he Christian mom on the other end of the phone was insistent. She wanted to know how she could get her child’s teacher fired. "What was the problem?" I asked. She explained that the teacher, a single woman in her child’s public school, had recently gotten pregnant. She was concerned that this was a bad moral example for the students and wanted the teacher removed immediately. The caller added that the baby’s father had left the teacher, and so she was single and pregnant, with little hope of marrying the man. The Christian mom wanted to know how she should approach the school principal and persuade him to fire this immoral teacher.

The next thing I said left the mother momentarily speechless. "That teacher is probably feeling pretty scared right now—pregnant and alone," I replied. "She needs a hug and someone to talk to." The Christian mom admitted she hadn’t thought of that.

While I sympathized with her concern regarding the moral message to students, the fact is the school couldn’t take any action against the teacher. Besides this legal reality, what this Christian mom was missing was an opportunity to share the love of Christ with a woman who was in need of the gospel.

Christians today have many wonderful opportunities to demonstrate Jesus to teachers in public schools.

I firmly believe that with 20 or 30 students in the average classroom, there is at least one Christian family represented. That ratio is a driving assumption of our national ministry, Gateways to Better Education, which gives practical support to Christian families with children in public schools. Imagine what could happen if millions of Christian public school moms and dads looked for opportunities to talk to their children’s teachers about Christ. The impact could be revolutionary!

A mom told me how God opened the door for her to share the gospel with her son’s eighth-grade social studies teacher. During an open house the teacher mentioned that he would include a section on world religions. The mom used that as a starting point for conversation. The teacher indicated that he liked talking about spiritual things.

Before Easter, she gave him our material on how a teacher can legally teach about Jesus’ death and resurrection. This prompted another conversation that ended with the mom giving the teacher a copy of the JESUS video.

A few days later, the mom’s son reported that the teacher was spending the next four days showing and discussing the JESUS video in class! In a subsequent conversation—while the mom was volunteering in the school office—the teacher shared that his wife had recently returned to her Christian upbringing, and he was wrestling with spiritual questions himself. This time, the mom had an opportunity to explain the gospel and how God had changed her life.

Recognizing and seizing opportunities to share Christ with teachers requires being concerned about their eternal destiny, not just how well they teach our children. We must look beyond students’ needs and see teachers also as people who need Christ.

Here are three actions Christian parents of a public school child need to consider:

1. We are part of what God is doing to draw that teacher to Himself. That teacher may never go to church, but each year God is bringing another Christian family into that teacher’s life. As you and your child enter a new school year, you are filling the vacancy left by another Christian parent. Who knows how God used parents before you? Don’t skip out on how God wants to use you this year.

Think of yourself as a missionary, not a tourist. A tourist invests little time in impacting the culture or its people, only interested in what can be gotten out of a brief visit. A missionary tries to understand those in the culture, investing time and energy in meeting their needs, looking for opportunities, both formal and informal, to share the gospel.

2. Pray for the teacher. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells His disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Pray daily for the salvation of the teacher. Pray and then watch for how God uses you to be His laborer in the public school field.

3. Recognize your children’s school as a mission field. Prepare for opportunities to show the love of Christ when you volunteer at school, at special events or meetings. Be ready to share the gospel when the moment is right.

The Arkansas Baptist State Convention and the North American Mission Board have partnered to promote Campus Prayer Journeys, a prayerwalking event for the nation’s schools. The strategy calls for focused prayer on school campuses in one day with six laps around the grounds or with one daily lap of prayerwalking over six days. Participants are also encouraged to coordinate with See You At The Pole events. A participants guide, fact sheet and promotional poster are available each year. For more information about Campus Prayer Journeys call 800-806-6940, extension 5177, email campusprayer@absc.org, visit studentz.com/prayer or write: Campus Prayer Journeys, National Office, P.O. Box 552, Little Rock, AR 72203.

Matthew prefaced Jesus’ admonition to evangelize with an observation about Jesus that is instructive for us. In 9:36 he writes: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. As Jesus saw people weary of the burdens of life and without direction, He did not respond in anger; He responded with compassion for their plight.

It’s easy to become angry about misguided programs in public schools. Such programs, curricula or policies reflect people who are weary, scattered, directionless. Certainly, there is a time to oppose school activities or curricula that are academically inferior or morally and spiritually harmful. At such times, parental involvement in meeting with teachers and administrators is vital.

However, we also need compassion for a lost world—including people in our public schools. As we are involved with our children’s education, our example as Christians and our relationship with school personnel may open up possibilities for us to introduce them to Christ.

Eric Buehrer is president of Gateways to Better Education, a ministry of practical support to Christian public school parents. He edits TrendWatch, a journal for educaton issues. For information, call 949-586-KIDS, or visitwww.gtbe.org.

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