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How to Honor God as a Christian Teacher in a Public School

We live in a time where being a Christian teacher in a public school setting can be very challenging. How do we share Christ and honor God when the expectations for us push back against our faith? Join us for a conversation with a Christian teacher about his experience following Jesus while working in a public school.

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God is at Work Wherever You Work

Todayโ€™s blog post is a modified transcript of a conversation with a friend, whom we will call โ€˜LJ.โ€ 

Iโ€™m LJ and I am a Christian public school educator and I'm halfway through my 34th year of teaching. I believe that all scripture is God-breathed and that He places each and every believer where He wants us to share the gospel. And for me, that's in the public schools now for 34 years.

Before I share my story, I want to read a passage from Philippians 1:15. Paul is in prison & writing letters. He's under house arrest, most likely  in Rome. 

And it says, โ€œNow I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.โ€

This passage lets you know kind of where we're going. Essentially, I'm giving you the end of my story. Hopefully hearing all these things encourages you to be fearless and to share the gospel with the knowledge that it won't come back void.

Frustrated

Last year after 33 years, I was placed on an improvement plan.  I am certainly not beyond improvement. However, I was caught off guard when it was decided that I needed more diversity, equity, and inclusion in my classroom and for me as an individual. 

So, it was determined that I would meet with one of my administrators once a month. The admin would select and article or video clip.  Then, I  would prepare my thoughts so we could sit down and  discuss it.  Ultimately the goal was to improve me through the DEI program of the school. 

Admittedly, I did not enter this with a good attitude. I rolled my eyes having to invest this time.

Furthermore, I did not view this plan as  a means of encouragement or a way of advancing the gospel.  Philippians 1:15 had not crossed my mind.  I know God is sovereign, but I was frustrated. 

Getting Started

The first meeting, the article shared about an academy that admitted over 100 convicts, most with well over 25 convictions. Through their programming, the students have avoided violent altercations and not one of them has failed a drug test for five years. Impressive!

During our appointment, I discussed the article with my principal, reiterating points from the reading, not ever sharing whether I agreed or disagreed. As we talked, we both realized how difficult something like that is to pull off. At our middle school, we can't even keep the bathrooms clean!

Slowly, the main purpose of the report became clear.  It was to say not only are we supposed to act just in public, but we are to become just. 

But there's a problem. I'm not just.

Continuing the discussion, I shared with my principal, "I view everything through the lens of the Bible and the Bible says that the heart is corrupt and it's beyond cure." For example, "Imagine if everything we thought, everything we said, everything we did, was on the  big screen in my classroom. What if everyone could see all those things?โ€ 

I responded that I didn't know about him, but I would hang my head in shame and walk out of the school if anyone else watched those images. โ€œThe only person that can ever change somebody's heart  is Jesus Christ,โ€ I told him.

Nodding, he acknowledged this as he typed his notes.  The meeting ended & we went on our way. Watching him walk away, I thought, โ€œOkay, in a way, this is what got me in trouble in the first place. But here we go.โ€

I realized that similar to Paul and his guards, this administrator was now chained to me. He had to meet with me.

Continuing Improvement

Next month, when the time came, my principal forgot to meet with me. That topic was about how women are treated unfairly in the workplace. Dutifully, I typed up my notes and sent them to him. 

Eventually, we did get together for the follow meeting. That focus covered white privilege. With this in mind, as we sat down for that session, I said, โ€œYou know, when I take both of these two pieces and put them together, one, women being treated unfairly in the workplace compared to men. And once again, socially, as far as our ethnicity, it reminds me of a story in the Bible about a woman at a well.โ€

I pulled a Bible out of my top right desk drawer and I read for him John 4. Before I read it to him, I gave him just a little background regarding Samaritans and the Jews so he could catch the impact.

Following the brief history lesson, I read the chapter to him. Afterwards, I explained how even though it broke all the social norms at the time, Jesus shared with the people who needed it the most.

On this occasion, Jesus was speaking to a woman, a Samaritan woman and a woman of ill rapport.  Why? Because she needed the hope of the gospel. And with that, I had the opportunity to share Christ with my principal.

Seeing Opportunity

Surprisingly, I started looking forward to these get-togethers! The Lord changed my heart, helping me see this as an opportunity.  

Prior to our next interaction, I put the ball in his court. โ€œIf you donโ€™t want to talk about Christ anymore, just let me know. I wonโ€™t bring it up again. But this is where my heart is,โ€ I said.

He replied, โ€œNo, thatโ€™s fine. You can continue to talk about it.โ€

Inside, I was elated. Iโ€™d just read a devotional about the woman at the well. She dug empty cisterns in relationships, seeking fulfillment. In this case, when Christ revealed her storyโ€”five husbands and an unmarried partnerโ€”He showed her that these pursuits would never satisfy.

Thoughtfully, I shared this with my principal, saying we werenโ€™t so different. In high school and college, we both found success in athletics, but it didnโ€™t satisfy. Now, we teach at a top school in Ohio, but it wasn't truly enough. Even with beautiful families and wonderful wives, deep down, there remains something missing.

โ€œWhere are we digging our cisterns?โ€ I asked.

At the end of the meeting, I gave him the Book of John, trusting the Lord to work through the small gesture.  I reminded myself: weโ€™re simply called to be bold and sow seeds.

Without a doubt, God takes care of things in the end.

Reflections

Those of you teaching in public schools can relate: my first semester that year, I had received the lowest skill rating of my life. Initially that is what put me on a plan. Now, it was time for my final evaluation.

In another conversation, my principal had shared, โ€œIโ€™ve never grown up knowing the Bible or these stories at all.โ€ His young children were starting to ask him about God, and he admitted, โ€œI donโ€™t know what to tell them.โ€

That is why at our very last appointment, I brought him the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Iโ€™ve always believed the best way to bless a man is to bless his children. Showing him the inscription Iโ€™d written, I said, โ€œI purchased this for your kids, but also for you. I hope you read it.โ€

I asked to read him a page. Early in the book, it lists Bible characters like Moses, David, Noah, and Jonah. While theyโ€™re seen as heroes, theyโ€™re also deeply flawed, often disobeying God.

Sally Lloyd-Jones writes, โ€œYou may think the Bible is full of heroes, and it is, but most people are not heroes at all. They disobey Godโ€”sometimes purposely.โ€

It points to a real human need: what do we do with our sin?

At the end of the year, my principal took a new position, and we lost contact. But he now has the Bibleโ€”and the memories of the conversations we had. I pray the Holy Spirit moves him to read it, whether for his kids or himself.

What is the Lord Doing?

With all this in mind I look back and I ask myself, "What was the Lord doing?"

Well, if I was never put on an improvement plan, I would have never spent a half an hour every month, one-on-one with my principal, and I would have never had the chance to share the gospel with him.

Because of all of that, he has heard the gospel. He's inquisitive of it, as of our last conversation. And so it's up to the Lord to soften that heart. 

In light of everything else,  as an added bonus, I was in disbelief with my evaluation second semester. I received the highest evaluation that you could earn. I went from my worst to my best.  It still stuns me to this day!

Was I scared to share the gospel? Yes. 

Did I know what would happen, how it would be received? Nope. But once again, we're called to just throw the seeds.

The Lessons I've Learned

Through this all I have learned some important lessons I want to share with other educators:

First: It is no accident that you have been placed at your specific school. We know he orders our times. We know we know he orders our places. 

We know at the beginning of every school year there is intention as to which students are in our class. The easy ones & the difficult ones are purposefully put there.

Second:  Commit to praying for your students, praying for your fellow teachers, and praying for your administrators because God has to open the heart.

Next:  Stay in the Word so you can have your mind renewed in the Word.  As you know, in public schools, it's truly an underground mission field. And we need the Christian teachers there. 

Finally: Let  your light shine by the good works you do there!

By God's grace, be a great teacher, be a thorough teacher. Build relationships where you can.  As I'm seeing halfway through 34 years of teaching, sometimes the Lord uses a lifetime before some of the biggest opportunities come up. 

Trust

In the same way, there may be times when you face conflict or review or even a personal improvement plan of your own.  Thatโ€™s not always a bad thing.  Hold on to hope.

It must be remembered God is sovereign. His word says as much.  And there will be doubts and worries because our humanness wants to doubt God. 

But no matter where my heart is, no matter where my mind is, it's a decision to choose to trust God.

To illustrate:  letโ€™s look at the characters of the Bible. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, told Nebuchadnezzar they were not going to bow down and worship the golden idol and that their God could save them. 

I'm sure they were concerned about those flames.  Nebuchadnezzar's anger had to be on their mind.  Yet, they chose to trust Him and do the right thing!

Despite their fears & their worries, they chose to trust in a sovereign God. 

You were put in your school, during this time, for a very specific purpose.  The people around you need the hope of the gospel. You can be the light the world needs.  Trust God, even when you are concerned and afraid.

Ask God for the chances to make a difference.  

Keep praying.  Immersing yourself in the Word.  And always look for the next opportunity God is giving you. You never know where it might lie!

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heRZOG FOUNDATIoN

The Herzog Foundation exists to catalyze and accelerate the development of quality Christ-centered K-12 education so that families and culture flourish.

Herzog will be accepting Teacher of the Year nominations beginning Jan. 6, 2025. If you know of a teacher who has served in Christian Education for at least a year and is highly respected by students, parents, colleagues, and the community, Herzog would love to consider them for this award. Nominations can be submitted at herzogfoundation.com/awards.

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