I’m entering my eleventh year working at Miami University in the teacher preparation program. My students know where I stand in my Christian faith. I find ways to share with them in our large group, during office hours, and as I attend regular Cru events.
However, I like to believe that all my students know that they are welcome and appreciated in my classroom, even if we hold different beliefs. This is one of the most important things to me in my current role. And here’s why.
Becoming a Christian educator is a challenge. Teachers today are asked to wear many hats and to fill the needs of many learners. More and more students are facing learning gaps, food and home insecurity, and mental health needs. Tweens/teens are grabbling to find their identity amidst a challenging developmental phase of life.
Why Teach?
Over the past few years, more and more students from our teacher preparation program have found themselves sitting in my office discussing if they should change their major. Each time they sat with me I would ask them, “Why did you want to become a teacher?” And each time they would say something like this: “I really feel God calling me to be in public education.”
But when it came down to it, they weren’t sure how to navigate all the things being asked of them. How could they make an impact with the separation of church and state? How could they support families and students making life choices that didn’t align with their own values? Who would encourage them when they were surrounded by so many nonbelievers?
A Greater Need
We talked through these questions for a long time. Sometimes following up with coffee. But soon I realized there was a greater need, one that went beyond just me and my office hours.
These students needed each other; they needed Christian mentors within their field; and they needed to better understand the limits and opportunities that exist for discipleship in public education.
Low Expectations, High Response
So, I advertised with Cru that we would be exploring an education-related group to talk about these topics. I sat in the back of the auditorium that night, waiting for the Cru meeting to end, and for our group to come together for the first time.
I expected maybe 4-5 students, if I was lucky. To my surprise, over 25 students gathered around me at the end of the event!
Over the course of the school year, we engaged in conversations around difficult topics, served our community together, and prayed for the protection of many hurting children. Our group is still growing and learning. But what is clear to both me and the students that meet regularly, is that God wants them to be right where they are, studying to become teachers.
The Desperate Need
Through my small step of faith, God has brought this group of amazing future teachers together to encourage one another and to learn how to disciple in a place where our country desperately needs God’s love and light.
A local Christian principal came to our group last year, and he said something that nudged even me. He reminded our group that the greatest tool we have as Christians is God’s love. And that even when students’ values don’t align with our own, our love for them can have the most profound impact, and plant a seed that God will continue to tend well beyond the classroom.
