Average?

I don’t always get to, but I always enjoy hearing the latest news from Lake Woebegon where “all the men are strong, the women good looking, and the children are all above average.” Or are they? And if I were to write the news from Lake CFC, would I characterize our children as “all above average?” Would I even want to? Certainly, it is a truth that no one wants to be known as “average.” That would be a great stigma dropping from the sky likely to spook the Chicken Little in all of us.

For some reason or other, we have had a lot of conversation lately about how fast our children should be progressing. Are they at or above grade level? Are they exceptional children who should be challenged to go even faster? Are we, as a school, ahead of the pack and setting the standard? I even had a teacher ask point blank last week if CFC has aspirations to be an “elite” school. And if so, would that be by virtue of our clientele or, instead, a conscious choice on our part?

If you must know, the word “elite” makes me just as nervous as the word “average.” It exudes an exclusive quality that implies a sense of superiority and narrows one’s goals and admissions policy. Some folks love the label and strive with all their might to earn it. I run from it. To be an “elite” school says that we are here to serve a certain spectrum of student and have consciously chosen to do so. We would harness our wagon to those who want to excel in a narrow range of academics that others could not hope to attain.

On the other hand, excellence is a Godly virtue that we exalt and hold high. Whatever our hands find to do, we are to do with all our might to the glory of God. Slothfulness is to be condemned and shunned. Mediocrity is never an acceptable sacrifice.

So what is CFC to be known for? Accelerated academics or other intangibles? This may sound like a broken record but Scripture says that wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. Jesus did not pick his motley set of disciples based upon SAT test scores. Nor did He minister to the educated elite of his day. Jesus’ ministry to children was not to tell them that their future hope lie in a college diploma. We live in a culture that is obsessed with knowledge and education. A high school diploma is viewed as a cure all by our government. The only key to prosperity is to be a player in the information age. I would caution that we not accept unquestionably the popular values of our age. Even secular experts are now saying that self-discipline in children is a bigger indicator of future success than IQ or test scores.

If CFC is, indeed, “better than public schools,” I trust that it will be because it is a safer place, a more caring community, and infused with kingdom values. Those values include doing one’s best but also means that there is a place for every child; even “average” ones. If in God’s house there is a place for the sparrow, that most common of birds, to build her nest, then surely there is place and time for the most average of students to progress at a most average of pace within CFC. For after all, the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong.