Randall Murphree
AFA Journal editor
July 2010 – Eric Buehrer founded Gateways to Better Education in 1991. Gateways offers many resources for teachers, parents and students to see how their faith doesn’t have to be put on the shelf when they enter a public school classroom. Buehrer says that, legally, a lot more can be done than many people think. AFA Journal recently interviewed Buehrer on the subject.
AFA Journal: What moved you to begin Gateways?
Eric Buehrer: I was a public high school history teacher who had a burden for fellow Christian teachers serving in public schools. I saw a need for a relationship centered approach beyond politics to bring about change in schools.
Political action is very important. But I have the heart of an educator. I’m interested in improving society by equipping parents and teachers to be a positive influence to those around them in the school system. That requires education.
AFAJ: What are your main goals?
EB: We have two main goals: (1) Reverse the climate of secularism that is pervasive throughout the school environment by fostering faith friendly classrooms and campuses for students; and (2) Increase the amount and quality of instruction teachers provide about America’s Judeo-Christian history and values as well as the importance of the Bible to society.
AFAJ: How do you educate teachers and school administrators regarding the misconceptions of the so-called “separation of church and state?”
EB: It all starts with correct information. Everything is already in place to support a correction in the system. What we advocate is already academically expected and legally supported.
For instance, in Massachusetts, seventh grade students are to “describe the origins of Christianity and its central features – monotheism; the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God’s Son who redeemed humans from sin; the concept of salvation; belief in the Old and New Testaments; and the lives and teachings of Jesus and Saint Paul.”
The challenge is getting this message to more people and equipping them to help their schools appropriately become more faith friendly. We’re not trying to turn public schools into Christian schools. We’re helping parents and educators so their public schools truly serve the public by once again developing generations of students who understand the things that are foundational to sustaining the American culture.
AFAJ: What is a way our readers can get involved to make a difference in their communities?
EB: We’ve recently begun recruiting volunteers to help spread the message. People just don’t know all the ways that public schools can lawfully teach students about America’s religious heritage and support religious expression in the classroom. We have a monthly e-newsletter that a volunteer can add local community news to, and we send it to their contacts for them. These volunteers are having a great ministry equipping their local churches and contacts with life changing information. We are actively looking for more volunteers.
AFAJ: Children today face challenges from a secular education like never before. How can parents guard their children’s hearts and minds?
EB: Parents have to be engaged with what their kids are learning. I’ve spent 25 years in the field of public education as a teacher, a parent of three public schooled daughters, an author and a counselor to parents, educators and administrators nationwide.
The issues can be complex and overwhelming for many parents. But, I’ve spent my life developing practical strategies that work for parents. I’ve collected all these strategies in a parent’s survival kit called Keeping the Faith in Public Schools: How to help your children graduate with their faith and values intact. It comes with a handbook, DVD instruction, and a number of materials parents can give to their children and teachers throughout the school year and beyond.
Over the past 50 years, each generation of public school students has been increasingly cut off from understanding and valuing America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. Students who don’t understand it won’t value it, and if they don’t value it, they won’t seek to perpetuate it in their generation as adults. And, I think we’re seeing the result of that today. But the good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. We can help our own children be discerning and stand strong in their faith while also helping all students gain an appreciation for America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and values.
To learn more about Gateways to Better Education resources for parents and teachers, visit www.gtbe.org or call 800-929-1163.