Ecclesiastes Elementary Cchool

Do you remember your first day of school? In late summer, 1960, my heart pounded as I trudged toward the imposing yellow brick fortress known as Salem Elementary School. The yellow bricks cried out "Caution" to my young mind. So did the two yellow busses with red flashing lights parked near the school's front door. As dozens of excited kids spilled from the busses onto the sidewalk, the air was heavy with exhaust fumes and the sound of nervous chatter.

Outwardly, I was ready for the world of academia—a red baseball cap pulled tightly over my brow; stiff, not-yet-broken-in bluejeans chafing my legs. The red plaid book bag I clutched in my hands contained several fat black Number Two pencils, a pair of those little scissors with dull rounded blades so safe they'll barely cut paper, and a thin box of 8 Crayola crayons.

Inwardly, though, I still had my doubts. The upperclassmen (second and third graders) had warned me about the principal, Mr. Hayes. He carried a four-foot-long paddle in his back pocket, they said. (It never occurred to me what a large pocket that would require!)

Though he was a strict disciplinarian, Mr. Hayes turned out to be a friendly fellow. My teacher, Mrs. Tolle, filled her students' minds with new ideas, from maps to math to moths; and she filled our classroom with photos of American presidents, a tadpole aquarium, and a praying mantis cage. She took us on field trips to farms and factories and art museums. Thanks to a good teacher, my first school experience turned out well after all.

What will the upcoming school year mean to you, your children, or your grandchildren? Education plays an enormous role in American life. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 52,217,000 children will attend elementary and secondary schools this year. Approximately 5.8 million of those children will attend private schools (mostly church-related), or home schools. In addition, 8.5 million adults will enroll in four-year colleges and universities, and another 5.5 million in two-year institutions.

No one disputes the value of a good education. But what makes an education "good"?

Consider Solomon. His breadth of scholarship included literature (he wrote 3,000 proverbs), music (he wrote 1,005 songs), and a wide range of sciences (1 Kings 4:32, 33). Yet his quest for knowledge led him to lament, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (Ecclesiastes 12:12).

As Solomon discovered, education not only helps you solve problems; it also makes you aware of problems you can't solve on your own—"What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted" (Ecclesiastes 1:15). Without God in the picture, education leads to deep despair—"the more knowledge, the more grief" (Ecclesiastes 1:18). Life without God is empty—like trying to grasp the wind in your hand (Ecclesiastes 2:17-26).

It's good to learn all we can, but God must be the heart of what we learn. His revealed truth forms the trunk out of which every branch of study grows.

So when the yellow busses with flashing red lights appear in your neighborhood, pray for commitment on campus—at Christian colleges and state universities; public schools, Christian schools, and home schools. Ask God to help believers make a difference as parents, students, teachers, administrators, and school board members; as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, school nurses, coaches, and guidance counselors.

And remember the elementary lesson of Ecclesiastes: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (12:13).