Mike Shepherd: Christian schools and white-flight image

Blind-sided by the reality portrayed in the Oscar-buzz-generating film starring Sandra Bullock, the public may now perceive small Christian schools not as bastions of segregation, but as beacons of hope for African-American students.

Instead of keeping black kids out, most private schools want them in. Including them gives many kids hope for staying in school and playing sports and gives the schools a real hope of being competitive in the private-school leagues.

Now that the true story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher has made it to the big screen, no one can truthfully echo the critics of the 1960s and '70s who saw the Christian school movement as nothing more than white flight from the newly integrated public schools. Thanks to The Blind Side, that image may be changing.

The movie portrays a homeless black kid adopted by a wealthy white family and sent to a Christian school, where he excels at football. The kid who was failing learns to pass his classes; the one who had no bed to sleep on gets a room of his own; the kid who had little hope of a high school diploma goes to college.

All of this takes place because free individuals make free decisions about how they run their lives. There is no government mandate that certain kids go to private schools.

A public school teacher, I have always favored free choice in education. I spent two years in South America teaching in a private Christian school run by missionaries. My wife home-taught my daughter for 2 ½ years before my daughter entered (and excelled in) Texas public schools.

My sons have attended Christian schools. One such school, Christway Academy in Duncanville, recently won the state championship in six-man football, and African-Americans made up a majority of the team.

Another school, Canterbury Episcopal in DeSoto, has won two state championships in basketball in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools league.

The Blind Side did us all a favor by focusing on real schools, not stereotypes. To the faithful, the movie gave hope that their private schools will be acknowledged for what they really are: stepping stones to success for kids of all races. As the sign over the front gate to the Memphis Christian school featured in movie reads, "With God all things are possible."

I wish continued success to The Blind Side this award season. But more important, I wish rich blessings in heaven and on earth to the teachers and coaches at private schools who help make all things possible for kids like Michael Oher.

Mike Shepherd of Duncanville is an educational writer, teacher and a Community Voices volunteer columnist. His e-mail address is shepherdmike@sbcglobal.net.

Source:dallasnews.com/