As a school, there are many roles that impact the day-to-day operations that allow us to teach the students we are entrusted with. From teacher to administrator, maintenance staff to educational assistant, or nurse to front office staff, we all play a critical and important role in the education of our students.
In my own small world of education, I have the pleasure of carrying dual roles. The most obvious role I carry is that of a 4th grade teacher — with all the responsibilities and duties that teachers have. In the same breath, I am also the lead teacher of the Elementary. This means that I partner alongside teachers in their classroom endeavors as an instructional coach, lead our mentor/mentee program, and more, all in the hope of helping our students and teachers.
When I tell others about some of the roles I mentioned, it’s not always met with pleasantries. There have been many times in the past where I have been met with comments such as, “I can’t imagine why you would want to teach” or “Wow! That’s a hard job!”
Yet, as I ponder through those conversations, I have no doubt that these roles are exactly the roles that God has appointed me to. He has uniquely gifted me (even though I often forget this!) with the necessary skill sets to be effective and has placed me here to faithfully serve His Kingdom.
Over the course of this past summer God has been working on my own heart to better understand how He desires to use each of us and our gifts as the Body of Christ.
In Romans 12: 3-4 it says,
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
The beautiful thing about Christianity is that we all have a role in Kingdom work in the here and now. As Christ followers, our talents and gifts allow us to work alongside each other in our respective roles while looking toward our common mission — to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind as one.
So, whether your role is teacher, administrator, parent, student, or something else completely, the truth is that God has gifted you with the very skills and talents needed, so that when used to honor Him, they drive you to a place of Kingdom-minded purpose. In fact, I am more and more convinced each day that it’s one of the most important things we can remember as we journey throughout this school year in our day-to-day roles.
As I remember that we are all a part of the body in Christ, I feel called to action. As we continue this school year, I pray that our school can be a place where…
- We walk alongside each other in unity because we remember that it is the Lord whom we serve, rather than our own opinions, wants, or desires.
- We believe the best about each other. Instead of speaking poorly about what we don’t agree with, we encourage and spur one another on in love.
- We choose to stand firm, unified in who Christ is when all else can feel disjointed among the chaos of the world around us.
While others may just see what we do as “school,” those of us who have accepted this call to Christian education know that it’s so much more than that. I can’t help but think how beautiful it is that Christ has called us all here together and we each get to play a part in His redemptive work all the while being at school.
