Christian Education: More Needed than Ever

During the ten years I taught at a Christian school, I can honestly say there were moments when I wondered if I would make it through the next day. Teaching is hard already, and the extra time, money, and mental strain of having to step into seven different roles at a small school made it all that more difficult. Then, watching that tiny paycheck enter your account for only a day or two before disappearing into the land of many bills is well, ugh.

But like every teacher, the job is much more than just that. It is a role they take on, a singular mission they accept born out of something deeper than just money or time or mental energy. It is a mission of pouring into the next generation of children. They are students, yes, needing to learn the basics of language arts, math, and science, but they are also future mothers and fathers. Future leaders. Future citizens. And they need us to guide them through more than fractions and world war battles. They are looking for us to shepherd them through life. To help them answer the tough questions, navigate moral issues, or help them step over landmines that life throws at them. 

This is no doubt the larger reason you teach. You love your craft, and you enjoy instructing in your subject areas and seeing results. But you also know it’s so much more than that. You have a chance to influence a life. To impart wisdom. To impact future dreams. To help kids avoid making negative life-altering choices.

This is the real reason Christian education is important. Christian educators have a chance to influence the next generation to continue the course of Christian values and beliefs, with the Bible at the center. They can aid students in their journey to encounter God and then encourage them to spread the hope they have to others. While the world around us races toward progressive humanism and moral relativity, Christian educators are the light in a stormy sea of doubt and confusion, the anchor that holds fast to the truth until the waves calm. 

I remember admitting to one student when they found out how much we were paid that teaching was one of the hardest things I have ever done. They asked me why I didn’t work for another school district that paid more, so I pointed to the Bible on my desk. “Here, I can teach the things that really matter along with your education,” I told them. 

Even as a volunteer board member today, I still question why I am participating in education. It doesn’t pay much, and it often takes more than you can give. That doubt is quickly pushed away, however, when I remember the emails and phone calls from former students who thanked me for pouring myself into them. It truly is the extra fuel I need to continue forward. 

Teachers, staff, and administrators of Christian education, don’t give up! Millions of Christian parents and students around the globe are hoping, expecting, that there will be mentors and guides for the next generation. Someone to selflessly offer a little of their wisdom through the storms of life, or to simply be there when the world presses its weight upon them.

So one tiny paycheck at a time, we thank you Christian educators, staff, and administrators. let’s keep Christian education alive!