A Teacher's Influence

A recent visit with a teenage girl enlightened me to the conflict that can arise between the worldview taught in a Christian home and ideas presented in the classroom.

“I think my history teacher is on some kind of crusade,” the girl said. “It’s like he wants us to despise America.” The student’s feelings of anger were obvious as she explained a number of disturbing classroom incidents. Her teacher had spent several class periods making hostile, demeaning and historically inaccurate remarks about America and Christianity.

American schools are no longer oriented toward moral absolutes or a biblical worldview. Certainly, there are godly and gifted teachers serving in the public school systems. But Christian parents must exercise discernment, recognizing the influence of the teacher’s worldview and teaching their children to do the same.

The educator’s impact

A teacher influences his or her students by both content and contact and can leave a long-lasting impression. Christian parents and students need to be aware of the ways an instructor leaves his or her mark:

Influence. The teacher is in a position of authority. Students are impressionable, and there is inherent power and influence seen in one who stands at the front of a classroom.

Information. Teachers affect lives by the content they communicate. Students often see the teacher as an expert and may not discern personal biases and assumptions presented by a teacher. A student may unquestioningly accept the information, unaware of how a teacher might “spin” the material based on his or her worldview.

Interaction. Teachers also influence via personal interaction. Times of one- on-one attention can be tremendously positive or negative for students. Gary R. Habermas, a professor at Liberty University, is a case in point. He doesn’t just spout Christian platitudes — he lost his wife at a young age to cancer and testifies about the faithfulness of Jesus, even in the toughness of life.

So he takes time to talk with students outside the classroom, especially those students struggling with questions about God or doubts about their faith. For these students, Habermas may teach them data, but they will probably remember him as a professor who candidly and lovingly answered his students’ questions about life. Whether at a Christian college or a secular campus, when the educator’s worldview complements rather than undermines that of the Christian student, the interaction is positive.

How to discern

Martin Luther said, “I am afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scripture, engraving them in the hearts of youth.”

Regardless of the educational climate, Christian parents must instill a biblical perspective in the minds of their children and help them discern anti biblical worldviews in the classroom. But teaching young people to think as Christians involves more than just memorizing a set of beliefs. First, parents must know how to dissect the information they receive in the classroom. Parents must teach them to research claims in several sources, as well as how to determine if lessons include a mix of facts and opinions.

Second, though students need to respect authority, respect doesn’t mean accepting everything a teacher says as truth. Parents who ask their children questions about the opinions shared by teachers will help their children figure out a teacher’s worldview. Once a student knows how to dissect information and the teacher’s opinions, he or she can then decide how much personal interaction with an instructor is healthy for their faith.

A century ago, Charles Spurgeon emphasized to the Christian parents in his church, “Oh, fathers and mothers, the ruin of your children, or their salvation, will, under God, very much depend on you.” The same applies today, and parents would do well to model an understanding and discernment of biblical truth.