Hawaii Conference
A Non-Adventist Parent’s Perspective
on Adventist Schools By Loren C. Divers
F
or a variety of reasons many people in Honolulu prefer to send their children to private schools. My wife and I share that preference, so when our two daughters were approaching kindergarten age, we joined the thousands of other parents seeking the best schools for their children—going through a series of applications, private tutoring, tests, and interviews, and then waiting for the acceptance letters in the spring. We found what we thought was a great school system, and during the next two years we were vocal advocates during presentations to new parents who were considering that school for their children. Then everything changed, and we were ultimately deeply disappointed by what was happening at the school without any warning. The unannounced change from the traditional liberal arts curriculum alarmed me and brought back unpleasant memories of "new math" from my own elementary years. I was skeptical of a new curriculum. Yet, before making any decisions, I researched the new system versus the classical education model that has for centuries been so successful in the western world. The results of my research were even worse than I expected, and we decided to change schools the next year. The very same evening, I went online and searched for something like "the best private schools." At the top of the results, as if it were calling to me, was an editorial in the Christian Science Monitor. What stood out in the article was author Elissa Kido's statement:
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"By educating mind, body, and spirit, Adventist schools outperform the national average across all demographics." I learned in the article that the Adventist school system is nationwide. The next day I looked up the Honolulu Adventist schools and made an appointment to interview the elementary school principal. I was extremely impressed and registered our daughters for the next school year. After the second week at their new Adventist school, our fourth grader said, "Daddy, don't you ever take us out of this school!" Our second grader loved her teacher so much that she stayed after school helping her almost every day. She was the best teacher I ever met, and it was gratifying to be able to tell her so. Today, our daughters are both thriving. Our elder daughter is a sophomore at Hawaiian Mission Academy and has gone on several special school excursions to the mainland, with more to follow. These trips are vitally enriching and add incalculable value to the substance of the education she is receiving, and we can really tell. Our younger daughter is now an eighth grader at Hawaiian Mission Academy Ka Lama Iki and is following close on her sister's heels. Both are getting excellent grades, and we are all very happy about the school's loving, close-knit family atmosphere. We realize that "education reform" and its challenges have affected all of America's school systems, but we are exceedingly happy that by and large, the local Adventist schools have
avoided the turmoil. Nationally, the Adventist school system is so large and strong that it doesn't need anyone else's curriculum. They have the best performing educational philosophy in the country, and from my perspective they should endeavor to preserve and sustain it. Still, every year in our town, thousands of parents scramble to find private schools for their children. And every year I am thankful that we found Adventist schools for our daughters. The Adventist school that we have made our own is God's complete fulfillment of our prayers, and we are very grateful for this and the wonderful people in the Adventist education system orbit. Madison is in 8th grade at HMA Ka Lama Iki and Brooklyn (right) is a 10th grader at Hawaiian Mission Academy.