Bully Vouchers: Use Hope For Grace

If your child is getting bullied at school, you have the opportunity to transfer that child out of a public school and into a private school with vouchers funded by our taxes. It does not matter whether you are for or against vouchers. You need to be against bullying, especially when it's targeting your own kid. Go ahead and investigate the Hope Scholarship, and then figure out if Grace might fit your needs.

Bullying is a problem in our country. I was bullied at a Milwaukee Public School, even though I was a fairly popular kid--it had more to do with race. My wife was bullied out in the suburbs, and it had more to do with cliques. Kids can be mean. In fact, I'd just flat out say that kids ARE mean, and it's usually a direct result of their parents.

If you haven't heard about your kid getting bullied, more than likely your child is either hiding something or one of the bullies. My daughter is a very nice kid, but she's popular at school, and I make it a priority to remind her to be nice to the other kids she sometimes puts down when we're talking. I just remind her that leaders have the toughest job, since they need to find a way to get along with everyone else (or they become elitists who think they're above everyone else). Luckily, our school encourages a Christ-like love for our fellow man.

Public schools teach ethics, values, and morals. The teachers are generally good people. The state wants all kids to receive a solid, free, liberal arts education. I was a public school teacher, and I believed in my calling. However, I know that several of my fellow teachers were amoral at best. I also know that many of the parents who sent their kids to the school at which I taught had little or no moral compass of their own. At a Lutheran school like Grace, you'll get parents and teachers who care and agree about the importance of a moral education--one that contradicts bullying.

Non-Christian private schools can be nice, but bullying still goes on there. In fact, cliques are just as important as at the local public school. I am sure these elite schools are excellent for those who believe in the power of power. The perception of morals and ethics may be important at these schools, but it's more based on duty than on love. Humility and servitude? Probably not.

Lutheran schools (like Grace) work for all Protestant denominations. You might attend a non-denominational or Baptist Church, and you're not going to see or hear much of a difference. Besides, Grace staff realizes that most students do not come from Lutheran homes, though it is  expected that parents or guardians agree with the importance of a strong moral education. Check the list of nearby churches that might have members who'd want to give Grace a chance.

If you decide on Grace, please let the principal know that Brian Jaeger sent you. My kids look forward to meeting yours. Be sure to hurry as some grade levels are full.

Hope Community Church
Faithbridge Church
Simply Church
Monument Point Fellowship
Titus Harvest Dome Ministries
Maranatha Baptist Church
Good News Baptist Church
CrossRoad Church, UMC
East Pointe Church
The Church of Eleven22
Victory Lutheran Church
Eastside Community Church
Kernan Boulevard Baptist Church
Emmaus Church of Jacksonville
Chets Creek Church - Hodges Campus
Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church
Living Stream Church
Fort Caroline Baptist Church
ST. BARNABAS ANGLICAN CHURCH
Titus Harvest Dome Spectrum
Calvary Hill Baptist Church
Atlantic Boulevard Baptist Church
Coastal Baptist Church
Faith Chapel Free Will Baptist Church
City Bible Church International
Resurrection Episcopal Church
The River Church at Jacksonville
San Pablo Family Church SBC
New Life Christian Fellowship
Christ Church
Oceanside Church of Christ
Christ United Methodist Church
Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene
Christian Life Community Church
Atlantic Beach Assembly Of God
Vineyard Christian Fellowship
Oak Harbor Baptist Church
Christ Church East (PCA)
Hecksher Drive Baptist Church
St George Episcopal Church
Church of the Living God
Trinity Deliverance Christian Church
Saint Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church
Holy Church of Living God Center
Sonlife Church
St. Anne Romanian Orthodox Church
Church of Pentecost
Trinity Temple Assembly of God
Celebration Church Midtown Campus
Southpoint SDA Church
Eastside Church of Christ
Impact Church
Restoration Church
Community Presbyterian Church

And lots more.