David Pritchard - Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School

PRAISE FOR

Going Public:

Your Child Can Thrive in Public School

God brought David and Kelli Pritchard into my life at a time when the odds were against me. David and Kelli opened their home and their hearts to me, allowing me to watch and learn how a godly family lives and loves. I continually thank God for showing me all I could hope for, desire and have in a family.

Michael DeGraw

Teenager who lived with the Pritchards for a time

Going Public reveals the Pritchards hearts for unconditional love and aggressive positive involvement by parents in their childrens educational life, and provides many excellent suggestions for parents to use with regard to their interaction with schools. The Pritchards insightful book is clearly founded on Christian principles and establishes the sort of connections all Christians should have with otherseven those who serve at government schools. Parents who read Going Public may end up being better informed on schooling issues than the educational staff with whom they interact throughout their childrens public-school experience. I heartily recommend this book to professional educators and parents alike.

Daniel C. Elliott, Ed.D.

Professor and Curriculum Specialist

Office of Distance Learning

Azusa Pacific University

Going Public is the right book at the right time for frazzled and frantic parents. I have known the Pritchard family as pastor and friend for more than 20 years. Their insights and experiences will bring purpose and peace to many lives.

Darcy Fast

Former Major League Baseball player

Senior Pastor, Centralia Community Church

The composure and poise that Tavita Pritchard showed when he was thrust into the national spotlight is the type of character quality that takes a lifetime of parenting to produce. I highly recommend this book and the message that the Pritchards have on parenting.

Jim Harbaugh

Stanford University Head Football Coach and Former NFL player

Over the past two decades, we have witnessed David and Kellis wise, biblical and practical approach to raising their own children and countless others. You are holding an excellent tool for all parents who want to raise kids who will find and fulfill their God-given destiny.

Sam and Kathi Katina

The Katinas

As David and Kellis pastor, I have had many opportunities to observe their lives up close. They are an amazing couple with a unique blend of passion and compassion for Jesus, life and people. I know that God will use the principles they have built their lives and family on as they share them with others.

Dr. Jim Kennington

Pastor, Lake City Community Church

While many Christian families fear the negative influence of public schools, the Pritchards remind us that we dont have to take God into the public schools, because Hes already there! Finally, a positive, practical book that encourages people to work together as a family and impact our schools and communities for Jesus.

Kjel and Leslie Kiilsgaard

Public high school teacher and coach

High school counselor

Christian parents sometimes agonize about issues related to their childrens educationand often with good reason. Going Public is a wonderful resource that takes families beyond pat answers and conventional wisdom. I especially encourage parents to instill in their kids the Big Five, as the Pritchards recommend (see ). David and Kelli Pritchard provide practical content that will assist parents throughout their childrens school years.

Alex McFarland, M.A., D.D.

President, Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Veritas Graduate School

If you want to find out what marriage and parenting is all about, just watch David and Kelli as they interact with each other and with their children. One of the things that strike me the most is the love and respect their children have for them. If the proof is in the pudding, you only have to watch the Pritchard family to see a model of a family that loves each other and the God who created them.

Bill Paige

Vice President and Special Assistant to the President of Young Life

As a coach, I am always looking for examples of devotion and self-control so that I can relate those qualities to our team. The Pritchard family is a perfect example of those qualities. I personally know all eight of the Pritchard children and have taught and coached two of them. They reach for the highest stars, knowing that if they fail, they will still hit the moon.

Jonathan B. Randall

Physical Education Instructor and Head Football and Baseball Coach

Clover Park High School

Because the Pritchards believe every child is of great value and worth, their home has become a refuge for many who have been forgotten. They have been able to give to the forgotten who have crossed their path and call them friend.

Steven R. Ridgway

Executive Director, Northwest Network Foundation

David and Kelly Pritchard have been modeling good parenting for the last 20 years. Their methods are based on sound principles that will work in any culture and with any type of children. You will be blessed as you read their parenting strategies based on the concept that children are most fulfilled when their parents are in control.

Don and Robin Stuber

National Directors of Small Town Ministries, Young Life

Going Public is a must-read for anyone considering public education for their children. David and Kelli Pritchard remind us that the responsibility of raising our children begins and ends with their most influential teachersparents.

Lynne Thompson

Author, Official Soccer Mom Devotional

Whats a Christian parent to do when it comes to school choice? Should Christian parents homeschool, send their children to Christian school or enroll them in public school? I do not believe that there is one correct answer for all. However, for parents choosing public schools for formal education, Going Public: How Your Child Can Thrive in Public School is a must-read.

Parents need to saturate their homes with the truth of their faith 24/7 and play a major role in the daily formal education, whether that training takes place exclusively at home, in a Christian school, or in a public school. In Proverbs 22:6, parents are told to train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it. Training does not merely come from isolated formal training, but is the sum total of the life experiences.

The Pritchards point out the importance of teaching children the fear of the Lord, the need to obey parents, and the importance of maintaining self-control to thrive in the public-school environment. Further, they give practical tips on what to do and what to avoid. In the process, they tackle the tough issues, such as how to deal with sex education, the homosexual agenda, the roles of moms and dads, and the public-school campus as a mission field for believers.

Using biblical truths and practical examples, David and Kelli Pritchard have succeeded in writing a how to book about thriving in public schools.

Finn Laursen

Executive Director, Christian Educators Association International www.ceai.org

2008 David and Kelli Pritchard

Interior photos Karie Hamilton. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com

Baker Books edition published 2014

ISBN 978-1-4412-2436-1

Previously published by Regal Books

Ebook edition originally created 2013