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