Twenty years ago, my husband and I experienced our first Orthodox Divine Liturgy. I was overwhelmed with the service. So much reminded me of my Catholic childhood and yet it embodied an emphasis on our personal walk toward salvation in Christ (something we had seen in our Protestant experiences). I was brought to tears when I saw the babies and toddlers being carried to communion. This spoke to me in a deep way because it presupposes our full membership in the family of Christ even before we can intellectually understand our place.
During one of my earliest meetings with Fr. John Chakos I asked him, “Where’s the school?” It only made sense to me that a faith that embraced its youngest and most vulnerable would want to protect and nurture this early and full gift of Christ.
Fr. John explained to me that there were few Orthodox schools throughout the country – mainly in larger cities. “It was an idea that the Orthodox haven’t embraced quite yet.” This was difficult for me to understand, having attended a Catholic elementary school. As a child I was aware that this was a sacrifice for my family – one that my parents felt was imperative. The idea to start a school became a main topic of conversation for Fr. John and me over the next few years.
In 1996, after receiving the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos, Fr. John and I met with a group of clergy and lay people to explore the possibility of beginning an Orthodox school in the Pittsburgh area. The driving force behind this initiative was a growing concern for our children and our desire for a strong academic program rooted in and shaped by the incredible wealth and truth of the Orthodox faith, which can heal and transform the worst of humanity into the greatest of saints.
The consensus among the group was that there was indeed a clear need for an Orthodox School – especially in a culture has become increasingly antagonistic to our Orthodox Faith and to our children. Our traditional moral understanding has increasingly been replaced by relativistic thinking. As a result, we as a society have lost our ability to sort right from wrong. We are confused by the ever-growing distractions that lead us away from our faith. This puts our children at risk. It leaves them without the guidance they need in the area they need it most. They have been left to decide for themselves what is right and wrong. Children raised in this environment often lack respect for themselves, their peers and the adults in their lives.
Throughout history, educational theorists, theologians and Church Fathers agree that the tender years of youth must be watched over and protected. When a child enters the world, he does so with an open and responsive heart. The young child is wide open to the impressions which pour in – for better or worse – without the ability to discern good from bad. In the field of education we have long embraced the importance of a nurturing environment for new born babies and very young children. When we look at their small and vulnerable bodies we intuitively recognize their need for protection and supervision.
But, for some reason, as children’s bodies grow into teenagers we often believe what we see. Because their bodies are beginning to look more adult-like, we mistakenly assume that their brains are also more adult-like. Yet recent Brain research is revealing. Much like the early years of childhood, the pre-teen years are a time of significant neurological change. The young teen is actually losing neurological connections to make way for new ones. As a result, they are often unable to logically work through decisions and situations which can cause frustration for them and those around them.
I have observed this shift at our school as the children move from 4th grade to 5th grade. They become different; suddenly they become a bit more defiant and difficult in a way that we haven’t seen since their preschool years. I believe that it is during these middle school years that they need us the most. It is at this point that they are confronted with an increasing array of options – some of which can have lifelong consequences.
What they need – and will seek – is a group that will offer support, guidance and belonging. What they need from us is a group of Christ-centered adults who will keep them focused on Christ and help them to work through their changing perception of themselves and the world around them. We need to help them come to a place where they “own” their faith.
Every school is a community of some kind, and it passes along the values that are shared by that community. Most are committed to providing the best education they can. On this we agree. In 2010, 100% of our graduating 8th graders scored in the highest category in Language Arts on the Pennsylvania State Assessment test. All but one scored in the highest category in mathematics. While we celebrate this success, Orthodox Education isn’t just committed to academic success. It is committed to something more, something greater, and you can see it in those moments of real worship, in the appreciation for God’s handiwork that informs everyday lessons, in the innocent fellowship among our children.
Throughout my experience at T.H.E.O.S., I have had many moments where I stand back and really “see” the children – in Church, in class, at play. I have been in the field of education for twenty-eight years and I am continually surprised by how profoundly different the experience is for our children at an Orthodox School. True success to me as the director of T.H.E.O.S. is particularly evident when children make the right choices in challenging situations. Time and again, we have seen them face situations that were inconsistent with their faith and they made good choices. These situations tell me more about them than any standardized test ever could. It is this strength of character in Christ shown by our children that is the true measure of our success.
This is not a focus that the world around us often supports. In fact, there are many trends in society that are hostile to our efforts. This is to be expected; the world has different concerns and goals. It has its own agenda, which is rarely the same as the timeless purpose of the Church.
In Orthodox education we have sought to restore the historical “three-legged stool” upon which the effective education of children has always relied. When the classroom, home and church work together, the whole child can thrive. Without all three legs present, the stool becomes a dangerous place for the child to sit and their life will be out of balance. As a powerful integrated force – working together – Church, home and school – we are committed to building up a spiritual way of living that can lead to truly fulfilling lives for our children and real blessings for the world.
The greatest legacy that we can give our children is not money nor stature, but the wealth of our faith. We see what this faith can become in the faces of the Saints we love as well as the saints with whom we live; we sense what it can mean in our own moments with God – the enduring joy, the deep and unshakable peace, the clear sense of purpose and meaning. This is the heritage we seek to impart to our children, because when everything else fades away, the enduring treasure of faith, hope and love will remain. Orthodox Education is dedicated to building up the whole child through his or her entire childhood because we know that:
“What your child learns is important;
but
Who your child becomes is eternal.”
It has been my greatest honor and blessing to be involved in the development and growth of T.H.E.O.S. I have been blessed to be a part of a journey, with dozens of other Orthodox families who like my husband and I want to protect the innocence of our children in a hostile world. I am thankful daily for the priests, teachers, parents, staff and volunteers who have, through their commitment and daily toil, breathed life into the idea of a new convert many years ago. May God continue to bless our efforts to support Orthodox Education, and may all the Glory and Honor be His.