CHRISTIAN SCHOOL BOOMS WITH BIBLE-BASED CURRICULUM

The Rev. Cecil Barham sees a growing concern among parents that public schools have become increasingly hostile to Christian morality.

Barham, who's pastor of Bethel Assembly of God Church at 1855 Perryville Road, said that's one reason why enrollment at the Cape Christian School increased 50 percent this year.

The church operates the school, which now has 121 students in grades kindergarten through seventh.

"Parents themselves are desirous of good academics, but they're also interested in a Christian moral education," Barham said. "I feel the parents are frustrated because they feel they have no voice in their children's education.

"I think you're seeing a groundswell of people wanting to get back to the grass roots of education, reflecting the morals of the home along with getting a good academic education."

Bonnie Nation, the school's administrator, said Cape Christian School provides a Bible-based curriculum that develops Christian character in the students.

"Parents we talk to want their child to get that positive motivation," Nation said. "Plus, they have concerns over the changes going on in the public schools."

Those changes are typified in a nationwide move toward "outcome-based education." She said that curriculum, which focuses on building self-esteem in students by rejecting traditional measures of progress and achievement, has made its way from the coasts to the Midwest.

But Barham said many parents spurn the idea.

"If you don't give them any guidelines, if there are no wrong answers or right answers, children simply won't learn to think," he said.

Barham said the public's frustration with outcome-based education is revealed in a steady increase in parents who choose to home-school their children.

"It's just their desire for traditional family values to be maintained without getting sucked up in this amoral, relativistic curriculum," he said.

Nation said Cape Christian emphasizes traditional teaching techniques that have been abandoned in the public schools. For example, the school uses phonics -- the way most adults learned how to read by memorizing the various sounds that combinations of letters make.

"We can see a marked difference in children in first through third grades in reading ability," she said. "The ones who haven't had phonics need to catch up."

Nation said the curriculum at Cape Christian is "not altogether different" from what children learn in public schools, with one exception.

The basics, in language arts, history, science and math, all are taught from a Christian, biblical perspective.

"Scriptures are used throughout all of it," said Nation. "For example, the history books give you an idea of the faith of some of the men who founded our nation.

"It helps you see who you are, and where you come from."

Barham said too many people have forgotten that the church, historically, has been the primary social institution to emphasize education.

"The church established a lot of what are the leading universities today," he said.

The non-denominational school has students from families represented by about 20 different congregations in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City, Marble Hill, Appleton and Charleston.

"The children here come from families that cross all socio-economic lines," said Barham. "We have families here with very low income, and they do it at a great sacrifice."

Nation said the school recognizes that parents are the "primary educator" of their children.

Barham added: "We are a partner trying to reinforce the traditional family values from the home. We're not there to tear that apart, but to build it up."

In order to do that, he said, the schools cannot ignore the role morality must have in education.

"I feel we have pretty good schools in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, but there's a real groundswell from people who really want a Christian-based education for their kids," Barham said.

Nation said putting God first in school is Cape Christian's biggest advantage.

"When students have truth, and they can receive that truth at home and have it reinforced in the schools, then they live accordingly," she said. "Their grades, attitudes and beliefs all reflect that."

But she said a common misconception is that academics are compromised at a school that focuses on Christianity.

"A lot of people think that maybe we just teach the Bible all day, and that there isn't academic learning," Nation said. "But I think what we do fosters academic learning. We have an environment of loving, caring and learning.

"The textbooks are very exacting. They do expect achievement."

The school follows state guidelines in terms of course requirements. Nation said her students rank well above national averages on standardized tests they take.

And the students integrate well in public, secondary schools. Nation said the smaller classrooms, with more personal attention given to each student, help build a good academic foundation.

"We want this to be a school of excellence," said Nation. "That's our desire."