The first thing I hear when I tell people I want to be a Lutheran school teacher is, “You know you’ll make a lot more money if you taught in a public school.”
I know. I’m not doing this for the money. Ask any teacher, and most will say the same thing. But for Christian school teachers, this answer goes to a whole new level.
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Many teachers are in the profession for several reasons. They love working with kids, they love seeing the lightbulb when a student finally gets it, they want to help prepare the next generation. All this is true for me as an aspiring Lutheran school educator as well, but there’s another piece that I yearn for that I just can’t get teaching at a public school.
I want to be able to proclaim the love of Jesus openly to my students. Especially in this day and age, even saying the name Jesus could put you under investigation in your classroom. It’s better to keep quiet and keep your faith to yourself. Don’t say anything, don’t offend anyone. That’s not living to me. I want to be able to look my students in the eyes and proclaim something greater. I want them to know that they are loved more than they will ever understand by Someone who knows them better than they know themselves. I want to pray with and for my students without worrying if I’ll get in trouble for bringing faith into the classroom. I want to have those little classroom moments and talks about who Jesus is, what He did for us, and how we can show that in our lives.
I’ve had experience in both public and private schools. I am not trying to downgrade or disrespect any educator, student, or parent who supports public schools. I support public schools. I think education is essential anywhere. I hold teachers, any teachers, to the highest standard. For me, though, I feel more at home and closer to my school community when it is one in which I can openly proclaim my faith and share in it with others. I want to pray with my school before lunch, before a pep rally, before a basketball game. I want to see my students at church. I want to say the Christian Pledge of Allegiance with the American Pledge of Allegiance every morning with my students and teach them what it means. I just can’t do that in a public school.
I feel it is my calling, my vocation, to teach in a Lutheran school. I am not in it for the money. I am in it to be a servant of God to my students and community. I am in it to strengthen myself and my students in faith. I am in it for Jesus.
