Fear Shouldn't Be Taught in School

LifeWise bills itself as an optional nondenominational “Bible education” class that shares universal Bible stories, while stressing character building and social emotional learning. What it actually teaches is an unhealthy fear. 

This spring a child wearing a red Program t-shirt came up to a volunteer on the playground during recess. “I need to go,” he said. To the bathroom? 

“No, I need to go to LifeWise. It’s a LifeWise day and I have to go.” Knowing that the public school doesn’t force a child to go to LifeWise if they don’t want to go, the volunteer asked if the child wanted to play with their friends or go to LifeWise, because the choice was up to him. He seemed afraid, and the volunteer was concerned. The child, now near tears, said, “No, I need to go to LifeWise!” 

“Because you’ll get in trouble if you don’t?” asked the volunteer. The child nodded. 

Parents and teachers are also being dragged into this fear of getting in trouble with LifeWise. A different child, again this spring, was exhibiting signs of anxiousness on the day that they had LifeWise. The child didn’t want to go, but somehow the message came across that the parent had to let the school know to excuse their child from going to LiveWise; that he would have had to go otherwise. (This is not the public school’s policy.) Fortunately, the parent was reached in time, and the child did not attend that day.

The directors of the Everett LifeWise program have even bragged about the fear they instill in children. (Of course, they don’t see it that way.) During a nationally broadcast event, the directors told viewers that most of the children in their program were “unchurched,” raised with no religion at all. They went on to say that a group of third-graders in their Program expressed how very worried they were that they couldn't be saved because they can’t be good or perfect all of the time. The directors were proud of their Program, proud that young children should be grappling with such fears.

Now, how would these unchurched children have conceived such a very specific concept if it hadn’t been taught to them by LifeWise? 

Why are children and their families fearful of opting-out of a program that isn’t working for them? Why are elementary school children fearful that they’re going to hell because they aren’t perfect enough to be saved? 

How does building character, incorporating social emotional learning, and sharing nondenominational Bible stories lead to fear?? It doesn’t, unless the ones running the Program intend to do so. 

“Bible study” in elementary school, especially study that purports to be nondenominational, shouldn’t be trafficking in fear. Instilling fear isn’t character building, nor does it meet the standards of social emotional learning. There’s simply no excuse for fear to be a normal part of a public school day. 

Enough is enough. Tell the Public School Board that fear should have no place in public school; tell them that LifeWise needs either be kicked out or kept out.