How to be a Christian Teacher in a Public School? It’s a struggle.

My mouth. The number one struggle in the classroom impacting my students would, without a doubt, be my mouth. It’s loud. We chase rabbits down deep, deep holes (and sometimes we don’t make it out). For some I am too direct, too bold, too “extroverty”. I dig group discussions, group projects, and noise. Students will often recommend me to their friends with the caveat, “she’s a little crazy” – I love my reputation. While my students may find themselves putting cotton balls in their ears to balance out my voice box (just kidding, it’s not that bad… at least I haven’t noticed this), this is really their struggle not mine.

The Conflict

This mouthpiece I’ve been blessed with, I find myself being corned by fear of it’s power. Fear of saying the wrong thing, being too bold, or just being a stumbling block for others. I can’t trip Jesus, but I certainly don’t want to add a detour for others.

Jesus. He is so awesome. His name alone is powerful. My life is living evidence of His grace, mercy, and goodness. In songs about the name of Jesus you will hear how He is a place of refuge, strength, healing. He breaks chains and is the ultimate answer. My students need all of those things. My students are homeless, face addiction, struggle with identity, question purpose…my students reach mountain tops, celebrate generational success, and defeat personal monsters. They all need Jesus. Desperately. As a Christian teacher in a public school, I fight the balance of norms and the Great Commission daily.

Our Students Need Jesus

In a study completed by the Christian research company, Barna Group, 48% of the 18-28 age group do not believe in God, attend church, or read the Bible (Barna & Kinnaman, 2016). According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) the average age of a community college student is 28, with 51% being under the age of 21… 90% of our campuses are filled with students under the age of 39 (AACC, 2017).

For a while, living in the “Bible belt,” I made an intentional choice to believe we didn’t have a Jesus-follower shortage – not in rural Kentucky. I believed that until a preacher dropped a statistic bomb in a sermon. In a county located in rural Kentucky 40% of residents in the county responded as non-religious in the most recent census. Take into consideration the percentage who checked a box because mom, dad, or grandparent would find out they didn’t check “Christian” or “Catholic” and smack them… we estimated 50-60% of the county to be living away from Jesus.

My Major Reality Check

Rural Kentucky, like really rural. I began to have real conversations with my students and realized what they were searching for was Jesus. My ears had heard the conversations before, but I was blinded to the reality of my community. The struggle to connect Jesus in my public classroom quickly became imperative to what success would look like for my career.

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? – Luke 14:28 ESV

An obvious roadblock exists in this conversation is the nature of my position. Because I serve as a public employee I could lose my job. If I lose my job, I lose a place of influence and connection for being bold about Jesus. Yet, I know there are costs to living a bold, in your face life. Ugh. Why couldn’t there be an easy job in the kingdom AND my name be on it? I say that jokingly, but in all honesty – don’t we feel that way. I don’t mind being “called,” but call me to something cool – give me the gift to lead worship, Jesus. A stage, a purpose, a voice… give me that.

So this isn’t going to be easy. I hear you. But, the concern of losing my job and then the connection to these people, my peers, these students, shakes me to my core. But 40%… forty – percent…

Can we balance public norms and an urgent faith?

Here we go. I don’t like walking a tightrope between the “rules” and my heart. I’m not good enough at balancing for such shenanigans. A “Christian teacher in a public school” seems like a pretty high flying tightrope. If I stay too silent, I could fall. If I speak, I could fall. Regardless, standing in the middle of the road will leave me empty and my classroom darker.

I struggle.

…with being bold in my faith with social expectations I will be silent.

…with knowing there is a cost associated with following boldly and feeling fearful.

…understanding my role in the lives of my students if it isn’t about Jesus.

… in responding with faith forward messages when students asked for advice.

… to connect to students when they shared their struggles because my resources were faith-based.

… in being forward with my supervisors and how my faith was foundational to my influence in the classroom.

Silence Kills.

After all of that, I recognize if I am silent, I fall off the tightrope. But if that is true, I also must recognize that if I am bold, He catches me. Fear motivating my decision to sit silently as students chase after people and careers to fill a void simply does not serve my students. Seeking their worth in a grade, a degree, a title…this does not serve my students. After a sermon geared towards pepping up teachers one August I no longer allowed myself to struggle, but to freely be a human chasing Jesus.

John Mark Comer writes:

“Our job is to make the invisible God visible — to mirror and mimic what he is like to the world. We can glorify God by doing our work in such a way that we make the invisible God visible by what we do and how we do it.” 

― John Mark Comer, Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human. [Amazon Affiliate, LLC link]

Ultimately, I don’t need to necessarily recite scripture over my students to introduce them to Jesus. I can offer an introduction to the joy and peace of a savior by what I do and how I do it. We forget the power of an almighty God to use our faithfulness for His kingdom.

6 Strategies for Showing Jesus in the Classroom and on Campus

The freedom to boldly behave like a “little Christ” in the classroom excites me to serve my students well. I can be a Christian teacher in a public classroom by relying on the private work of my faith and trusting in the faithfulness of God.

1. I ask for His guidance every morning – even a simple prayer of “Let’s do this.” Inviting God into my mental work space creates a slower and more intentional mindset as I work through the day.
2. When a student comes to my office to ask advice about a life issue, I ask permission to answer like “human Meredith.” If they say no, I do my best to offer practical advice with the qualifying statement, “but that’s not all I would do.” If they say yes, I use the freedom to explain the what and the how of my input along with the why. As a college instructor teaching adults, these are some of the best moments I experience.
3. I pray before every class. The prayer depends on the day. As a public speaking teacher, I find myself praying for courage and confidence often. For myself, mostly I ask him to control my mouth.
4. I print out each roster and pray over them daily. This came from a church sermon – it was the most simple “duh” moment ever. There is something about the work done in solitude on behalf of souls we far too often overlook.
5. I stopped avoiding words and language I felt were “too churchy.” You can read more about this here!
6. I put on the armor promised to me and wore it. Meetings require armor. Teachers K-2000 (being dramatic, y’all) can relate to that statement. Understanding hurt comes from a place of hurt. Recognizing certain tools or people are best for certain jobs or positions. Armor – suit up.

Why You’re Not Boldly Teaching As A Christian

Fear sucks. For far too long, I allowed fear of losing my job keep me from even considering how I could infuse my daily career with the salt of my faith. If the world screamed for separation of church and state, then I should listen, right? Nope. We don’t need to scream back, far from it. Instead, look into your Bible at the life of Jesus and learn from him – mimic and mirror him in your classroom and watch what he will do!

Speaking of…go listen/watch to this song from Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN