Written by Rod Gilbert, President, Head of Schools 

Do you know any of the 13 ninth-grade boys in Santa Fe Christian School’s 4500a Advisory? If so, please do not tell them how I plan to vote in this year’s U.S. presidential election. If you are a friend of mine, you likely know, and I likely know your plan. But in the case of the young men under my care this year, I am withholding my personal choice because my role is not to tell them what to think but to cultivate critical thinking and healthy disagreement, as well as deepen their passionate convictions.

My political preferences function the same as my view of baptism at a K-12 Christian school. The 750 families at our school represent over 80 churches. Any political or theological discussion held in my advisory group is to challenge the young men for the sake of their intellectual growth and their future roles as leaders. I serve as the advocate of their heart and the adversary of their minds.

Why an adversary? Have you ever been in a room of ninth-grade boys? If not pushed, they will settle for lazy, ill-informed thinking and sound-bite banter.

I find this year’s election season on the elevated side of emotion. Though the rhetoric may seem worse than usual, nothing about it is new. Yet, our chronological snobbery deems our contemporary moment “the worst” or “the most vitriolic” or “historically unique.” Perhaps. But if pushed, I could argue that we’ve seen far worse in our almost 250 years as a wonderful and flawed nation.

With that informed mindset, it is incumbent on me as I lead the advisory group, and essential for all of our teachers, to offer perspective on this election year. How do we set the stage school-wide? How do we foster healthy dialogue appropriate for little ones to seniors at a K-12 school? How do we partner with Christian parents to cultivate critical thinking while also respecting the spectrum of views?

Leadership from the top

At the Back to School Nights last month, I invited parents to think about this topic. In the context of reminding everyone of our Mission and Values, I also shared with families a two-page document we call our “Politics and Faith Apologia.” The parents responded quite well. In referencing the election, I did not pick sides, but instead related it to key axioms and the Western Civilization values that flow through our constitutional republic like the nervous system of a body.

“Politics and Faith Apologia” was drafted by me then revised over several months by a team of teachers and administrators. The team made the document’s content stronger and adjusted the voice to one that could be heard by our school’s teenagers.

After we completed the work, I handed out “Politics and Faith Apologia” to our Board of Directors. We talked through the document, and I shared how this document flows logically and faithfully from our mission and written values. As I anticipated, the Board fully appreciated and endorsed the convictions, recognizing the respect for key values that reflect our biblical views.

Axioms from the “Apologia”

As we introduced the students to this document, we reminded them to walk in all of life’s adventures with humility. At the same time, we ask them to speak up and share opinions with compassion to advance the common good. Though we do not expect perfect conformity to one political view, we stress the value of unity and finding the areas that we have in common. Unity over conformity.

Furthermore, we embolden students with a healthy patriotism and a real sense of optimistic hope about our nation as a land of opportunity for many. We are fostering hope as citizens of Christ’s kingdom and the civic entities to which we belong. Key axioms that govern our discussions are the following:

• Engage in discussions with a spirit of understanding and empathy, even when there are strong disagreements.
• Listen to others’ viewpoints, speak with honesty and humility, and avoid personal attacks.
• Let your voting be guided by thoughtful consideration of candidates’ policies and character.
• Pray for wisdom in making these choices.

By modeling respectful behavior and focusing on shared values, we can contribute to a more positive and constructive political environment.

These discussions also incorporate lessons from American history. Overall, historians agree that overarching themes in the American experience flow from a larger conversation about humanity inside Western Civilization. Our apologia highlights common values, and we show how these views ebb and flow in the United States of America. These contours flow in the nation we love. So, we created the L.I.F.E.R. acronym so that students could memorize these values.

L.I.F.E.R. captures the main themes: Limited government, Individualism, Freedom (of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition as outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution), Economic opportunity based on measures of capitalism, and the Rule of law and order. Political discussions help us understand how our country has been shaped by these ideas and how we interpret them. Our conversations should seek to understand the founding principles of our country better and lead to constructive conversations, whether they be opinions, questions, or disagreements, on ideas and policies today.

Application in the classroom

I am pleased to report that the teachers used the apologia as a guiding force to lead age-appropriate discussions. One account stands out in my mind from our eighth-grade U.S. History class as they prepared for the September 2024 presidential debate.

“Any political or theological discussion held in my advisory group is to challenge the young men for the sake of their intellectual growth and their future roles as leaders.”

The teacher prepared a one-page debate handout and encouraged students to watch the entire event live with their parent(s) or guardian(s). First, the students were asked to pray for both candidates before the debate. Second, students were asked to make the live debate a relationship-building opportunity by watching it live with an adult in their house. That was key—to make a historical event something more meaningful by encouraging family time. Third, students were expected to come to class prepared to share their own views, not just sound-bites and post-debate tidbits grabbed from social media. Bottomline, the teacher asked students to study the debate, discuss it with their parents, and come to class with equipped and open minds.

As the teacher opened the discussion, hands immediately shot up. The first student was asked by the teacher, “Did you pray for both candidates?” The answer was “no.” The teacher said kindly, “Well, today you are going to listen and take notes.” I love that kind of governing mentorship. Set the stage and then teach by way of example. For the rest of the class, Mr. Robinson led a vibrant discussion. The students made good points and practiced voicing their convictions respectfully.

Leading the ninth-grade advisory

Over the next two months, I will be holding similar discussions with my weekly ninth-grade advisory group of fine young men. Pray for me. Our handling of the weekly discussions flows from our mission, vision, and written SFC values. My co-leader is our CFO, and we are both opinionated about political and economic topics. Fortunately, both Kurt and I realize that we are preparing these students for major life issues now and for years to come. These young men will be voting in the 2028 election, and we want them to be ready.