1. First Day

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16

I remember the night before my freshman year of high school began. I was nervous.  A new campus, new teachers, and a new chapter. Something significant was about to happen, and I couldn’t sleep.  Our school had a ridiculous start time of 7:10 am, so that meant the bus would be by at 6:20. That made sleep seem more evasive. My brother was older, had graduated a few years prior, and knew I had no idea what it would be like. Seeing my state, he graciously gave me some good advice. Where to go, what to expect, and those social norms that high school demanded. It made the night easier, and sleep to finally come. The first day of school hasn’t really changed in 34 years. Now, on the night before it is my children who are nervous, my wife who is trying to do her list of 50 things, and we all want to make sure we get up on time. In a sense we recognize that we are about to do something life changing and significant. 

If we are teaching students, then we need to have a deep level of good nervousness as we move into the new school year, and it is more than just the first day of school. I say good nervousness because there are clear studies that have shown that the nervousness we experience before a speech, game, or major life event helps us focus, take it seriously, and do the job needed. There should be a deep awareness and appreciation of what we are about to embark upon. What are we about to embark upon? The answer: we are about to seek to transform, to some degree, our students. That is a serious and heavy task.

All education is based upon some form of philosophy. In the secular world education is based on undergirding ideas that have shaped the world. We may not fully grasp names like Rousseau, Froebel, or John Dewey, but they have brought their ideas to schools of knowledge that has shaped our philosophies. When a student goes under that worldview, there are implications. No educator in their right mind would deny that education consists not only of information, but transformation. 

What makes the Christian School distinct? Our philosophy comes from Scripture. The Bible shapes, or taints, all that we teach. Our views of life and the world are colored by Scripture. Therefore, what we teach is infused with God’s truth. We may not always be able to connect gerund phrases with Scripture, or algorithms with a verse, but we know that we are doing more than just giving out information. We know that our attitude, our actions, our convictions rub off on our students. We bring so much impression and transformation on them that they are shaped by not only our lesson plans, but our life examples. 

First, let the Bible be your guide as you start the year. The promise of Scripture is that it first is God’s own breath. As you read it personally, God is speaking through His word. As you read it in a classroom, God is speaking.  As you allow it to impact your life, God is ministering through you. 

Secondly, the Bible is said to be profitable. That means that if we read it, obey it, and practice it then we are not doing these things in vain. The truth profits us and enables us to correct when behavior is wrong, guide when there needs to be instruction, and know the difference between right and wrong.  The bible is the absolute that keeps us tethered to truth. We know the world is now saying they do not know anything with any certainty. They cannot define gender, mothers, or reality, but that is not the case with the Christian. We know that the Bible gives us the promise of transforming clarity as we impart it to our students and let it impact us personally.

How will you impact your students this year? Pray that God uses you to impart his life-transforming truth in more ways that you can plan or purpose. Pray that God uses His truth through you, his vessel, to impact lives.  That’s a heavy task, but it’s worthy of our endeavor.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you use Scripture in your lesson plans? 

2. How do you use Scripture in your classroom?

3.  Can you give examples in your teaching ministry of how God’s Word has transformed students?