, as well as the child’s own free will, we believe that the main reason that nominally Christian youth are falling by the wayside is that their elders have failed to teach them by example as well as by creed.  At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, we strive for an unusual standard of dedication to Judeo-Christian principles among our faculty, in order to avoid sending the subtle but highly counterproductive message to students:  “Do as I say and not as I do (or at least not as I have done).”

The same hypocritical attitude prevalent among the religious leaders in Jesus’s time remains a problem within many administrations of churches and Christian schools in our time.  “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works:  for they say, and do not” (Matthew 23:1-3).  Notice that Jesus did not say that the Pharisees were wrong for proclaiming a standard of excellence; however, He did condemn them for not living up to the same standard themselves.  “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves”  (Matthew 23:15). Because we believe that it is not possible for anyone who has not been sanctified by the Holy Spirit to adequately share the Gospel or to provide good spiritual training for children, we carefully examine both the moral backgrounds and the present lifestyles of our teachers before they are hired.

Our present American culture has severed so many ties with its Judeo-Christian heritage that many sins, including many forms of sexual immorality (i.e., fornication), are now being tolerated, if not fully accepted and even embraced, among those who call themselves Christians.  Since Christians have become increasingly careless in their moral behavior, it will be no wonder if successive generations do the same.  Although no sin is worse than any other, there are certain serious sins which, more than all others, are strikingly prevalent among today’s “Christian” ministers, and are having devastating effects on our nation’s “moral compass.”  Sins which used to be considered abominations (and still are, according to the Word of God) are being redefined as “alternative lifestyle choices” or at the least simply “mistakes” on a “slate” which can be “wiped clean” when forgiveness is asked.  Besides the fact that the image of a slate is never used in the Bible, many people seem to have forgotten that (1) all sins, even forgiven ones, result in irreparable earthly consequences (see II Samuel 12:13-14 for an example), and that (2) repentance (acknowledging the consequences of our sins, and continuing no more in them) is a prerequisite for forgiveness in the first place (Leviticus 26:40-42, I John 1:9, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30-31, Revelation 2:19-22).  In order to guard against a current flippant attitude toward sin, which mocks the price of our deliverance from Satan, the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:26-31), and in order to return to the “old paths,” we must correct misconceptions by requiring high standards especially of leadership (Leviticus 21 coupled with I Timothy 3).

Teachers and board members of Old Paths Christian Elementary School must have no personal history of the following sins:

•    premarital sexual intercourse (Leviticus 21:13; I Peter 2:9; I Corinthians 6:16-20, Ephesians 5:1-7, Acts 15:19-29)
•    remarriage after divorce (Romans 7:2-3, Mark 10:11, 12)
•    homosexuality (Romans 1:26-32)

We believe that in light of the Bible passages cited above, the three requirements we have drawn from them are amazingly minimal.

Teachers and board members also must abstain from the following activities while involved with the school, in order not to be a stumbling-block for others:

•    drinking (Habakkuk 2:15, Proverbs 20:1)
•    drug abuse (Galatians 5:23)
•    smoking (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
•    dancing (I Corinthians 9:27)
•    occultic practices/piercing/tattooing (I Samuel 15:22,23; Leviticus 19:28)
•    pornography/perversions (I Thessalonians 4:1-8)
•    excessive television viewing (Psalm 101:3)
•    cinema movies (Psalm 101:3)
•    viewing of movies rated PG13 or beyond (Psalm 101:3)

While these activities are not all listed in the Bible and may not be considered sinful by some, the attitudes and actions that they may involve are considered sinful by others, or at the least doubtful.  Teachers and board members are asked to sacrifice certain “liberties” for the purpose of providing reasonably blameless examples for the children they are teaching (Romans 13:9-10, Romans 14:21, I Thessalonians 5:23, I Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:7, II Peter 3:14).  Lack of respect for this ideal will be grounds for immediate dismissal.

Since we have proclaimed such a standard of excellence for our teachers, it is almost certain that our teachers will be accused of Phariseeism from time to time, perhaps on an even more regular basis than usual, because they strive for perfection while remaining imperfect, fallen human beings themselves.  At such times, it will be important for each teacher to recognize the virtue of humility (being able to admit when one is wrong), but also it will be important for each teacher to be able to look at each situation objectively and to discern whether or not offense has been taken because of a teacher’s wrong attitude, or because of a negative reaction from a student, parent, or coworker to absolute Truth.  Truth is always offensive to those who do not desire to abide by it.  “Unto you therefore which believe he [Jesus] is precious:  but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:  whereunto also they were appointed” (I Peter 2:7-8).  “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you:  on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters” (I Peter 4:14-15).

When a complaint about a teacher is made, the administration will advise the person making the complaint to talk to the teacher about the matter.  If the teacher does not resolve the problem, the person making the complaint must call for a meeting with the teacher, the principal, and a third person to resolve the problem (according to the principle in Matthew 18:15-16) before any further action is taken.  Teachers should also feel comfortable in approaching the principal with any concerns about public relations.  In the event of a threatening or obnoxious attitude toward a teacher, the administration will intervene to support and to protect the teacher.  It is the policy of the administration to support the teacher whenever conscientiously possible; since the school goes to great lengths to ascertain a teacher’s trustworthiness before hire, there should be no need for the administration either to apologize for a teacher or to harbor a suspicious attitude toward a teacher.

In the event that a teacher does overstep his or her boundaries in any mode of conduct (not otherwise specified) in front of the students, and is proven guilty in the judgment of the administration, the following disciplinary measures will be taken:

•    verbal warning (private but documented meeting with the principal and the teacher)
•    written warning
•    dismissal

General Philosophy of Education

Old Paths Christian Elementary School embraces a traditional philosophy of education, as opposed to the progressive philosophy of education prevalent in most public schools.  Traditional education centers on God, not on the individual student, and therefore is authoritative, not “child-centered.”  Instead of asking children, “What do you know, and what do you want to learn?” before letting them explore knowledge indiscriminately, teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School ask children, “What does God want you to know and learn?” before proceeding to show them what they should know and learn, according to God’s Word.  Instead of asking children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” (a self-centered, “you can be anything you want to be,” positive-thinking approach), teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School ask children, “What does God want you to do with your life?” and then proceed to show them from God’s Word how to discern His will and how to seek and find His personal direction for their lives.  In other words, Old Paths Christian Elementary School puts the emphasis back where it belongs -- on Christ and His priorities, not on ours.

Our teachers integrate Biblical concepts with every subject area. To provide each child with Biblical reasons why he or she is studying each subject is absolutely necessary.  Children must see the Bible as relevant to their daily lives.  They must understand that their duties as a student are directly related to developing a fuller understanding of God and what He expects them to accomplish in the time that He has given them.

Instead of focusing on building a child’s self-esteem, traditional education emphasizes that each child is born a sinner.  However, traditional education also teaches that the sacrifice Christ has made offers redemption from sin to anyone who trusts Him for it.  Traditional education teaches that God longs for a personal relationship with each individual, and that He has made possible such a relationship by empowering each trusting individual with His Holy Spirit, incidentally for that individual’s physical and spiritual benefit, but primarily for God’s glory.  Traditional education teaches that God wishes to restore mankind to the original image of God, in which mankind was divinely created, for the purpose of serving God.  Therefore traditional education is diametrically opposed to progressive education, which through teaching the theory of evolution reduces children to highly-evolved beasts, with no purpose in life except to fulfill their own perceived needs and possibly to contribute to a constantly changing perception of what is socially acceptable.    

Traditional education also means that academic subjects are taught according to traditional methods, and not according to progressive methods.  For example, teachers not only use a comprehensive curriculum with definite objectives, but also test what they teach in measurable ways.  Since the minds of children in elementary school are expanding exponentially at this time in their lives, traditional education focuses on improving their knowledge base, as opposed to simply allowing them to express their rather uninformed sin natures as they “explore” subject areas.  Not only do students learn to use mnemonic tricks to improve their short-term memories, but also they learn to expand the potential of their long-term memories through rote drills (mathematical facts, lists, and statistics) and memorization of long passages, such as Scripture, poetry, and historical documents.  In all subjects, traditional education takes the spiral approach to learning, continually reviewing and building on former knowledge.  In addition, Old Paths Christian Elementary School teaches study skills and expects a minimal amount of homework to be completed, especially in the upper elementary grades.  

The philosophy of traditional education affects the way every academic subject is presented.  For example, early introduction of traditional, intensive phonics takes the guesswork out of reading and spelling and allows for more extensive study sooner, as opposed to the whole-language method which overwhelms the child by encouraging him to write extensively before he knows how to spell or even to read in some cases.  An intensive study of grammar thoroughly prepares children to learn another language later on, while progressive education minimizes grammar skills, thereby eliminating the pattern for coherent writing and ignoring a great tool for improving reading comprehension.

Old Paths Christian Elementary School seeks to inculcate a growth mindset in students, which is not really a new concept.  “Growth mindset” is a catch-phrase in the public schools at the time this handbook is being written, and is the brainchild of Carol Dweck, an American psychologist, professor at Stanford University, and the author of Mindset:  The New Psychology of Success, published by Random House in 2006.  Simply explained, a person who has a growth mindset realizes that anyone can learn anything, with effort and training, and that everyone continues to learn and grow and develop throughout his or her lifetime.  Many people may simply take these facts for granted; however, not everyone believes in a growth mindset.  Some people cling to the old idea of “intelligence quotient” (IQ) which states that everyone is born with a different IQ and there is not much anyone can do about that (Dweck claims that people who believe that IQ alone determines how much one learns have a fixed mindset, as opposed to a growth mindset).  Those who have a fixed mindset typically make statements such as, “I’m bad at math,” or “She’s really good at writing,” without acknowledging that there is still a possibility of either person mentioned improving significantly either in math or in writing.

“Growth mindset” and the concept of an “open mind” are not the same thing, although they may appear to be, at first glance.  People with a growth mindset simply realize that no one is inherently “smart” as a result of being born that way, and that a lifetime is not too long a time in which to realize one’s full potential.  In this way, a growth mindset is both a humbling and an empowering thing.  By recognizing that all people everywhere have the potential to learn anything at any time, one is kept from feeling superiority over others who have not learned as much, while at the same time spurred to keep learning more and more.  People with a growth mindset do not put down others’ intellect, and they do not put down their own intellect, either.  They keep learning and growing, their entire lives.  Does this mean they are “open” to all ideologies, to lies as well as truth, as having an entirely “open” mind would suggest? No, a growth mindset does not necessarily mean that one must be aggressively liberal and tolerant of every idea, because ideologies inevitably conflict.  Having an open mind, at any particular time, just means that one is open to hearing arguments for and against a particular case or ideology, without having made up one’s mind. Open minds are not good if they are kept open and never closed, because that indicates that no decision has been made.  Very little learning is ever done without commitment, either to a course of study, to a cause, or to a truth.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  (Philippians 4:13 KJV)

Neither is having a “fixed mindset” the same thing as having a “closed mind.”  People with a fixed mindset may feel trapped in one level of effort or learning, because they believe their IQ was given to them at birth and there is nothing they can do about it. People with a fixed mindset look down on others with supposedly lower IQs and tend to treat them as lesser individuals, while at the same time becoming very defensive about their own IQ.  People with a fixed mindset are often “afraid to fail” not because they are conscientious but because they feel they must preserve their image in order to preserve their worth as individuals.  Does that mean that all people with a fixed mindset have closed minds?  Perhaps they have closed minds in this one area, because they are firmly convinced of their supposed IQ, but that does not mean that they have closed minds in all areas.  They may be willing to grow and change in other areas if it helps them to preserve their image.  Again, a closed mind simply means that one has made up his or her mind, unequivocally, about a certain matter, and does not want to discuss or debate it any further.

Some people may have made very good decisions in their lives, and may have closed their minds to competing falsehoods and distractions.  At the same time, they may or may not have a growth mindset.  Similarly, some people may have very open minds and be willing to swallow lots of different and even conflicting concepts.  At the same time, they may or may not have a fixed mindset.

Teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School should be lifetime learners and desire to teach others to be lifetime learners.  In this way, teachers will be exemplars of the growth mindset.  However, both teachers and students should carefully measure each idea they encounter by the Word of God.  Teachable students nearly always have open minds as they consider all angles of an ideology, and this is good. Some people may say they have closed their minds, once they have made up their minds about which truths to believe, after careful study.  However, even if they have closed their minds to the temptations of the devil, that will not mean they have a fixed mindset, or stop learning, because all belief in truth inevitably leads to the discovery of more truth.  The continual attitude of possibility and discovery is what is meant by the growth mindset.

So is it, after all, wrong to fail?  People with a fixed mindset nearly always say “yes,” unequivocally.  This proves that they are defending their IQ and their individual worth, because since failure is wrong, those who fail must be wrong, and this makes it easy for them to stratify society and pigeonhole everyone, while distancing themselves from those unworthy ones.  A person with a growth mindset may say “no” to this question, but with the following qualification:   if, along with the failure, comes the opportunity to learn from the mistake and rectify it.  Obviously, in certain cases, it is wrong to fail.  If you fail to keep your temper, you may break something irreparably; if you fail to heed a stop sign, you may die in a car accident; if you fail to be faithful to a spouse, you will ruin your marriage.  But if you fail to score a goal in a soccer game, that should not be life-changing.  If you fail to remember your keys, you can go back to get them and decide on a system to help you remember them next time.  If you fail to use the leftovers in your refrigerator before they spoil, you can use the memory of the mold to remind you not to be wasteful the next time.  There are many stories in history of those whose struggles and apparent failures in the eyes of the world preceded their successes, among which are the stories of Fanny Crosby, Gladys Aylward, Emmanuel Yeboah, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and Albert Einstein, to name a few.  While it is true that certain failures may lead to sins, which are definitely wrong, people who would make an individual feel permanently destroyed because of a single failure are just as wrong as those who would make an individual feel permanently exalted because of a single success.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (I John 1:9  KJV)

Traditional education methods incorporate hands-on activities when possible, but not to the exclusion of the building of a solid knowledge base, without which no hands-on activity is meaningful.  Although a child may have a great time exploring, he needs guidance to make the experience worthwhile.  While there is value in learning the trial-and-error research method, the use of trial-and-error in every area obviates the value of (and need for) a teacher.  It also wastes time and hinders progress.  Proven knowledge ought to be passed down instead of hidden on purpose to be “discovered.”  If each generation had been forced to reinvent the wheel instead of building on previous accomplishments, no progress in technology would ever have been made.

Old Paths Christian Elementary School does recognize the existence of preferred learning styles; that is, we acknowledge that certain children learn best through a visual presentation, while others prefer an auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic approach. Because of this fact, every effort will be made to reach each child through his or her learning style.  This is not to say, however, that children cannot or should not learn to adapt to different learning styles.  In his book 7 Kinds of Smart, Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., has indicated that multiple intelligences (aptitudes for certain fields of study, often determined by learning style) lie dormant in each person and must be deliberately cultivated.  His work is based on the theories of Dr. Howard Gardner, a highly respected researcher in both the public and private sectors.  

We also recognize the remarkable phenomenon of dyslexia in certain gifted individuals, which basically allows them to visualize in three dimensions but often makes deciphering two-dimensional letters and words a bit tricky.  However, we also maintain that many children have no doubt been labeled dyslexic because of various other difficulties (for example, phonics taught incorrectly); and that other behavioral issues, often linked to a diagnosis of dyslexia, have been mistakenly attributed to innumerable sorts of “learning disorders.”  Contrary to the belief that a growing percentage of the population is somehow inherently handicapped academically, we believe that most children have the capacity to learn if taught intelligently.  We believe that the exploding numbers of children with “learning disorders” is mainly the result of incompetent teaching coupled with an outrageous lack of self-discipline on the part of each of these students.

Old Paths Christian Elementary School is not opposed either to true science or to progress in any way, and makes as much use of helpful studies and technology as necessary.  It does, however, differ with most public schools on the definition of progress.  The traditional education a child receives at Old Paths Christian Elementary School may not equip him to compromise with certain goals of an evolving global economy, but it will equip him to be a God-honoring, contributing member of society as a whole.  It will encourage him in moral habits which have the best interests of society in mind, and in academic pursuits which will make possible further technological advancements, within ethical constraints.

Philosophy of Bible

Old Paths Christian Elementary School was founded as a badly needed institution to proclaim the whole counsel of God, as Paul did.  “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).  By “whole counsel” is meant both the Old and New Testaments, which explain each other and cannot be separated.  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”  (II Timothy 3:16, 17).  Jesus on the road to Emmaus explained His crucifixion to His disciples, by “beginning at Moses and all the prophets” (Luke 24:27).  I Corinthians 9 lists a number of Old Testament events, primarily from the neglected book of Numbers, and concludes in verse 11:  “Now all these things happened unto them for examples:  and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Paul wrote to Timothy that in the last days the time would come when “they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables”  (II Timothy 4:4).  Such is the time in which we are living today!  Instead of reading God’s Word, cover to cover, with their children, many Christians rely on Max Lucado, Veggie Tales, and Adventures in Odyssey to inform their children about the Bible.

Neither can a solid Biblical base be obtained solely from going to church religiously. Most sermons on Sunday mornings are from the New Testament, which is not wrong, except that preaching almost exclusively from the New Testament gives many people the idea that the Old Testament is somehow outdated and irrelevant, a source only for quaint children’s stories, which incidentally are often rendered in cartoonish instead of realistic art.  Since Christians have presented the Bible in this fashion for years, it should be no surprise that present generations are deciding that the Old Testament with its fantastic accounts of supernatural miracles is no different from a magical fairytale, and about as believable.  

Yet the Old Testament is a majestic description of a powerful, passionate, personal God, the same God of the New Testament.  The New does not supersede the Old in any way, and the Old does not supersede the New.  The New Testament more fully reveals the love of the wise and just Creator introduced in the Old Testament. Because the Old Testament is extensively quoted in the New Testament, a study of the New is not complete without a thorough understanding of the Old.

The main reason why teaching the whole counsel of God is so important at the present time is that many people now not only ignore sin but also do not even know what sin is.  The word itself has become very unpopular, in a modern society in which the so-called virtue of tolerance is paramount.  Some things should never be tolerated!  At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, we seek to inculcate a knowledge of Moses’ law, in order to provide an understanding of what God values and what He abhors.  It is all very well to tell people that God hates sin, but if we never tell them what sin is, how will they know what to avoid?  Once we realize that “sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4), it becomes essential to know what the law of God says.  Found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the law given to Moses goes far beyond the Ten Commandments in teaching ethics for practical, everyday life.

We have come to the point in our Christian circles in which any reference to the law brings a cry of “Legalism!” However, legalism and lawful behavior are two different things.  Lawful behavior is something we expect from each other every day.  Legalism is holding to a rigid standard, especially a man-made standard, against common sense -- holding to a standard even when doing so defeats the purpose of the standard.  The Pharisees illustrated legalism when they were more concerned about the Sabbath being kept than a man’s body being healed.  Not only had they forgotten the spirit of the law in their zeal to keep the letter of the law, but they had also added many standards of their own to what God’s law actually said.  Perhaps in many Christians’ zealous efforts to avoid “legalism,” they have swung the pendulum to the opposite extreme, and have forgotten truly lawful behavior entirely.  And yet we have added so much to our idea of Christianity -- church attendance every time the doors are open, at least five minutes of “devotions” per day, suits and ties as the only respectable mode of dress for preachers, etc.

We fully understand that keeping the law does not lead to salvation.  It is impossible for any fallen human being to keep the law perfectly; failure in only one point would still bring damnation, and we know that all have sinned (James 2:10, Romans 3:23). Christ is the only One Who fulfilled the whole law in our stead (Matthew 5:17).  “For Christ is the end [culmination, fulfillment] of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4).  It is abundantly clear even from the Old Testament (“the just shall live by his faith” Habakkuk 2:4) that even the Old Testament believers were not saved by keeping the law, but by looking beyond it to the Christ who fulfilled it, even as we look backward to this same Jesus.  “Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight:  for by the law is the knowledge of sin. . . . Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without [outside of, apart from] the deeds of the law. . . .  Do we then make void the law through faith?  God forbid:  yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:20, 28, 31).

Having understood that we are not saved through keeping the law, we still have a responsibility after accepting Christ as Savior, to put into practice the power we have received as Christians (John 1:12).  We are told at baptism to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).  We are also told to “work out” our salvation -- not to “work for” our salvation, but to “work out” what God “works in.” (“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” Philippians 2:12, 13).  Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrew 13:8) is the only One who can accomplish His will in us.  He certainly would not have us ignore the spirit of His own law!  “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:  I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:  but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20).

The only way anyone can obtain the righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is to ask the Holy Spirit of God into his or her life and then to yield to the will of God (learned by the law) in every one of life’s decisions. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:24-27).  As we follow Christ, who keeps the law through us, our faith becomes real and active, “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9), but as an example of “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained [in the law!] that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, we strive to communicate this foundational truth.

Having established that the law should be observed, we must here differentiate between ceremonial law (blood sacrifices, cleansings, etc.) and moral law.  We do not offer sacrifices any more because Christ is our sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-14).  Acts 15:28, 29 gives the four essential areas of the law which must still be kept by Gentiles in the New Testament church:  “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication:  from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well.  Fare ye well.”  Paul in a later epistle explains that it is not the meat itself, but the idea of the idol worship involved in the meat offering that is abominable to God, and points out that one’s motive for eating it is the important factor (I Corinthians 8).

The point of studying Old Testament law is not to return to bondage (Galatians 5:1-4), but to examine our motives in serving God, and Paul reiterated this message when dealing with circumcision, baptism, and other issues facing the early church.  Yet it was said of Paul himself, “thou thyself walkest orderly, and keepest the law” (Acts 21:24).  To ignore the law is to have a shallow concept of Christianity, just as much as clinging to the law for salvation is not to understand salvation at all.

Old Paths Christian Elementary School seeks to build up the old foundations (Nehemiah 2:17, 18) by illuminating the Old Testament stories for children and showing how the characters on the Old Testament stage either regarded God’s law or disregarded it.  We present Biblical accounts in a reverent, realistic way and seek to draw applications from them for our daily lives, tying the history of the Old to the gospel of the New and comparing scripture with scripture.  In this way we hope to strengthen the faith of future generations by assuring them that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still lives, and that nothing is impossible to those who follow Him. By examining God’s laws and studying how our Old Testament “examples” (both bad and good) made decisions, we hope to encourage a reverence for God and a commitment to His principles for everyday life, in our modern-day society similar to Jeremiah’s Jerusalem.

Philosophy of Language Arts

Reading, spelling, penmanship, creative writing, poetry, and grammar comprise language arts.  They are taught in conjunction with each other, with an emphasis on reading, spelling, and penmanship in the lower elementary grades, and an emphasis on creative writing, poetry, and grammar in the upper elementary grades.  In the lower grades, it is said that children “learn to read” (a process that involves spelling and penmanship as well), and in the upper grades it is said that children “read to learn” (a process that involves grammar, poetry, and creative writing, which go hand-in-hand as children apply grammar in order to comprehend what they have read, and in order to coherently express themselves through what they write).

At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, reading is taught by the Abeka intensive phonics method.  Since over 80% of the English language is phonetic, children learning simple basic phonics should be able to read fairly fluently by the end of first grade.  First the letters of the alphabet are taught, along with their sounds.  Second, students are taught to blend initial consonants with each of the five vowels: ba, be, bi, bo, bu, etc.  After blending is mastered, another consonant is added to the end of the blend, and the one-vowel rule and the two-vowel rule are taught, so that children not only can read words like cap, dot, and hop, but also can read words like cape, dote, and hope.  With the addition of some high-frequency sight words like I, and, the, etc., children can “sound out” (not memorize) simple sentences and stories very early.  The last step in teaching phonics is teaching the “special sounds” (called blends, digraphs, and diphthongs in other phonics curriculums) like tw, fr, str, eau, igh.  

An important difference between the Abeka intensive phonics method and other more popular phonics methods is the second step.  In progressive phonics methods used by most public schools, the blending of an initial consonant with a vowel is replaced by a “rime” such as an (a vowel with a succeeding consonant) which is prefaced by an “onset,” a letter such as c, D, r, or p to form a “word family”  (can, Dan, ran, pan). Not only does the teaching of word families limit a child’s beginning vocabulary and make for very slow progress, but it also incidentally teaches the child to read unnaturally from right to left -- first to identify the learned rime on the right, and then to look to the left of the rime to find and sound out the correct onset.  The word family method thus encourages dyslexic symptoms (reversals in word-attack skills) in students who are not dyslexic.  The word family method also relies heavily on “sight words” which are really phonetic, and since not all children are especially visual in their learning style, not all children do equally well in learning their “sight words.”

Children at Old Paths Christian Elementary School do use “readers” instead of contemporary literature, but this is with the understanding that by fourth grade, the sky’s the limit as far as vocabulary goes, and that their readers are selected for subject matter and character-building stories they might not naturally pick, and not for the purpose of reinforcing word lists, for which there is no need by that time. Typically, children with a good phonics base will be voracious readers and will read plenty of contemporary literature on their own.  

Reading circles are employed, but the word “circle” does not imply “round robin.” Children are called upon in mixed order to read out loud.  They must keep their attention on the story being read or risk dropping the thread when called upon to read unexpectedly.  Although the requirement of reading out loud is antithetical to modern progressive methods because it is said to humiliate children who do not do as well as others, we believe that a judicious and gracious use of the method is invaluable both to the teacher and to the student.  Not only does it give the teacher necessary and immediate feedback about each child’s reading and comprehension skill levels (comprehension questions are asked by the teacher throughout the reading lesson, instead of just at the end, and are orally answered by targeted students), but it teaches each child to pay attention, to listen, and to learn the vital lesson that correct pronunciation and inflection add meaning and enjoyment to all communication.  Attention to punctuation, in order to read “with expression,” also reinforces grammar rules and will inevitably result in more coherent writing.

A selection to “speed read” silently, accompanied by a comprehension quiz (no looking back) is given each week to upper elementary students.  Like the reading circles, speed reading is not meant to be a pride-building competition.  It is an exercise in training the mind to quickly scan short passages for their essence, a daily-life task which is  increasingly needed (and increasingly ignored) in our fast-paced world.

Penmanship is taught in grades K-6 as just one more way of doing all things “decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40).  Sloppy writing does injustice to great thoughts.  “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10a).
 
Good spelling is a direct result of a knowledgeable application of phonics rules. Because students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School apply phonics to spelling from kindergarten, their classroom spelling skills should be far above grade level, by public school standards, by the time they are in the upper elementary grades. Students transferring to Old Paths Christian Elementary School after third grade should expect a struggle with spelling and should consider remedial phonics instruction, which is incidentally offered at the school, outside the regular classroom, for a minimal fee.

Analyzing sentences into parts of speech (noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection) is an important element of our early grammar curriculum.  Knowing the function of each part of speech in a particular sentence and its relation to every other word in that sentence is extremely helpful for intelligent, coherent communication, whether written or verbal.  Only after a thorough study of each grammar rule are children required to write their own examples of a rule correctly applied.  Incidentally, a thorough understanding of grammar simultaneously improves reading comprehension and the capacity for success in foreign language study.  The traditional drills and exercises offered by Old Paths Christian Elementary School offer a more intensive, precise method of study than the haphazard method of the whole-language system, in which children write profusely and randomly, and then face the task of editing what they have just written without a firm grasp of the rules they are only beginning to learn.

Poetry, an intrinsic part of the traditional language arts curriculum, allows children to enjoy the rhythm, patterns, and creativity of language without having to analyze anything!  By simply memorizing good poems, they unconsciously develop a fine taste for good writing which helps them in their personal selection of reading material.  In this way teachers inculcate an appreciation of poetic language in their students, in order that their students may understand the lovely nuances of the King James Version more fully.

In the upper elementary grades, children are expected to really begin synthesizing their knowledge of good examples of literature, their understanding of grammar and how to apply it, and the enjoyment of reading their own original work.  Because of their early drilling of the fundamentals, their writing can finally flow smoothly and prolifically, without the frustration of constant spelling and punctuation problems.  By the time children at Old Paths Christian Elementary School finish the sixth grade, they should be well able to comprehend any junior-high textbook and should be able also to express any original opinion in one or more fully coherent paragraphs with zero mistakes in spelling, grammar, or mechanics.

The main reason for teaching language arts is so that children can read God’s Word for themselves, develop a personal understanding of its principles, and communicate its truths to others.  They need to appreciate its linguistic roots, its poetic beauty, and its tremendous meaning.  They need to realize that the Bible is the guidebook for their entire life, and perhaps because of this fact alone, language arts may be the single most important academic subject in all the world.  They also need to realize their responsibility to share their faith with others, through clear oral and written communication.  Without language arts (reading, spelling, poetry, grammar, writing, and yes, even the careful penmanship of countless scribes down through the years), the Bible would never have been possible, and the faith of our fathers could never have been perpetuated as it has been.

Philosophy of Mathematics

It is a well-known fact that America’s public schools are emphasizing mathematics, as well as science which makes great use of mathematics, and rightly so.  Exponential technological growth, and the present drive toward a global economy, presently threaten America’s former dominance in economic affairs, which in turn threaten its sovereignty or at least its competition as a nation.  Ironically, however, while many public schools are trying to provide students a quick leg up, over a raised academic bar, some students are still tripping over major fundamental stepping-stones that have been neglected in the process.  Do not be fooled by a public school’s boast that their teachers are teaching algebra in elementary school.  Take a look at whether or not a given child in that elementary school is fluent in his or her math facts.  Learning higher math in high school is almost impossible unless a good foundation for it has been laid in elementary school.  At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, we focus on fundamental, traditional mathematics as one more foundation we intend to rebuild.

Some people may ask why a global economy or even a loss of national sovereignty is a thing to fear.  After all, why does America deserve to remain sovereign, in this multicultural age?  Why resist technological and economic change, or even a global government, which is surely the wave of the future?  Why not embrace a new dependence on the electronic, instantaneous, seemingly infinite wealth of knowledge on the Internet, along with the tremendous collaborative power of international networking?  Why frustrate, clutter, and isolate young minds by making individuals learn by heart the math facts, measurements, and conversions that they could glean in a second from a web-based tool?  Many public educators not only are demanding a paradigm shift away from the “imperialism” of the Industrial Age, with its “outdated” emphasis on individual achievement and accumulation of a personal knowledge base, but also are even declaring that participating in this “revolution” is an ethical obligation.  The age we are living in, they say, is the Information Age, a fundamentally different time, a time when “thinking outside the box” and “creative collaboration” in “conceptual” math matters more than mastering an accumulation of isolated math facts.  They predict that those who do not realize the difference and adjust accordingly will be economically destroyed in the very near future.  

Truly, we are living in a fundamentally different time, and truly, technological growth is sending us hurtling toward a global economy and a global government.  Christians should not deny this, because prophecies in both the Old Testament and the New Testament clearly affirm this.  “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end:  many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4) “And he [a future global ruler called the Anti-Christ, or the Beast] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”  (Revelation 13:16-17)

However, because this is a fundamentally different time, the Christian math student must trust in a God who sees the end from the beginning and is Sovereign over all of time.  “My times are in thy hand:  deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”  (Psalm 31:15)  “Heaven and earth shall pass away:  but my words shall not pass away.  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.  Take ye heed, watch and pray:  for ye know not when the time is.”  (Mark 13:31-33)  As prophecy unfolds unerringly, one might wonder whether or not America’s present deficiency in math and science is causing economic and political upheaval, or if economic and political upheaval [propaganda and agenda] is causing America’s present deficiency in math and science.  In spite of frantic drives to fund more math and science initiatives in public schools, in light of the times, it is the position of Old Paths Christian Elementary School that important mathematical foundations within those very schools are being overlooked, whether intentionally or unintentionally.  The Christian math student should use every tool within his or her power to excel in every level of math necessary for his or her job, whether at an individual or collaborative level.  But the Christian math student should never be willing to hand over individual responsibility for his or her education and achievement, either to a computer or to a peer group.

Calculators and instant access to mathematical conversions and formulas, via the Internet, cannot replace the functional value of a quick mathematical mind.  There is just as much frustration felt by a child who has not learned his math facts trying to struggle hurriedly through exercises with the help of a calculator, as there is in that same child having to recall each math fact mentally as he does the same exercises. Only a child who has already learned the basic facts well will recall them well or use a calculator capably, because number sense is the most fundamental of all mathematical skills.  Certainly calculators can help a student with math, but they are only tools in the hands of a skillful human. No technology ever invented can even come close to the computing power of the human brain.  A calculator can compute, but it cannot enter computations.  A child with no fluent number sense will not even know what to put into the calculator.

Not only does God still hold individuals responsible for how much they value knowledge and what they do with the knowledge that they have (Proverbs 1:17), but also God’s universe still functions on undisputed mathematical laws.  No amount of technological growth can change them.  Technology only erases misconceptions. The formula for the circumference of a circle, for example, is always the same.  Two plus two will always equal four in the material world, no matter how we might like to envision the answer to be something else.  The teaching of mathematics at Old Paths Christian Elementary School provides an opportunity to point out that there is always a right answer and a wrong answer; absolute Truth (God Himself) knows no middle ground.  Math is a reflection of God who invented math.  In what other academic subject can infinity be so uniquely represented?  How can the patterns of probability be explained other than that a God exists who even controls and plans what we call “chance”?

Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will begin learning basic math facts (i.e., math fact combinations) in kindergarten, and by the end of fourth grade should have thoroughly memorized addition and subtraction fact families 1-20 and multiplication and division fact families 1-12.  Even in the simple memorization of math fact families, however, the traditional methods of Old Paths Christian Elementary School offer a keen advantage over progressive methods.  For example, progressive philosophy in popular math textbooks presents each “fact family” (or set of “related facts”) as four ways to connect three numbers that are the same, as follows:

6 + 1 = 7        1 + 6 = 7        7 - 1 = 6        7 – 6 = 1

There is nothing inherently wrong with this.  But there are other ways to make seven.  In fact, there is an infinite number of fact families, made this way.  They are not grouped for easy learning, but for conceptual understanding only.  In contrast, traditional education introduces Fact Family 7 as follows:

0 + 7 = 7    (the “baby” of the family)
1 + 6 = 7    (“twin” to 6 + 1 = 7)
2 + 5 = 7    (“twin” to 5 + 2 = 7)
3 + 4 = 7    (“twin” to 4 + 3 = 7)
4 + 3 = 7
5 + 2 = 7
6 + 1 = 7

This fact family is adequate, manageable, complete, and fun to learn, because it is all about patterns.  Notice that the numbers in the first column go from 0-6 forward, and the numbers in the second column go from 7-1 backward.  Incidentally, the total (“last name”) for every member in the family is the same.  Really, there are only three facts here to learn -- 1 + 6, 2 + 5, and 3 + 4 -- because 0 + 7 and its twin are so easy to remember, and the other twins are easy to learn once the student realizes that reversing addends does not change a total.  Related subtraction facts are also easy to learn once the addition fact families have been learned, because they are simply the addition facts in reverse order.

It is interesting to note that because of just this one difference in traditional and progressive philosophy, most math fact flashcard sets sold in teacher supply stores do not include all the facts.  They only include representative facts from each family! Therefore, even if a student reviews one such flashcard set diligently, he or she will inevitably draw blanks when asked to produce from memory the answers to those missing facts.

At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, children will also memorize addition and subtraction fact families up through twenty, as Common Core standards demand (without giving teachers any indication that there is a difference between the old methods and the new actuality, in popular textbooks).  A correct, complete, traditional understanding of “fact families” promotes automaticity in mental computations involving two-digit numbers up to one hundred.  Students will also memorize multiplication and division fact families up to 12 x 12, and 144 divided by 12.  

Conceptual math, while not the be-all and end-all of mathematics mastery, is very important.  Children at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will utilize manipulatives (counters, Unifix cubes, geoboards, abacuses, fraction pieces, weights and balances, play money, etc.) only as a preliminary step in connecting actual operations to representative operations with numerals alone, or as practice or reinforcement of concepts already learned.  For success in algebra and higher math later, it is important for elementary children, who think concretely at this particular developmental stage, to develop a thorough understanding of what numerals and operations actually represent.  Students in upper elementary school must also gain some concrete understanding of formulas, also (why circumference  = pi x diameter, for example), before they are required to work such formulas.  However, it is necessary also that children studying math move as quickly as possible beyond the concrete level, because the use of manipulatives is far too bulky and laborious a process to allow students to proceed at an appropriate pace if they learn to depend upon manipulatives.  

Individual classroom teachers will be responsible for carefully evaluating each child’s understanding of operations with manipulatives.  They will move each student as quickly as possible into the more abstract process of dealing with numerals alone, but not so quickly that they miss any fundamental, critical aspects of math instruction.  Both concrete and abstract concepts for every mathematical operation should be carefully introduced, thoroughly explained, and continually reinforced.

Calculators may be used minimally in sixth grade, at each teacher’s discretion, but under no circumstances may calculators be used during instructional time or during independent skill practice (including homework) in grades 1-5.  This stipulation is made intentionally, with full knowledge of how technology has advanced in recent years!  The rationale for this limitation is to teach students how to use their brains and to provide them with a toolbox which a “system crash” will never touch.  The use of calculators for personal computation, along with computer programs or games which help drill facts, are encouraged in every grade.

Philosophy of Social Studies vs. History

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In public schools, social studies often obscure and/or supersede a chronological, in-depth study of world history and national history.  As our society hurtles toward total implementation of a global model, many progressive, liberal, popular educational sources refer to nationalism as intolerant at best and evil at worst.  As a result, discussions within nationally recognized textbooks, of historical events and the motives of the people involved in these events, are minimized.  In popular public schoolbooks, selected historical events are often emphasized in conjunction with the teaching of modern social trends or social skills, to the point of complete omission of other important historical events, particularly those that would seem to elevate a particular nation, culture, or people group above others.  Selective, biased retelling of historical facts often follows a philosophy referred to as “revisionist” by those in favor of traditional education.

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Unfortunately, pushback against the above progressive, liberal agenda has resulted in a similar type of biased revisionism in some traditional educational curriculums. Puritan witch hunts, the Protestant persecution of Irish Catholic immigrants to the United States in the 1840’s, the shameful treatment of Native American tribes by the United States government, the actions of the Ku Klux Klan and the nuanced development of the Civil Rights Movement are a few examples of events that have sometimes been ignored in an attempt to elevate and restore America’s Judeo-Christian heritage to its rightful place in American history.  But fire cannot be fought with fire.  Failure to admit America’s mistakes is just as wrong as failure to admit the reason for America’s successes.  Those who do not recognize and admit that much evil has been done in the name of Christianity, especially those who are careless with their facts and the sourcing of their quotes, are hypocritical and deserve in some measure the censure of the liberals.  The truth is that humanity is fallen, and that all of history is the account and permanent record of truth and goodness vying with falsehood and sin.  

 

Students of history need to take a sharp, objective look at both sides of a historical story in an attempt to learn eternal lessons from it.  They need to choose their sources carefully (seek out primary sources over secondary sources, and use the internet intelligently instead of depending on the first result of a Google search). Students of history should draw conclusions based on Biblical perspectives of right and wrong.  Teachers at Old Paths Christian School will endeavor to present both social studies and chronological history from a lawful perspective (a perspective that understands the law of God given to Moses on Mt. Sinai).  Neither social studies nor history should be allowed to supersede the other. 

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No individual, nation, culture, or people group is inherently superior to any other. Individuals, nations, cultures, and people groups have all experienced different circumstances, different challenges, and different advantages, at different times. Rather than focusing on which ones gained advantage over others, students of history should look at the reasons why they did.  Students of history should ask, “Why did God seem to bless this people group at one time, and then at another time hold back His blessing?”  For these types of questions, a thorough understanding of Old Testament history is invaluable, because the Old Testament is replete with examples of the rise and fall of nations, particularly the nation of Israel.  God is not a respecter of persons; He disciplines His own, sometimes severely; and Israel’s present distress is indicative of this.  However, God’s standards are not arbitrary, and restoration is possible because of repentance.  “Righteousness exalteth a nation:  but sin is a reproach to any people.”  (Proverbs 14:34)  “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”  (Psalm 23:12a)  

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Unfortunately, many Christians subscribe to a form of cyclic thinking that attaches preeminence to an individual, nation, or culture, and then excuses or approves the actions of those individuals, nations, and cultures, based on that same false premise of preeminence.  For instance, many Christians have come to the conclusion that polygamy is permitted or even advisable because Abraham, David, and Solomon practiced it, or that slavery or war is God’s will because God commanded the destruction and subjugation of the Canaanites in the Old Testament.  However, even the patriarchs of Israel were not without sin.  A closer analysis of their lives reveals not only the consequences of the sins of the people groups they subjugated, but also the consequences they suffered because of their own sins.  The bottom line is that God as Creator has the right to decide who is right and who is wrong and who gets punished for what He alone has the right to call sin.

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Old Paths Christian School is not characterized either by white supremacist ideology, by U.S. nationalism, or by anti-Semitism.  However, it is not anti-American, either.  The Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel teaches that God intentionally created different languages and nationalities to thwart humanity’s original attempt at globalism:  “And they [the people of Shinar] said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. . . . And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. . . .  [F]rom thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”  (Genesis 11:5-9)  Since Old Paths Christian School was founded in the United States of America, it will encourage allegiance to that same nation and the laws of that nation, provided that the republic of the United States remains by profession “under God.”

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While Old Paths Christian School is not in favor of one global government and may resist certain drives toward globalization in many different situations, it recognizes that “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth . . . hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:  For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:24-28a).  Certainly all nations should endeavor to live in peace with each other!  Cooperation, compromise, tact, diplomacy, and tolerance are not dirty words, provided those who use them are not advocating compromise with Biblical principles.  World peace is certainly a noble goal although admittedly the Bible indicates that it will not happen until Christ returns to earth.  Therefore, Old Paths Christian School is not racist and welcomes students of all races provided they acknowledge this same Biblical perspective.  Students of mixed race are also welcome because race is irrelevant in light of the Biblical fact that humanity is “of one blood.”  This fact also teaches that interracial marriage is not sinful.  Cooperation and collaboration with those of other nations, languages, and people groups is perfectly fine and praiseworthy provided that all those involved respect Biblical Christianity.

 

The reason for our stance against globalism is that Bible prophecies indicate that in the end of the world, a tyrannical global ruler will appear.  He will be called the Anti-Christ, or the Beast, because he will persecute God’s people.  According to the book of Revelation, he will not allow his subjects either to buy or to sell without his “mark.” Revelation tells us that to take the mark of the Beast is basically to sell our souls to the devil.


“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
 

“ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
 

“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.


“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”  (Revelation 14:9-12  KJV)

 

Philosophy of Citizenship (Civics)

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Since 2017, Wisconsin law has required high school graduates to pass the same civics test that a naturalized citizen would have to pass.  Merriam-Webster defines civics as “a social science dealing with the rights and duties of citizens.”  It is interesting that during the present national push toward globalism, and the present global push to eliminate nationalism, these state statutes still exist.  After all, if there were no nations or states, what would be the meaning of citizenship?

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Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will have civics built solidly into their social studies/history curriculum.  Personal worth, personal responsibility, the propriety of the ownership of private property, nationalism (one might even say capitalism), and the recognition of higher authority are concepts entrenched in the law of Moses.  Responsibility toward others is the message of the Golden Rule as well as that of the Great Commission, both straight from the mouth of Jesus Himself. The Apostle Paul preached our duties to government in Romans 13 and I Timothy 2:1-6.  It is clear from the Bible that proper government is designed to serve and protect, and that citizenship within any governmental system is both a personal privilege and a duty to be fulfilled, first before God and then before man.  

 

Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will be taught that prayer and godly living are their first civic duties.  They will be instructed in the correct, Constitutional functions of the three branches of government in the United States of America, at the federal, state, and local levels.  They will be taught the dangers of socialism and Communism with examples from history.  They will be taught to be conscious of the local issues in their communities, and the dates of elections of local officials and judges as well as the dates of elections of legislators, governors, and Presidents.  They will be taught to keep the laws of the land and to contribute to society in meaningful ways.  They will be taught that civil disobedience is only an option if their government’s demands directly countermand the ordinances of God, with a warning that “they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”  (Matthew 26:52  KJV)  

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Philosophy of Science 
(Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science)

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The word “science” comes from the Latin root “scire” which means “to know.”  The scientific method (observe, hypothesize, experiment, theorize, and repeat), although lately ignored, is still valid.  Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will be taught conventional science with the following Biblical differences in each of the three branches of science.  Basically students will be taught a God-centered view of science, not a humanistic, evolutionary one.  Students will be taught to think God’s thoughts after Him, to observe His Creation and to learn from it, rather than to admire or follow those who set themselves up as God and conduct experiments that are ethically and morally questionable.  Students will be exhorted according to the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy:


“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:


“Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.”  (I Timothy 6:20-21  KJV)


Life Science

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All students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School must understand that God is the only giver and taker of life, and that the world and all things in it were created by God in six literal days as recorded in the Biblical book of Genesis.  Students will study life science with the understanding that God perfectly designed all the organisms in the world, and that the development of species was not left to chance as the theory of evolution teaches.  They will study the apologetics of the theory of intelligent design, where age-appropriate, and understand that the reason things are not perfect any more in our world today is that man’s sin has corrupted God’s perfect Creation.  Students will be taught that dinosaurs existed but that not everything written about dinosaurs is true (much is conjecture).  They will be taught that dinosaurs lived with people and that any dinosaurs who survived Noah’s Great Flood were likely killed by people afterward.  Students will be taught that although man has been given dominion over the animals, humane treatment of animals is desirable.
 

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
 

“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
 

“Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.”   (Genesis 9:1-3 KJV)
 

“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”  (Proverbs 12:10)

 

Sixth grade students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School must understand that since God is the giver and taker of life, abortion, murder, and tampering with human embryos in scientific experiments is wrong.  They will be taught that genetic modification is wrong if it involves the unnatural bonding of genes from two different kinds, or species.  They will be taught that nuclear families and biological reproduction are God’s plan (at this age they will not be purposely told about artificial insemination, surrogate mothers, fertility treatments, sperm banks, egg donors, birth control methods, alternative lifestyles, or transgender adoption, but if the topics should come up in discussion, our teachers’ responses will not admit these to be either ethical or desirable “options”).  While it is true that some children must be reared in foster care, by grandparents or other relatives, in single-parent families, or in any other arrangement through no fault of their own, children at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will be taught that godly singlehood is better than cohabitation or ungodly marriage; that divorcing a partner for any other reason than unfaithfulness or abuse is wrong; that since life begins at conception, fertility treatments that produce extra embryos are unethical; that blended families are not advisable unless previous marriage bonds have been dissolved by death; and that remarriage after divorce as well as alternative lifestyles are totally unacceptable, without making children feel as if their parents’ decisions are their fault. 
 

“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
 

“Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”  (Genesis 9:5-6  KJV)
 

“Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.”  (Leviticus 19:19  KJV)
 

“If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Isra-el.
 

“If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
 

“ Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
 

“But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.
 

“But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
 

“For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
 

“If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
 

“Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's fa-ther fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
 

“A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.”  (Deuteronomy 22:22-30  KJV)
 

“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”  (Deuteronomy 24:16  KJV)

 

Earth Science

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Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will be taught to reject the concept that the earth has been around for billions of years.  All students will be taught a Biblical chronology of human history beginning with Adam and Eve about 4000 B.C.  They will be taught correctly that A.D. means “anno Domini” (Latin for “in the year of our Lord”).  They will be taught reasons to believe in the Great Flood, such as the presence of trilobite fossils on mountaintops, and the fact that the so-called “geologic column” is a human construct and does not appear in its entirety anywhere in the world.  Students will be taught to reject the concept that climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, but will be taught to conserve natural resources and to avoid chemical pollution of our earth.


Physical Science

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Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will be taught that many famous scientists who discovered important truths about the universe (such as the heliocentric theory, gravity, and the theory of relativity) did in fact acknowledge belief in a Divine Being.  Students will be taught that God’s laws are immutable (He alone may intervene supernaturally to change them).  Students will be taught that the universe did not in fact come into existence through a Big Bang, but it likely will pass away with one, before God makes a new heavens and new earth.


“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
 

“That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apos-tles of the Lord and Saviour:
 

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoff-ers, walking after their own lusts,
 

“And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the be-ginning of the creation.
 

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the wa-ter and in the water:
 

“Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
 

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”  (II Peter 3:1-7  KJV)
 

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
 

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what man-ner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godli-ness,
 

“Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the el-ements shall melt with fervent heat?
 

“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heav-ens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”  (II Peter 3:10-13  KJV)

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Philosophy of Technology

 

In short, technology is a good tool but a bad master.  Technology’s exponential advancement in recent years demands that we reckon with it.  However, it must be treated as a lion to tame, not a wild horse to ride wherever it wants to go.

 

Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will be provided with appropriate technology along with explicit instruction in how to use it properly.  At no time will elementary students be let loose with technology and allowed to explore it.  Although students are usually amazingly intuitive with technology, willing to explore, and quick to teach themselves all sorts of helpful (and not helpful) skills, their teachers will always remain in charge, the facilitators and monitors of students’ technology use.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School may make use of a filter service to prohibit students from accessing certain internet sites except with permission.

 

Teachers will be required to participate in periodic technology trainings, so that they will be good stewards of trending tools.  Teachers will need to be able to deftly use the technology given them in order to present instructional material, keep accurate records, and compile/analyze student data in order to drive further instruction.  Teachers will also need to be deft integrators of technology with student instruction.

 

Students will be expected to learn how to find and critique reliable internet sources.  Students will be expected to learn and comply with internet safety protocols, internet etiquette, and copyright law in the form of correct citation of sources.  Students may use social media only at particular times, in only academic contexts.  Students may only stream music from authorized sources.

 

In post-Covid society, there is much talk of “blend ed” (blended education) which means an education model which is a hybrid of attendance at a “brick-and-mortar” school, and remote learning through a computer at home.  At the present time (2022), Old Paths Christian Elementary School is a “brick-and-mortar” school of the “old-fashioned” type, and will not provide “blend ed” or virtual education of any kind, even in the event of a mandated quarantine.  If parents want a virtual experience for their children, they should partner with the public schools, or teach their children at home.  “Blend ed” is now in its infancy, and still highly uncoordinated and ineffective in most instances as a result, particularly for an elementary school.  It is unknown at what time in the future it may become a viable option.

 

Old Paths Christian Elementary School will teach QWERTY keyboarding, starting in first grade.  This is necessary to prepare students for life in the digital age into which they were born.  Students taking standardized tests in the public school need basic keyboarding skills in order to efficiently answer essay questions in a timed context.  We desire that our Christian school students have similar skills in case of transfer to any other school.

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Grade Level            Words Per Minute (WPM)

  1                                   5-10

  2                                   10-15

  3                                   15-20

  4                                   20-25

  5                                   25-30

  6                                   30-40

 

It is important to be able to differentiate between a passing tech trend and a useful, long-term tool to assimilate into one’s skill set.  Unfortunately, society often wastes much time on tech trends.  Educational institutions sometimes follow suit in a vain attempt to be “on the cutting edge.”  Old Paths Christian Elementary School will endeavor to make the appropriate differentiation and not waste important instructional time.  Therefore, Old Paths Christian Elementary School may admittedly be slower than its public counterparts to adopt new technology.  Although proficiency with up-to-date technology is indispensable for both teachers and students in daily life, it is the position of Old Paths Christian Elementary School that technology should be used primarily for instruction and not entertainment, at least in children’s formative years and in their primary instructional setting.

 

Students will not be allowed or required to take their technology home with them.  Students will be encouraged to spend time with family, face to face, when at home, instead of playing with a device.  This policy also functions in the interest of student safety, since the internet security filter used by the school will not work off campus.

 

Students will be taught to respect all their educational tools, especially their technology tools.  Students misusing headphones, tablets, keyboards, or other tools will be required to pay for the damage they cause.  Parents will be expected to back the school by working out an arrangement by which their children can do this, rather than simply paying the bill for their children.

 

Philosophy of Student Access to Libraries

 

The American Library Association (ALA) cautions librarians across the nation, especially school librarians, against censorship.  “Banned Books Week” is an annual event in most school libraries during the first two months of school, during which librarians are expected to purposely showcase controversial books and promote them.  It is interesting that the Bible, one of the most controversial books in the world, rarely figures at all in these promotions.  Instead, many young adult novels with highly disturbing themes and much foul language, do.  The books that are typically promoted during “Banned Books Week” are the exact same books that parents have fought with school boards to remove from public school classrooms.  These books never really get removed from the school, even after a conservative “victory.”  They just become “banned books” which may be removed from the classroom but are kept in the library, and promoted in the library, to avoid a liberal’s accusation of “censorship.”

 

At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, students and parents are warned to Biblically critique the content of all books they may encounter in a library.  Even in a Christian school library, books may exist which present disturbing topics and disturbing points of view.  Certainly disturbing topics and disturbing points of view are beneficial to children at certain times.  At other times, children should be kept from those same disturbing topics and disturbing points of view.  Children who are being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord should be judiciously exposed to worldly viewpoints, only when they are able to handle them (i. e., to choose the good and to reject the evil).  Parents need to know, however, that public librarians and school librarians are trained not to disclose children’s reading records to parents.  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a law frequently touted as the reason for library policies.  However, FERPA is subject to interpretation regarding of library records; it does not deal specifically with library records.  It is the position of Old Paths Christian Elementary School that parents still have the right to know what their children are reading, especially when they are enrolled in a private school not accepting federal funds. 

 

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”  (Ephesians 6:4  KJV)


“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  (Philippians 4:8  KJV)

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“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.”  (Psalm 101:3  KJV)


Philosophy of Physical Education


“. . .[E]xercise thyself rather unto godliness.


“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.


“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.”  
(I Timothy 4:7b-9  KJV)


At first glance it might appear that Paul is saying that physical education should be a low priority.  However, in context, he appears rather to be saying that spiritual education is simply more important than physical education.  At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, children are taught how to feed, dress, exercise, and otherwise care for the bodies that God has given them.  They are taught to be good stewards of their physical bodies so that they can minimize health problems and thereby focus on their spiritual education which is indeed more important.
 

Students are taught that extreme obesity that results from gluttony (eating more than necessary) is sinful.  Students will be taught good nutrition and self-discipline. Students will be taught to acknowledge and affirm different body types but at the same time differentiate between healthy weight and excess weight.
 

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one re-ceiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.


“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.


“I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
 

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”  (I Corinthians 9:24-27  KJV)


Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School are taught that temperance (self-control) is important as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and must be cultivated.  Physical education skills demand self-discipline.  Good eating habits, coordination skills, strength training, and endurance training are even more important than game or sport skills.  Good sportsmanship (being able to win or lose with grace) is a life skill as well as a game skill.  Students must be led to think about and value the character traits they are developing, more than their athletic prowess and achievements, as they develop physically.


“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”  (I Corinthians 10:31  KJV)

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Since students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School are in sixth grade or below, reproductive health instruction will not be provided.  Typically such instruction is provided in eighth grade, in the public school.  Parents are encouraged to be aware of their child’s entrance into puberty and to be ready to provide adequate reproductive health instruction for their children.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School stands ready to assist parents who do not know how to provide this instruction to their children.  However, the actual training in these matters should be done by the parents.

 

Students will be taught how to dress modestly, and the difference between outward and inward beauty.  They will be taught to value inward beauty above outward beauty. They will be taught God’s plan for the family (one man and one woman married for life, in order to rear children for God if God so blesses them), and the definition of adultery (taking someone else’s husband or wife for one’s own) when students study the Ten Commandments.  Students will also be taught the Biblical meaning of fornication, which is sexual sin outside marriage (living with a boyfriend or girlfriend without being married).

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“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the out-ward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”  (I Samuel 16:7  KJV)


“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;


“But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”  (I Timothy 2:9-10  KJV)


It should be noted that the Greek word for “shamefacedness” does not imply “shame” as in the sense of the popular phrase “body shaming.”  “Body shaming!” in our society is the usual accusation when one suggests that certain parts of the body should be covered.  Popular opinion seems to be that the physical body must be shameful to some, namely Christians.  No, the Biblical teaching is that sin is shameful, and because a naked man and woman (Adam and Eve) lost their innocence in Eden, their bodies were thereafter to be covered as a symbol of the righteousness that would someday clothe them.  The clothing God made for Adam and Eve required the death of an animal (He made them coats of skins) which required the shedding of blood, a symbol of the blood of Christ, which provides forgiveness of sins.  A Christian’s emphasis should be on the blood of Christ, not on one’s own body which is simply the covering for a sinful soul.


“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
 

“And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
 

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
 

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
 

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”  (Genesis 2:21-25  KJV)
 

They were not ashamed in the same way that a baby is not ashamed when it is born naked.  Within a marriage, this is still the case, because marriage is a symbol of oneness with God.  After birth and outside of marriage, however, and in our society in general, clothing is a necessity.
 

In the context of a woman’s preferred modest dress and “shamefacedness,” the Greek word used for “shamefacedness” means “downcast eyes” or even “bashfulness” according to Strong’s concordance.  It is meant to portray the opposite of a boisterous, rude mannerism.  It could likely mean “seriousness” or even “studiousness.”
 

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
 

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
 

“But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
 

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
 

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
 

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
 

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”  (Genesis 3:1-7  KJV)
 

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”  (Genesis 3:21  KJV)

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Dress Code
   
Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School must keep their bodies covered. First, this means that proper undergarments should be worn, to avoid seeing through clothing.  Second, girls should not wear shirts or dresses which expose their undergarments.  “Underwear” is supposed to be worn “under” something, not peeking out!  Shorts are not allowed either for girls or boys (except for school-issued gym shorts), for equity’s sake.  Boys should likewise wear clothing that does not reveal undergarments.  All clothing should be neat, clean, appropriately fitted, and in good repair.  Parents may ask the school to assist in clothing their child properly if they find themselves unable to do so.

 

Hats or hoodies may not be worn indoors.


Physical Education Classes and Restrooms

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Boys and girls will be segregated for physical education classes, and will use separate restrooms.  This is to avoid unfortunate distractions during physical activity, and for equity during activities.  Under no circumstances will a biological boy be allowed to participate in the girls’ physical education class, or use the girls’ restroom. A biological girl will not be allowed to participate in the boys’ physical education class, or use the boys’ restroom.


Vaccinations

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Vaccines in the United States are in fact developed from cell lines begun with cultures using cells from aborted fetuses.  Who decided that those babies should die, to make humanity safe?  It was not God, and God cannot bless any use of a such a vaccine. Exodus 20 proclaims, “Thou shalt not kill.”  This commandment applies to those who have “legally” aborted millions upon millions of unborn children since the passage of Roe vs. Wade.


“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,


“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”  (Jeremiah 1:4-5  KJV)


“ . . . [T]he land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.”  (Numbers 35:33b  KJV)

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Students at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will not be required to be vaccinated.  The school is required by law to notify parents if vaccinations are not up-to-date according to the standards of the public schools; however, the school will also respect the privacy of students and the authority of parents, in this matter.  In the event of a federal or state vaccination mandate for private schools, individuals involved with the school should seek religious exemption.  If no religious exemption shall be granted, parents shall take responsibility for either vaccinating or not vaccinating their children.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School will dissolve rather than help enforce a vaccine mandate.


Character Training

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At the time this handbook was being put together, a current trend in public education involved increased attention to “social-emotional learning” (or SEL) due to the increased number of “ACEs” (adverse childhood events) in many students’ lives. “Trauma-sensitive” public schools are those who recognize that students cannot focus on their academic responsibilities if their basic needs (food, water, shelter, safety, love) are not met.  Students undergoing trauma in their home lives focus on survival before anything else, and therefore require a nurturing atmosphere before they even start to learn.  Public schools therefore attempt to provide this nurturing atmosphere through SEL “best practices.”  Basically, SEL best practices involve offering intentional team-building exercises and “character training” daily, sometimes at the cost of time better devoted to academics, because public schools may not legally give students any spiritual assistance in coping with trauma.  With the removal of Bible reading and prayer from American public schools, any way to help children with their deepest problems has also departed.  So, to remedy the vacuum, public schools hire a plethora of counselors, with conflicting pet strategies, who pull children from their academic classrooms, typically causing them to miss instructional time because the counselors’ full schedules will not allow for taking the students out of the classroom at more logical times, and spend much time making and updating individualized plans for teaching students who are behavior problems simply because of problems in their home lives.  However, instead of teaching children about the battle between good and evil which exists in this world, these counselors spend their time teaching children how to identify their emotions (as if children don’t know when they are angry, sad, or fearful), breathe and move mindfully (often with Oriental religious techniques such as yoga), and to fight against negative emotions (named as if they were demons) with imaginary superheroes (named as if they were good spirits).  Basically the public schools are now in the position of pastors, but without any of the pastors’ tools.

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Old Paths Christian Elementary School fully recognizes that sin runs rampant in the homes of most students, and that most students require special help in coping with sin’s fallout.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School can thereby be said to be a “trauma-sensitive” school.  However, a good Christian school can offer much more effective counseling in dealing with trauma than any public school can!

 

Teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School are trained in recognizing students who are undergoing trauma.  Private school teachers and pastors, as well as public school teachers, are “mandatory reporters,” which means they are required by law to report suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services.  Faculty and administration will be quick to report suspected child abuse.  Rather than referring troubled students immediately to counselors, however, both faculty and administration at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will endeavor to work with parents immediately to intervene on behalf of students, if problems at home begin to affect school performance.  Parents will be expected to work respectfully with the school to solve the problems in short order, or students unfortunately will be dismissed from the school.  At no time will a family’s willful misbehavior be allowed to corrupt the learning of students who want to learn.

 

Nouthetic counselors (those who counsel from a Biblical standpoint, not a humanistic one) may be employed to help in very difficult situations.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School wishes to help students of all backgrounds, no matter what the problems are, because Christ in His wisdom can solve every problem there is, and He is our model for all our human relationships.  Students undergoing trauma will always be treated with gentleness, respect, and Christian love by faculty and administration.  However, willful sinful practices will not be tolerated for an extended period of time, and neither will blame-shifting or excuse-making.  Although sin admittedly does cause a lack of ordered behavior, Old Paths Christian Elementary School does not believe in behavior “disorders” (for example, ADD, ADHD, ODD, EBD) which make sin an involuntary sickness with drugs for its only remedy.  Teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will not be permitted by administration to fill out pediatric questionnaires which lead to “diagnoses” of these conditions without any scientific biological tests (medical tests for quantifying every supposed “imbalanced” brain chemical or hormone do not exist).  The Christian school maintains that hormonal imbalances are not the only reason for disorderly conduct.


No student is perfect or shall be expected to be perfect.  Each student professing faith is on a spiritual growth journey that proceeds at a different rate than that of any given peer.  Because of this fact, Old Paths Christian Elementary School will daily teach character to students through Bible classes.   Students will be taught the meaning of “reputation” and the character qualities of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering or patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance or self-control).  By analyzing and studying the examples of Biblical characters, both bad and good, students will come to understand the difference between godly character and ungodly character.  Students will also be taught that it is only the presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life that can make a true, lasting difference in a person’s character.  Students will also be taught that it is only repentance from sin and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Savior that can bring the presence of the Holy Spirit into a person’s life.  Students will be taught continually to yield to the Holy Spirit instead of to the demons who desire Christians to stumble and fall.

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It should be noted here that many Christians are taught in modern churches that once a person has accepted Christ as Savior, Satan “may not touch” that person because he or she is “eternally secure.”  This teaching often leads to the false conclusion that new Christians will not be tempted by sin, or if tempted will not fall prey to sin or become spiritual casualties.  “Backsliding” is never seen in the context of sliding so far away that a person is lost.  However, there are plenty of people who have solidly expressed faith in Christ only to fall into gross sin with little or no remorse, later. Such people are then told that they “were never saved to begin with.”  Who is to know?

 

While Christians should not set themselves up to be judges of others’ salvation (that is God’s job), Jesus did teach as follows:
 

“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
 

“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a cor-rupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
 

“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
 

“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
(Matthew 7:16-19  KJV)

 

The parable of the talents, the parable of the sower and the seed, and the parable of the ten virgins all indicate that the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit enable a successful spiritual journey.  To admit the necessity of this power to obtain eternal salvation, and then to deny the necessity or efficacy of this power for a life honoring to God is a hallmark of apostasy, as the Bible predicts:
 

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
 

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
 

“Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
 

“Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
 

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
(II Timothy 3:1-5  KJV)

 

The word “incontinent” means “unable to control oneself.”  That is diametrically opposed to the Holy Spirit’s fruit of “temperance” which means “self-control.”  To deny that a person who is not otherwise cognitively challenged can control his behavior is to deny that the Holy Spirit exists in that person’s life.  Therefore an incontinent person should not call himself a Christian, and yet needs to be led to Christ to find the control he needs.  Christians need to watch out for false teachers who give them the ideas that spirituality is “messy,” that God overlooks our imperfections with no desire or need to change them, and that someone once “saved” is always “saved” and never can be “unsaved” not even if they want to be!  The Word of God is soberly clear, to the contrary:

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“For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

 

“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

 

“ For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 

“ For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

“But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”  (II Peter 2:18-22)

 

At Old Paths Christian Elementary School, character training is a vital part of each student’s education.  However, character training in this Christian school will look completely different from character training in the public school (prayer instead of meditation or controlled breathing, Bible memorization instead of yogic mantras, and admission of sin and repentance of it, instead of drug dependence because of a supposed behavior “disorder”).

 

Curriculum

 

Old Paths Christian Elementary School uses the Abeka curriculum primarily, with some additions to the math curriculum (use of manipulatives in the lower grades, and concrete derivations of formulas in the upper grades).  Teachers in first grade or above are required to integrate technology on a regular basis and to provide hands-on enrichments as necessary, in all areas, but especially in the area of science.  Contemporary literature and authentic sources are also required to enrich language arts and history texts.  Project-based learning in any subject is encouraged if it does not interfere with primary skill development (needless drill will not supersede practical implementation of a given skill, and vice versa).

 

Assessments and Grading

 

Old Paths Christian Elementary School recognizes that there are many different possible kinds of assessments to measure student progress.  Besides traditional testing which usually tests simple recall of facts, rubrics can be developed to assess any sort of process performed, or product made, in lieu of a test.  Neither traditional testing nor rubric-based assessment is superior to the other, and all teachers should make use of both.  Similarly, although subjective assessments may also be made at certain times, every effort should be made to keep assessments quantified and as objective as possible.  Teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School thoroughly understand the process of finding a baseline, or starting point, for student assessment, and then conducting both formative and summative assessments at future times (tracking progress to a final goal) by several different methods if necessary.  All formal (quantified) assessment results can be converted to percentage points to result in a letter grade.  Letter grades should be derived from quantified data only (only a pass-fail grade or satisfactory/non-satisfactory grade should be derived from subjective data).  In sixth grade, students will take cumulative knowledge tests in each subject, at the end of the fall and spring semesters, similar to finals in high school.  Sixth grade students must pass their finals with an average of 75% or above in order to receive a sixth-grade diploma and participate in the sixth-grade graduation ceremony.

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Although Old Paths Christian Elementary School recognizes that grades in many cases are subjective, and that likewise, there is more than one way to assess student achievement, at the same time all students need to learn personal responsibility and accountability, and traditional grading is one good way to train students in such matters.

 

Assignment and project deadlines will be strictly observed.  If any student needs a deadline extension, due to illness or other family exigency, parents must request such an extension no later than 48 hours after the onset of illness or 48 hours after the existence of the exigency.  Family vacations are not to be considered exigencies, and students will not be counted as “absent excused” for any family function not related to an emergency.  Chronic illness will also not be considered an exigency.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School will work with parents individually to provide an alternate plan in such cases, but then the alternate plan must be followed.  If more than two extensions are requested in a school year, students may be considered unable to fulfill academic program demands and should consider a homeschool arrangement instead of enrollment in Old Paths Christian Elementary School. 

 

Any student who expects to stay enrolled in Old Paths Christian Elementary School must meet the minimum attendance requirement of the public school to avoid a charge of truancy.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School desires to rise to a higher standard as well.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School refuses to serve as an umbrella school for parents who wish to homeschool.  Rather than report to a state truancy officer, Old Paths Christian Elementary school will disenroll students who do not physically attend the school as expected.

 

Old Paths Christian Elementary School will issue progress reports mid-quarter, and report cards at the end of every quarter.  The report cards for each grade will reflect the academic subjects taught in that grade.  Students will be given a letter grade for each subject collectively.  The academic grades will be accompanied by an overall assessment of learning behaviors.  Teachers will be expected to keep clear records and be able to show complete justification for any letter grade given, as well as a convincing case for each subjective assessment of learning behaviors.  Teachers must notify parents immediately if assessments show a downward trend, without waiting for progress report or report card mailings.  Any student who drops below a 75% average in any two subjects on a report card risks failing his grade and repeating it.  A student who receives a grade of 60% or lower in any two subjects on a report card for the third and fourth quarters consecutively will repeat his or her grade.

 

Old Paths Christian Elementary School rejects the “science” which claims that retention in a grade never helps a student.  There are too many variables in any given child’s situation, and affecting his or her achievement, to make such a blanket statement.  There are far too many variables than any one study or set of studies could cover!  Although each child’s situation should and will be reviewed individually, with as many factors as possible considered, it is the position of Old Paths Christian Elementary School that if a child does not master the content of one grade, for whatever reason, it is fruitless to pass him or her into the next grade without finding a way to intervene to solve the problem.  Students also may find the possibility of “failing” to be strong motivation to attend to their studies, instead of simply surviving each school day without learning anything, because they know they will be passed into the next grade, regardless of their effort level.  Although retention is not desirable and should not be a frequent recourse by any means, it will still always remain a possibility at Old Paths Christian Elementary School.

 

Sixth graders at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will participate in standardized testing and must receive a particular score in order to receive their diploma.  The purpose of the standardized testing is to facilitate their transition to any middle or high school they desire, afterward.  It is important to note that Wisconsin does not require standardized testing of students in private schools; standardized testing in sixth grade goes above and beyond state requirements.  Sixth-graders will also participate in a graduation ceremony. 

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Student Discipline

A school-wide discipline system shall be consistently implemented within every classroom.  Each student will be given a set of three cards (green, yellow, red) which are kept in a pocket chart displayed on the classroom wall.  Infractions of written or posted class or school rules will cause the green card to be flipped to yellow after no more than two warnings.  Any infraction after that will cause the yellow card to be flipped to red, and the student causing the disturbance will be sent to the principal's office.  The principal will discuss an appropriate consequence with the student, will begin implementation of that consequence, and return the student to the classroom.  Parents will be notified daily of “which color” the child earned for that day, and documentation will be kept in the office.  Students who are often seen in the principal's office may be expelled.

Infractions which will result in immediate referral to the office, regardless of card color, are as follows:

•    alcohol, tobacco, or drug use while at school
•    bringing weapons to school
•    assaulting a teacher or another student
•    bullying
•    throwing furniture or committing vandalism
•    obscene or abusive behavior (including language, according to the guidelines in the Speech and Language Policy)

Children on the autism spectrum may be admitted to Old Paths Christian Elementary School provided they are able to handle the academic program’s demands and disciplinary procedures.  At no time will children who refuse instruction and cause inappropriate outbursts be allowed to habitually disrupt others’ learning.  Parents will be asked to cooperate with the school in all training standards and differentiation plans if their children are enrolled in the school or are allowed to remain enrolled despite minimal difficulties.

Speech and Language Policy

“Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

“In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doc-trine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

“Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”  (Titus 2:6-8 KJV)

In order to preserve the ideals of a God-honoring school, as a witness within the community, sound speech is extremely important.  Both teachers and students will be expected to keep their language above reproach in every situation, no matter what the circumstances.  The following list is not exhaustive, but an example of the kinds of speech that are not considered school-appropriate.

•    any and all forms of the word “God,” as an exclamation, taking the name of God in vain (examples:  God, oh my God, gosh, golly, goodness, Jesus, gee, jeez, jiminy crickets, Christ, cripes, my Lord, Lordy, my Word, etc.) or any common expression which uses the word holy
•    the f-word (also effing and friggin and frickin’ and freakin’ and any other sound-alike that may be construed to be this word or a substitute for this word)
•    any words that refer disrespectfully and/or unnecessarily to any part of a person’s private anatomy or to sexual or bodily functions 
•    any words that sound like curses (examples:  hell, damn, darn, drat)
•    any words that refer to junk or garbage by a less com-plimentary name (examples:  crap, shit, bull, etc.)
•    swearing, which is invoking the name of a deity to make an oath or promise, or simply making an oath or promise (examples:  by God, by Jove, sure as hell, etc.)

“But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

“Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

“Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for what-soever is more than
these cometh of evil.”  (Matthew 5:34-37  KJV)

Accreditation/Voucher Statement

Parents and students would do well to remember that “accreditation” simply means that a self-proclaimed “accrediting agency” with a particular set of educational criteria has endorsed a particular educational institution.  “Accredited” does not necessarily mean federal or state endorsement.  Neither does it mean that credits earned at a particular school will transfer to any other educational institution easily, because there is a difference between regional and national accreditation.  If an educational institution is accredited by a regional accrediting agency, credits earned may not necessarily transfer to another educational institution in a different region of the country (and accredited by a different agency).  Depending on the accrediting agency endorsing each school, accreditation may not even be a good indicator of a school’s quality.  Parents and students should research and examine the criteria of any particular accrediting agency to ascertain what that agency’s endorsement of a school really means.

Old Paths Christian Elementary School is presently independent and not accredited by any accrediting agency.  Because it is not accredited, it does not qualify as a state-approved private school for the Wisconsin state voucher program.  However, it is a legitimate Wisconsin private school.  Parents who wish their children to attend Old Paths Christian Elementary School must pay full tuition.

School Board Structure and Function

The school board of Old Paths Christian Elementary School shall consist of at least two and no more than six members, who serve voluntarily for an indefinite time, and may leave at will.  If in the event that the school board voluntarily dissolves, and no other members can immediately be found in agreement with the founding policies, the school will also dissolve.  School board members are responsible for creating, changing and/or maintaining the core policies of the school (comprehensively delineated in the school handbook), praying for the school, supporting it philosophically in ALL points, and hiring/firing the administrator.  School board members, as a group, must make unannounced visits to the school three times a year (roughly at the beginning, middle, and end of the year) during which they visit the administrator and also visit classrooms, with the object of gaining a good understanding of how the school functions on a daily basis.  They may ask questions of parents, teachers, and the administrator at any time, for accountability’s sake; however, their main liaison with the teachers should be the administrator, and the administrator should be included in any school board meetings called to address any concern.  School board meetings should be held at least quarterly.  School board members must be good Christian examples, in accordance with the school's basic tenets of belief as well as with all the conduct standards which they have set for faculty.  The school board is responsible for updating the school handbook annually, before the start of each new school year.  The school handbook may not be changed in the middle of a school year.  A copy of the original handbook at the time of the founding of the school will be kept in the school office for reference, and should be used for comparison when making additions or deletions.

School Calendar

Major events are put on the school calendar before the school year starts.  No major event will be scheduled during the school year unless it is the result of a national or natural disaster or other similar emergency or exigency.  Our school year comprises 4 quarters of 45 days each (180 days total).  We also fully comply with the requirement of accredited private schools in Wisconsin by providing in excess of 1,050 hours of instruction per year.  Unexpected cancellations, due to weather or other reasons, will be made up at the end of the year.

Old Paths Christian Elementary School recognizes and teaches about the following holidays and special days:

•    Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
•    Valentine’s Day
•    Resurrection Sunday (AKA Easter – some discussion of Passover may occur)
•    Mother’s Day
•    Memorial Day
•    Flag Day
•    Father’s Day
•    Juneteenth (historical facts will be explained)
•    Fourth of July
•    Patriot Day
•    Columbus Day (historical facts sensitive to other cultures will be explained, without making Columbus seem a hero – i.e., he did not in fact “discover” America from the point of view of the natives who were already there)
•    Veterans Day
•    Thanksgiving (the Pilgrims did thank God as well as the natives for their survival)
•    Christmas (some discussion of Hanukkah may occur)

Old Paths Christian Elementary School does not recognize or celebrate Halloween or Kwanzaa, and does not celebrate Easter traditionally with eggs and bunnies, but focuses on eternal life rather than death by celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the grave.  Any holiday that would seem to have a pagan emphasis rather than a Christ-honoring or patriotic one will not be celebrated at Old Paths Christian Elementary School.  NOTE:  Students will not be allowed to come to school dressed up for Halloween, and they will not be allowed to hand out Halloween candy at Old Paths Christian Elementary School.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day will be celebrated casually.  Although these days may be difficult to navigate for children in foster care or blended families, it is still important for children to understand and celebrate a mother’s role and a father’s role, under God, as they learn about God’s plan for the family and prepare to lead their own families someday.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School recognizes the nuclear family as a God-ordained ideal while also recognizing that because of death or sin in families there may be other valid family units that should be considered as “whole” as possible for the children’s sake (for example, a widowed parent, a grandparent or other relative, or foster/adoptive parents rearing children still make a valid family unit).  Teachers at Old Paths Christian Elementary School will purpose to be aware of all children’s family structures and treat children with sensitivity during these days, because no child’s family structure is that child’s fault or should cause that child to feel that his or her family is inferior or hopeless.

School Cancellation

Old Paths Christian Elementary School does not follow or make allowances for the calendar or schedule of Northland Pines School District or any other local public school.  According to our own school calendar, we may or may not be in session when the public school is, and we may or may not cancel school when the public school does.  School cancellation due to weather will be announced on WJFW at the same time that the weather cancellations of other schools are announced.  Other cancellations will be written into the calendar at the beginning of the year, or announced in the school newsletter well ahead of time.  Unexpected cancellations, due to weather or other reasons, must be made up at the end of the school year.

Visitors

Parents and other visitors are welcome at the school and in the classrooms at any time, provided their visit is properly announced and does not interrupt the flow or function of any school activity.  Any parent or visitor who is causing a distraction to students will be asked respectfully and privately not to continue the distraction.  In most cases, visitors to the school do not realize that they are causing a distraction.

All adult visitors should keep the rules of the school while on school grounds.  We cannot teach self-discipline if children are implicitly taught by example that the rules only apply to children and not to grown-ups.  No one is an exception!

Expectations of Parents

God has given the responsibility of training children primarily to the parents of those children.  “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.  And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”  (Deuteronomy 11:18,19)  If parents choose to delegate that responsibility to teachers, that is fine, but such delegation should result in both the parent and the child realizing that any teacher's reasonable requests carry the same weight as a parent's, and must be obeyed.  Since teachers often spend more waking hours with schoolchildren than their parents do, parents must realize that when they put their children under teachers, they are NOT relinquishing their responsibility under God to do the job of training their children, but ARE relinquishing the level of direct intervention they will have in their children's lives.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School exists for the purpose of partnering with parents to provide good examples for children of Christ-like living.  Parents need to satisfy themselves that the teachers they hire will do a good job, not to the extent of demanding personalized attention for their own children, but to the extent of carefully researching the philosophy of any teacher or school, placing trust in it, and handing their children over to it.

Parents are asked not to enroll their children if they cannot subscribe to the standards of the school.  Every parent enrolling a child (as well as non-custodial parents who have visiting privileges and will be dropping off or picking up children from school) will be asked to sign a statement promising compliance with the school.  In order for the school’s discipline system to be effective, students must know that their parents stand behind the school so that they will not be tempted to pit one entity against the other in order to get their own way.  Although no parent is going to see eye to eye with the school in every aspect, parents are asked to exhibit respect in voicing concerns or any other differences.  The school will gladly conference with parents and work to resolve differences to their satisfaction, but it cannot continue to function well if parental dissatisfaction trickles down to their children.  If a parent does not approve of a particular teacher or activity, and differences cannot be resolved, the school will encourage that parent to provide a home school setting for his or her child.  Admittedly, a home school setting is ideal for many children, and many parents can do a better job of teaching their own children than any school can.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School is an option for parents who cannot or do not choose to home school their own children.

Parents who are divorced and also remarried must realize that Old Paths Christian Elementary School respectfully maintains that remarriage after divorce is adultery and sinful according to the Bible.  Parents who are simply separated, or divorced and not remarried, may or may not be sinning according to the Bible, depending on the situation.  Regardless of whether or not parents in sinful situations are willing to change their lifestyles, their children are always welcome at Old Paths Christian Elementary School.  However, their children will be taught against such lifestyles.  Parents enrolling their children for the academic benefits which the school provides must be willing to accept that fact, as well as the fact that the school does not apologize for teaching against any sort of sin, as defined by the Bible.  At no time will the school intentionally target a particular parent as an example of sin.  At the same time, however, the school will never avoid teaching Biblical truth in order to satisfy a parent or anyone else.
   
Parents who wish to provide academic enrichment experiences or to provide other services must bring their proposal to the administrator who will conference with the teachers or other staff and work out an appropriate time.  In many cases, the administration or faculty will solicit the help and opinions of parents, but parents should not be offended if what they propose is decided against.  Help is greatly appreciated.  Parents also should feel free to share opinions when asked.  While it is the responsibility of the administration to make a final decision among differing opinions, different viewpoints are valued and always considered.  

Parents and other visitors should keep the rules of the school while on school grounds.  A school cannot teach self-discipline if children are implicitly taught by example that the rules only apply to children and not to grown-ups.  No one is an exception!  Parents who are more trouble than their children may be asked to take their children out of the school.

Parents who enroll in Old Paths Christian Elementary School should remember that it is not a public school, for obvious reasons, and that therefore certain methods, standards, and practices of our local school district will not necessarily be the norm here.  For instance, the school does work with the local school district to take advantage of certain academic and professional development programs, if those programs are beneficial and do not compromise the purpose of the school. But under no circumstances will Old Paths Christian Elementary School offer a program through the local school district, just because it is a public program available to non-public schools.

Also, while every effort will be made to provide an excellent education for each child enrolled at Old Paths Christian Elementary School, the school may not be able to properly serve children with severe cognitive disabilities.  If a child applying to enroll would require an IEP (Individual Education Program) in the public school system, Old Paths Christian Elementary School may or may not be able to serve that child, depending on what the provisions of the IEP are. The school will consider such cases on an individual basis, with regard to its 
mission statement.  As a nonpublic school, it is not required by law to serve children with special needs.

NOTE:  

Michigan law requires public schools to provide services for students with special needs whether they are enrolled in the public school or not.  If a child requires an IEP, his or her parent may be able teach that child at home and still take advantage of public programs, if residing in Michigan.  Home school parents must be in compliance with the Private, Denominational and Parochial Schools Act, 1921 PA 302 for their home school to qualify as its own nonpublic school.

Wisconsin law requires public schools to allow homeschooled students to take up to two courses per semester at the public school, if there is space in the public school classrooms.  Wisconsin Virtual Academy is also available to private school students in Wisconsin. 


Students with behavioral problems may be admitted with the understanding that both parents and students will adhere to the discipline policies of Old Paths Christian Elementary School.  Under no circumstances will a diagnosed behavior disorder become an excuse for a student's failure to meet disciplinary or academic standards. Students who do not meet the standards will be asked to leave.  Old Paths Christian Elementary School will admit students on Ritalin or other medications given for behavior disorders, but under no circumstances will any member of the administration, faculty, or staff be responsible for dispensing medication or supervising its administration.  Medications that alter behavior are considered drugs by the school, and will not be allowed on school property unless in the possession of a parent.  In other words, if necessary, the parent of a child on such medication will have to personally come to the school every day to give the medication to the child.
   
The faculty of Old Paths Christian School will never advise cognitive or behavior disorder testing.  Doing so is unprofessional for both public and private school teachers.  Nor will Old Paths Christian School ever employ a special education teacher (for the purpose of teaching diagnosed children alone) or a school psychologist. 

Students enrolled in Old Paths Christian Elementary School must bring an adequate, nutritious lunch to school daily.  Preferably a student lunch should be packed in a brown paper lunch bag that can be refrigerated, or in a cooler-type lunchbox with an ice pack inside if necessary.  Please note that due to space constraints, all cooler-type lunchboxes may not be able to be refrigerated.

A typical lunch should include a sandwich, or container of a meal portion needing only a quick 45 seconds or so in the microwave.  Paper products and silverware will be provided.  Parents are asked to be considerate of time constraints in prepping students’ meals; teachers cannot be expected to heat or stir a single lunch for several minutes; wash, peel, and cut up fruit; pop popcorn; or assemble multiple pizzas or tacos in one lunch period.  Parents are also asked to watch the fat and sugar content of meals and to exclude candy entirely from lunches.  Fresh fruit or vegetables are a much better option.  Parents should be aware that children will be encouraged to eat, not waste, their lunches, and to eat the main parts of their lunches before they eat any additional cookies, fruit snacks, or granola bars, etc.  Milk will be provided by the school, for health reasons.  Parents are asked not to send fruit juice because of sugar content and spills.  Parents are asked to wash, fill, and send a clear water bottle to school with their child daily.  While students will under no circumstances be forced to eat their lunches, parents may be notified if their child habitually wastes his or her lunch instead of eating it, in the hope that a solution to this problem can be found.

Parents desiring to bring a snack to share with a class must ask permission of their child’s teacher, or administration, before doing so.  Sharing snacks, homemade or otherwise, may or may not be appropriate at different times, for allergy or other health reasons.  This will be decided on a case-by-case basis by each teacher, or by administration.

Expectations of Teachers

Teachers at Old Paths Christian School should endeavor to be examples of good Christian behavior in every aspect of their lives.  They should always be conscious of the power of their testimony.  There should be no material difference between their public and private lives.  They should endeavor to be orderly, kind, helpful, polite, honest, and transparent in their daily work, in public appearance, and in their homes.

Teachers must be prompt, responsible, and professional.  They should maintain a calm, matter-of-fact presence with students and parents.  They should display a sense of urgency and diligence instead of jocularity, carelessness, or procrastination. They should be cautious and kind, firm in opinions but able to effectively listen and empathize.  Teachers should constantly endeavor to make extremely good use of their time, and maintain a high level of organization.  They should be lifetime learners, able to distinguish between non-negotiable traditional rationales for educational methods, but also able to adapt to unique situations when doing so does not compromise truth.

Sarcasm, negativity, rudeness, or harshness will not characterize a teacher at Old Paths Christian Elementary School.  Teachers are expected to be straightforward and honest but not arrogant or abrasive.  The respect teachers show to their students daily is the respect their students should reciprocate.  If a teacher is having problems with a student showing respect to him or her, it should not be due to that teacher failing to show respect to that student.

Teachers will be expected to try to inculcate a love of learning in each child.  They should uncover prior knowledge, understand and work with student interests as much as possible, and seek to guide children to a relationship with God and a discovery of His master plan for them.  Teachers should never demand unquestioning obedience but should be trustworthy enough to deserve it.

Teachers will be treated with respect by the administration and school board.  If there is cause for suspicion, there is cause for investigation.  Teachers not undergoing discipline should not have to live and work, feeling as if someone is suspicious of them.  

Teachers will be asked to comply with the Basic Tenets of Belief as well as all policies of the school.  When a teacher is not in agreement, that teacher may bring concerns before the administrator, and then before the school board if necessary.  If a consensus is not quickly reached, the teacher may be asked to explain his or her position more fully, in writing.  If, after the board has fully read and thoroughly discussed the teacher’s written position, the board takes an opposite position, the teacher will be given the option of complying or withdrawing from the school.



 

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