Cultivating Change in Your School

Arnie, a sixth-grade teacher, had a problem. As part of his vocabulary lessons he would read from sources that introduced his students to new words. On occasion, he would read from the Bible.

One mom complained to the principal. She told the principal she didn’t want Arnie — or anyone — to ever use the Bible in school.

“The principal wants to support me,” Arnie said, “but he must respond to her complaint.” Arnie was frustrated and concerned. Could he defend his actions, or would he have to stop reading the Bible to his students? I referred him to the California state standards that expect sixth-grade educators to have students read many of the Old Testament stories. “Not only can you use the Bible for vocabulary words,” I explained, “you can read about Creation, the Exodus, the Ten Commandments, and David and Goliath. Plus, you are supposed to teach them about the life and teachings of Jesus as described in the New Testament.”

Arnie didn’t know this and quickly found a copy of the state standards at his school. Now, well-equipped, he was able to defend his actions.

Intimidated no more

Over the years, a vocal minority has intimidated many educators and school officials into thinking that there is little room for expression of, or teaching about, Christianity. But it’s time for people to restore what U.S. law already allows: freedom of religious expression and appropriate inclusion of religion in curriculum.

A majority of Christians with school-age children send them to public schools. A 2001 Gallup poll found that 62 percent of Americans think religion has “too little of a presence in public schools,” and 47 percent of those who describe themselves as “liberal” agree with that view.

Besides knowing what the law allows, Christian parents and teachers need to begin to see public schools as gardens in need of serious cultivation. This involves nurturing the relationships there.

Once Christians start serving on campuses, things change: Christmas is restored. Christian clubs emerge. Teachers start including lessons about Christianity and biblical values.

So how do you begin?

1. Identify the people God has placed in your sphere. This may be just five or six people—teachers, parents, administrators or school staff. Include both Christians and non-Christians.

2. Pray. Ask the Lord for opportunities to cultivate relationships and to plant seeds.

   Amanda Rawlings ran into a problem when she wanted to tell her first-grade classmates about Jesus: Her teacher thought such a discussion in a public school was illegal. “The teacher told my daughter that it was against the law to talk about God in a public school,” explained Amanda’s mother, Sharon. “She also stopped a child from reading a book brought from home that mentioned Jesus. Many of the students felt they had no rights to discuss God around school.”

   Sharon began praying for the teacher and the situation. With a prayerful and loving attitude, Sharon gave a Christmas booklet to the teacher. Her gentle efforts brought about a change in the teacher’s attitude by the time her younger daughter, Emily, had the same teacher a couple of years later. Sharon was thrilled when the teacher welcomed Sharon and Emily to share the Christmas story with the class.

   In all of this, Sharon could have demanded her rights. Instead, she is a good example of how parents can influence teachers with information, not only concerning the law, but also on the value of allowing students to learn about Christianity.

3. Prepare to work in your school district. Gateways to Better Education can help through a weekly e-mail of ideas, as well as printed materials you can give to teachers and parents. Judy Johnson of Novi, Mich., helped restore teaching about Jesus at Christmas in her child’s elementary school by using Gateways’ booklet on the holiday. “It was easy,” Judy said. “I never really thought I could make a difference in my little corner of the world, but God saw fit to use me.”

4. Participate in God’s activity. God placed you in your school district for a reason. Are you watching for opportunities He may provide? Cultivation can be as simple as sending a get-well card to the principal who is sick, giving information to a teacher on students’ religious liberties or informing a teacher how to teach about the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Encourage other Christians to get involved, and watch the positive impact on your campus.

   A mom once told me how God opened the door for her to talk about Christ with her son’s eighth-grade social studies teacher. During an open house at the beginning of the school year, the teacher told parents he was going to include a section on world religions. The mom used that as a starting point for conversation. Then about a month before Easter, she gave him material on how he could legally teach about Jesus’ death and resurrection. This prompted another conversation that ended with the mom giving the teacher a copy of a video on the life of Jesus. A few days later, the mom’s son reported that the teacher was spending the next four days showing and discussing the video in class.

   There are 92,000 public schools in America. Imagine what changes could occur if people like you and me were on every campus cultivating change.