# Teaching Public School/Private School



## zsmcd (Sep 28, 2016)

I have always wanted to be a teacher, but now I am not so sure how I feel about teaching in the government school system for, I assume, obvious reasons, and private school teachers don't make any money - at least from what I have seen and heard.

What are your thoughts on Christians teaching in public schools? 

Do you think the public school system will collapse at all in the future?


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## earl40 (Sep 28, 2016)

My thoughts are Christians may teach in public schools. Christians should be the best teachers and I wish we had more of them in them the field of public education.


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## Parakaleo (Sep 28, 2016)

The Christian may take up any lawful profession and teaching is certainly a lawful profession. However, the Christian may never discharge the duties of their profession in a dishonest or sinful way. For example, a Christian may be a fine pharmacist and compound excellent medicine. However, if the order came down from "higher up" for the pharmacist to incorporate small amounts of toxic or poisonous substances into their compounds for no good reason, I hope it's plain why the Christian pharmacist must refuse.

I think teaching in the public schools would present a very similar problem. There may be many public schools or classrooms where Christian teachers can teach good things and keep error out of their curriculum. However, isn't it obvious that teaching error will be more and more required of public school teachers in the coming days? Isn't it obvious that public school teachers will soon be required to call boys girls and girls boys? Won't they be subject to penalties if they counsel a girl against killing her unborn child? A school teacher is an authority figure and thus accountable to God for the ones under their instruction. Can the Christian public school teacher stand by and allow what they know to be poison incorporated into what they teach? I don't know, maybe there are still school districts where a Christian teacher can teach creationism as fact and evolution as fantasy, but I suspect not.


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## zsmcd (Sep 28, 2016)

Parakaleo said:


> The Christian may take up any lawful profession and teaching is certainly a lawful profession. However, the Christian may never discharge the duties of their profession in a dishonest or sinful way. For example, a Christian may be a fine pharmacist and compound excellent medicine. However, if the order came down from "higher up" for the pharmacist to incorporate small amounts of toxic or poisonous substances into their compounds for no good reason, I hope it's plain why the Christian pharmacist must refuse.
> 
> I think teaching in the public schools would present a very similar problem. There may be many public schools or classrooms where Christian teachers can teach good things and keep error out of their curriculum. However, isn't it obvious that teaching error will be more and more required of public school teachers in the coming days? Isn't it obvious that public school teachers will soon be required to call boys girls and girls boys? Won't they be subject to penalties if they counsel a girl against killing her unborn child? A school teacher is an authority figure and thus accountable to God for the ones under their instruction. Can the Christian public school teacher stand by and allow what they know to be poison incorporated into what they teach? I don't know, maybe there are still school districts where a Christian teacher can teach creationism as fact and evolution as fantasy, but I suspect not.



Yes, this about sums up my thoughts exactly. 

And it is my understanding that, while the government continues to hand out "free" education, private schools will be unable to pay their teachers comparable salaries. Of course, there are the exceptions, but it isn't entirely encouraging for someone who desires to teach middle/high school ages as a vocation.


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## Toasty (Sep 28, 2016)

zsmcd said:


> Parakaleo said:
> 
> 
> > The Christian may take up any lawful profession and teaching is certainly a lawful profession. However, the Christian may never discharge the duties of their profession in a dishonest or sinful way. For example, a Christian may be a fine pharmacist and compound excellent medicine. However, if the order came down from "higher up" for the pharmacist to incorporate small amounts of toxic or poisonous substances into their compounds for no good reason, I hope it's plain why the Christian pharmacist must refuse.
> ...



Someone could teach computer programming at a public high school. I don't see how teaching a computer programming class would require the teaching of error. Obviously, teaching biology in a public high school would require teaching error, but not teaching computer programming.


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## Jack K (Sep 28, 2016)

Christian teachers can be a great benefit in the public schools. There are huge opportunities there not only to help kids learn but also to display the character of Christ.

If you go that route, just find a school/situation where your beliefs need not be compromised. You can probably live with some inevitable limits on what you may teach, but you must avoid being forced to teach or support what is wrong. At this point in America, there are still many public school teaching jobs where this is possible.


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## Edward (Sep 28, 2016)

zsmcd said:


> Do you think the public school system will collapse at all in the future?



No. Unless there is a total breakdown in society, then your job would be the least of your problems. 




zsmcd said:


> What are your thoughts on Christians teaching in public schools?



Probably depends on the school district. 



zsmcd said:


> and private school teachers don't make any money



As with real estate, it depends on location, location, location. 

While private schools do generally pay less than public schools, you do avoid some of the combat risks.


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