Public schools: The impact of godly parents
Parents: You can have a huge impact on your child’s education, his or her peers, and the adults working with your child. Below are the stories of four moms I met in my career as an educator who powerfully impacted their children’s teachers, their classmates, and the parents of their children’s friends.
Mrs. I. and Mrs. S. These two women both had sons in my class, one year apart from the other. They decided the year Mrs. I’s son was in my room to start praying for the school, their sons’ classes, and the teachers on a weekly basis. They didn’t tell me about it until much later.
Things flowed so smoothly those two years; the fourth graders were almost angelically cooperative; they loved coming to school and learning, and the ease with which I was able to witness about my faith in Christ was astounding. I read several books aloud to both classes from the Chronicles of Narnia series, and one boy who had never been to church told me he had asked Jesus into his heart one night after I finished reading the last book in the series. (This book revealed that the beloved lion Aslan was Jesus in our world, and the class was amazed and insisted on talking about it at length.) I attribute the success of those two years to these praying moms.
Mrs. C. At another school where I taught, one of the moms who left a lasting impression on the entire staff was Mrs. C., a Pentecostal lady who always wore a dress, never wore make-up, and had long uncut hair. This woman poured love into her children’s teachers. She often wrote encouraging notes to us, made sure we regularly had cake or some other type of goody in the staff lounge, and let us know that she was praying for whatever needs we might have. My public school colleagues always looked forward to a visit from Mrs. C.; her kind, thoughtful ways disarmed the gruffest, most skeptical ones among them. One of my fond memories at that school was conference time with Mrs. C. She always set up her conference appointments at noon on conference day so she could bring lunch to the person who was her child’s teacher that year. When I taught her son Matt, she brought a feast for me to enjoy during both the autumn and the spring conferences—lots of homemade soup, rolls, salad, and one of her mouth-watering desserts. Her kindness and servant’s heart touched everyone’s lives, Christians and non-Christians alike.
Mrs. H. I never had the privilege of having any of Mrs. H’s three sons in my class, but her godly ways were well known among the staff and parents of the other children. She subbed in our building from time to time, and because she subbed for me, also, I got to know her a little better. One of the boys in her oldest son’s class, Thomas, had developed a life-threatening infection and was getting worse quickly. Mrs. H. organized the parents and others to pray round the clock for Thomas, and whenever his parents received more bad news, Mrs. H. was there to encourage them and pray for them. She fought the good fight of faith for Thomas and never wavered. Against all odds, Thomas pulled through and is now a healthy young man, full of life and ambition. His parents attributed Thomas’ recovery to the power of God working through the faithful prayers of Mrs. H.
Mrs. H, full of the love and grace of God, died suddenly in a car accident a summer or two after Thomas was restored to health, along with her two youngest sons and her teen-aged brother and sister, on their way to Six Flags. The outpouring of love and tribute for the four young people and the godly mother was torrential. Parents, teachers, neighbors, and kids were all impacted by Mrs. H, and their lives stand as a testimony to her authentic witness and abiding faith in her Lord, Jesus Christ. Though she is dead, yet her life still speaks. She has left behind an imperishable legacy.
Parents, you have so much more power riding upon your words and your life than you can imagine. Don’t be afraid of being yourself—a godly mom, a faith-filled dad—in the midst of what may be the less than desirable environment into which your child steps daily. You do make a difference—even in public schools—and armed with prayer, wisdom, and love, don’t be afraid to let your light shine on the teachers, children, teens, and other parents in your child’s life.
Dorothy
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Prayer and a custodian
How do you know if you’re supposed to pray for a particular school or for the entire educational system itself? A rule of thumb I go by is to pray about whatever grabs your attention or interest or even arouses your anger. John Osteen, the father of Joel Osteen, wrote a book called The Divine Flow, in which he taught believers to recognize the flow of compassion within them for someone and then to follow that flow with prayer and/or action.
If you see kids walking to school and sense a tug of compassion, pray for them. As you pass a school, if it catches your attention, pray for the students and staff there. If you feel outraged at some of the news stories you hear or read concerning the educational system today, then pray. Let your life become one of standing in the gap before God on behalf of others. It’s really simpler than we have made it out to be—you don’t have to pray for hours and hours; just pray when your attention is drawn toward the subject, whether your feelings are positive or negative about the issue. As you do this, you will develop greater sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you will increase in your capacity to pray. And fruit will start growing.
If you pray for a school, those who study or work there will be touched by God—whether you see it or not. You may be surprised in eternity at all the fruit that will be piled up because you prayed.
When you sense the Lord prompting you to pray for seemingly random people, don’t discount a single life for whom you pray; God wants to pull that person out of their sin and use them to His glory.
An old Pentecostal woman prayed without ceasing for her step-daughter Pat who worked as a custodian in my school district. Pat had been running from God and was living a life of full-throttle sin. She started cleaning in my building when she was near the end of her rope. Every time I worked late, we would talk as she swept, dusted, and vacuumed the room, and I could tell she was hungry for God. I shared the Word with her; she told me about her step-mom and how she knew she was praying for her. It wasn’t long until Pat received Jesus as her Lord, and the lifestyle changes happened immediately. Gone were the ungodly romantic interests, gone was the alcohol, and tobacco left a little bit later. Pat was an astonishingly authentic new creation, and staff members, who liked her to start with, were drawn to her all the more.
She confided in me after she was saved that she was desperate to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Her step-mom had told her she needed the Holy Ghost to live a life of power. With her step-mom on the family end and me on the school end, we talked and prayed and shared with her all that we knew. Still nothing. I told her to relax; enjoy God, worship and praise Him as she went about her way, and she would be filled with the Holy Spirit when she least expected it, sweetly and completely, with biblical evidence.
Not too long after that, one night as Pat was alone, cleaning my classroom, another Spirit-filled teacher stopped in to visit. As she and Pat prayed, Pat started speaking in other tongues. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and has remained filled ever since. And in my opinion, Pat became one of the boldest witnesses of Jesus that school has ever seen. The lives of teachers, secretaries, cooks, administrators, parents, and other custodians that have been touched by this one woman is an amazing thing.
So pray. Pray however you are led, because God will touch lives through your prayers in unexpected, interconnected ways. And if you pray for schools, don’t limit God—those prayers just might be the fuel God uses to pull a key individual out of darkness and to use him or her to further His work in this hour.
Keep on praying!
Dorothy
Read MoreFrom new age to new creature: One teacher’s story
In the early ‘80s, I was working in a rural elementary school just outside of the metropolitan area where I lived. I taught with a godly woman named Arlene, one of my early mentors. She and I would eat lunch together every day and pray for the students and other staff members—including a teacher named Connie.
Connie was the music teacher. She lived a Bohemian lifestyle—she embraced a New Age philosophy and was married to a Muslim from Afghanistan. The Methodist church in the town needed an organist, so they asked Connie if she would be available.
Connie loved music; she loved to play the piano and sing, so she accepted the position and became a fixture every Sunday morning at the Methodist church near the school. Her New Age leanings didn’t bother anyone at the church; and their doctrine didn’t step on the toes of her worldview, so they all made music together every Sunday morning in a tolerance-soaked, symbiotic relationship.
But one Sunday morning as Connie sat behind the organ, the unexpected happened. Sheepishly, and pulling at his collar, the minister of that little Methodist church stepped behind the pulpit, cleared his throat, and apologized to the congregation for what he was about to do.
“I am so sorry—I feel very uncomfortable right now—but I can’t shake this. I know we don’t do this here—I don’t like to make folks uncomfortable—but I’ve got to do something very unusual for this church.”
Connie had stopped playing the organ, and you could have heard a pin drop.
He continued, “Well, here goes. If anyone wants to come to the front to get a closer relationship with Jesus—please get out of your seat and come forward.”
Crickets.
And then, after a long, horribly awkward, tension-wrapped silence, Connie, gripped with conviction of her need for Christ, got up from behind the organ and came down to the front and knelt. She was the only one that morning who heeded the call, but as she bowed before the altar, the apologetic Methodist minister prayed for her, and she was gloriously saved.
And who do you think she told? That’s right—Arlene and me, who had been praying for her all along!
So is it a waste of your time to pray for educators who are entrenched in worldviews diametrically opposed to the gospel?
Just ask Connie.
Read MorePraying for educators
God may not be welcome in our school systems, but He cannot be kept out.
A while back I had a conversation with a Christian librarian working at a local public school. She told me about the squeeze being put on her and other librarians concerning the books they stocked on their shelves. Some parents actually came in and counted the number of books with references to Christ, Christmas, and Christianity and compared that to how many books were available containing favorable nods to other religions.
As we parted ways, I was struck with what I believed to be a warning and a mandate from the Holy Spirit. I sensed that now—more than ever—believers were to stand guard in prayer for our brothers and sisters in the education profession.
Things have been in a constant state of change within our educational system. Tensions have increased all over the nation. In Ferguson, the opening of school was postponed three times, and finally—nearly two weeks late—kids got to go back to school on the 25th. The resulting anxieties are not isolated to Ferguson, either, as young people grapple with events happening not too far from their homes. Pressure to accept lifestyle choices that go against biblical tenets has ramped up, as well, and is even a key component of curriculum in some places. Common Core, a government-sponsored, nearly nationwide, K-12 curriculum, is in its second year of implementation throughout the U.S. Fortunately, groups of concerned citizens have been gaining steam in various regions, raising concerns about the validity of an agenda that appears to encompass far more than solid academic practices.
Within the ranks of educators exists a strong majority who embrace without question agendas of social justice. In a nutshell, social justice is the philosophy which insists that certain races, ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations are always the oppressed (the good guys), whereas other races, ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations are known to be the oppressors (the bad guys). Because of this, all laws, regulations, rules, and behaviors must be modified and then enforced to correct the injustice of the oppressors. The lines of distinction in this worldview are rigid and are more dogmatic than the Old Testament ever could be.
And yes, this philosophy is being taught to teachers and future teachers across the nation in universities, workshops, and professional development curriculum. I, myself, sat in on such demagoguery to find out that I, by virtue of being female, was among the oppressed, yet I was also an oppressor—an evil, white, American, heterosexual Christian. Guess they were hoping I would rise up as an angry woman against my male oppressors, while at the same time genuflect and cower at the feet of non-Christian, non-American, non-white, gay folk whom undoubtedly I had so arrogantly oppressed. I spoke out at the time that I was not oppressed as a female, and the leaders of the professional development looked at me with stern pity. “Oh, but you are,” they maintained. “You’ve been oppressed all your life.” I guess my oppressor side had bludgeoned my oppressed side into supposing I was happy and content with life. Go figure! And people wonder why mental disorders, confusion, and depression are on the rise in our time!
This is the philosophy that infiltrates lessons and programs in most public schools and classrooms. It has even quietly sneaked into some private and Christian schools as well, as leaders with a desire to remain socially relevant tweak curriculum to “keep up with the times”.
Into the mix traipse our unsuspecting little ones and youth across the nation. Their minds and hearts are like blank slates upon which others will seek to imprint their agendas.
But not all instructors are blind adherents of the prevailing worldview promoted in public education. They are men and women called by God to make a difference in the lives of those young ones they teach. These instructors may be in the system, but they are not of the system. Many are Christian; others are deeply patriotic Americans with a respect for traditional values; and all are concerned educators, seeking to right a capsizing ship, throwing out life buoys of honesty, integrity, sound instruction, and high expectations to the young ones under their training.
These educators need our prayer coverage. Pray for the godly and excellent teachers that you know personally. Stand in the gap for them to make wise decisions, to walk closely with the Lord, and to make a profound impact on their students and in their schools. Pray for the other teachers and administrators in the lives of your children, grandchildren, and neighbors. Ask the Lord to move on their lives and hearts to hunger for truth. Pray that these adults will start to see through the philosophy dominating their profession. Pray that they will boldly reject the debilitating stereotypes of victimization. Pray for custom-made laborers to enter into their lives and to minister to them on a deep level. Understand that every case in which the heart or mind of an educator receives light is one more defeat for the enemy. Recognize that every situation in which a believing teacher prays, behaves, and instructs according to the will of God, the purposes of Heaven will be promoted.
God may not be welcome in our school systems, but He cannot be kept out. When the people of God stand on behalf of our schools and their leaders, He will move.
I challenge you to pray for educators and to ask God to move in our schools this year. Through your prayers, I believe that He will frustrate the agenda of the enemy.
Dorothy
Read MoreBack to school—praying about issues in education
Today is the first day of school for students in the district where I taught eighth grade for the last nineteen years of my thirty-two year career. Honey, they didn’t shrink the kids—they shrunk the summer!
Let’s face it. What’s been going on in public education has weighed heavily on many people’s hearts and minds. Movements have been underway this past year to attempt to wrest control out of the hands of “experts” who are enforcing the year-old nationwide implementation of Common Core curriculum. These “highly qualified professionals”—to state it bluntly—institutionalize ideologies which promote concepts, practices, and worldviews that undermine the heart of principles which have built American greatness and goodness for generations. We all know that our school systems are, to a large extent, sadly lacking; we know that they have been hijacked in great part by those who care more for their pet political agendas than for your child’s ability to read with comprehension and enjoyment or his capacity to calculate math with proficiency and ease.
However, as I read articles online about the latest indignities in our educational system, the comments that follow are becoming more and more insulting, accusatory, and malicious—and many of them are from conservatives and even those who identify themselves as Christians. The outrage against the educational systems in our nation is escalating, to say the least.
A huge divide has been forming within our country—a divide of ideology, morality, and vision. Unfortunately, Satan has put our children in the crosshairs of it all, and they go about their childlike and youthful pursuits oblivious to the warfare being waged around them.
And like I said, we know that our educational system is sadly lacking and has been increasingly guilty of undermining traditional values. But I want to challenge you: the animosity that you may feel in response to what appears to be the purposeful destabilization of academics and culture needs to be channeled in the right direction in order to accomplish meaningful reform—whether on a small scale or large.
Here’s what I mean. You need to know what your child is being taught. You need to make yourself known and available to his or her teacher and administrator. You need to talk to your teen about our nation, our culture, our history, and right and wrong. You need to work daily on fine tuning their moral compass—and your own.
And you need to pray—every single day. Pray for his teachers. Pray for her peers. Pray in the Spirit. Pray the Word over your school district and let the living God move through you on its behalf. Then allow your prayers to encompass the nation’s students, schools, and policies.
The Lord understands your frustration with the agenda of darkness that your children and teens are exposed to on a daily basis; He understands the intensity of the outrage you may feel. But you must pray. You must pray with as much passion in the Spirit as the passion you feel boiling up in your disgust with this system—or with specific people in the system—who appear to twist truth and teach lies.
Take every bit of your concern and angst to the Lord in prayer daily on behalf of the schools and your children. Pray for all those involved on the school scene and pray for all you are worth.
God will hear your prayers and use them to create questions that only He can answer in the hearts and minds of children, teens, and adults. He will use your prayers to protect your children, their friends, and their schools. He will take the substance of your prayers and use it to transport laborers to a reckless teen, conviction to a hardened teacher, or the revelation of truth to an administrator wrapped up in political agenda.
Don’t fall into the fatalistic despair of those who lament the undermining of our educational system. Yes, you must assess clearly its current dismal state, but be persistent and bold as you pray in faith and by the Spirit of God about all that He leads you to pray. And do not let up.
The soul your son’s teacher may be mere weeks or hours from coming to Christ. Your daughter’s classroom may be just this side of a move of God. Linchpins holding the entire ungodly system together may be closer to falling apart than you dare think.
Pray, and do not stop praying.
Dorothy
Read MoreCan God move in public schools?
Can God move in public schools? Intellectually, you know He can. However, if you keep up with current events and trends in education, you are less likely to believe that He will.
Be encouraged as I share two stories of God’s big, beautiful invasion on public school turf.
My pastor’s wife taught high school physical education as a young woman before she got married and attended Bible school with her new husband. After several months of planting imperishable seed in the lives of the girls she taught, this godly role model found herself in the middle of an unquenchable move of God among her students.
During P.E. class one day, girls began to ask her questions about faith in God and how to get saved. She shared with them, aware of the public school taboo she was violating, and soon led the entire class in a prayer to receive Jesus as Lord. Not only were the girls saved, but many of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues.
Later when she shared this wonderful outpouring with us, she said that girls were running in the locker room and halls, praising God and speaking in tongues! Can God move in a public school? He certainly did then.
Yeah, you may think. She was a cute, hip, young teacher, and that happened years ago. That sort of thing could never happen now!
Do you suppose that now–2013–it is just too difficult for God to navigate through the halls of public education? Well, buckle up…we’re heading to the coast to a progressive-run state where God is impotent and utterly irrelevant. Or so the left-leaners think…
My friend is a middle-school teacher in what is undeniably one of the most—if not the most—progressive state in the union.
Whereas my pastor’s wife was in her 20s during the P.E. class outpouring, my friend is in her mid 50s, an age that is not known to stir the buzz among most 13 and 14 year-olds.
She began a Christian club for interested middle-schoolers. Other students soon found out about the weekly club held during lunchtime, and they began packing this teacher’s large classroom. Soon kids started getting saved on a regular basis. She had guest speakers—local pastors—who spoke to the students about Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Kids kept coming, and new kids were added to the number getting saved.
As you might suspect, though, the ACLU caught on to the Christian club and threatened the school with a lawsuit. My friend was told to stand down. She had learned about the legal rights of Christian young people to meet on school property for the purpose of common religious interests, however, so she was equipped to hold her ground on behalf of the Christian club.
The ACLU backed off on the following conditions: pastors were no longer allowed to speak; my friend could not lead the meeting in any manner; and the students had to take on all leadership roles of the club—including planning, speaking, and prayer. If it was not entirely student-driven and maintained in the future, the club would have to disband.
Following much prayer and discussion with her husband and the parents of some of the students, she determined to abide by the new set of rules imposed by the ACLU so the kids could still meet.
She cringed in anticipation of what her seventh and eighth graders would come up with, and her fears were justified. Gone was the eloquence of the pastors; gone was the maturity that her own input had once provided. The first meeting after the ACLU’s threats was definitely seventh and eighth grade in flavor, tone, and quality.
As she sat in the back of the room, relegated to the role of sponsor only and not speaker, she was struck by just how goofy and middle-schoolish the program was. But the next thing that happened absolutely caught her off guard. One of the students gave an altar call, and all over the room, seventh and eighth graders responded, some with tears in their eyes. The ACLU’s demands served not to quench the Spirit, but to inaugurate a more intense move of God!
Not only were more students getting saved, but seventh and eighth graders were taking up the mantle of godly leadership as they ministered to their peers at their own level.
This club is still going strong and boys and girls are still getting saved, discipled by one another, and learning to become effective leaders.
Can God move in public schools? Pray, be available, and just watch Him!
Dorothy
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