Understanding the Challenge of Being a Christian Teacher

The Challenge of the Job

Let's face it - teaching is a challenging job, full stop. Teachers deal with people almost all day long - pupils, colleagues and parents - and a proportion of those contacts will be confrontational. In each lesson they have to engage the cleverest pupil, as well as the one who just doesn't want to be there. They have government initiatives to follow, schemes of work to plan, homework to mark, pastoral care issues to follow up, the life of the school to contribute to and their work doesn't stop when the bell goes at 3:30! A young primary school teacher in my church, now in her second year of teaching, is in school by 7.30 am every morning and doesn't leave until around 6.00 pm. She then has work to do at home most evenings and weekends. Her workload is not untypical.

All Christians are called to integrate their faith with their whole life - with their work, their leisure, their relationships, their spending and their plans for the future. On top of the pressure of a demanding job, Christian teachers face particular challenges as they work out their calling within the world of education. You might like to read what Christian teachers have to say about their jobs - an exciting mix of enthusiasm and vision tempered by feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. The same story, actually, as for any missionary working in a tough environment.

The Challenge of Living out a Christian Faith in School

We often hear criticism of faith-based schools as places where pupils learn a biased view of the world. The implication is that secular schools are neutral places where facts are taught in an impartial manner. In fact all schools have an ethos and teach a particular perspective on the world. No education is neutral or value-free. Christian teachers may find themselves among colleagues who are hostile to the Christian faith, but who don't recognise that they are themselves imparting values and a worldview to their students. Christian teachers need to think through how they can be true to their faith in Christ without imposing their beliefs on their pupils. They have to handle the fact that their beliefs are probably considered controversial. There are strict guidelines about how controversial issues are to be handled in school.

Christian teachers will also want to think about how they relate to their pupils and how they can demonstrate the love of Christ in the classroom. Again, all teachers have a duty to care for all their pupils, but Christian teachers in particular will want to follow Christ in being concerned for the poor, the disadvantaged and the outcast, and for those who are easily labelled as trouble-makers or hard to teach.

Caught in the Middle

Both churches and schools are easy targets for criticism. Christian teachers may hear schools being blamed for society's ills by fellow Christians, and churches being blamed for meddling in education by fellow teachers. They are stuck in the middle, being a part of both worlds and trying to reconcile the two. For some the stress of feeling suspect in the school because they are a Christian and suspect in their church because they are not thought to be standing up for the faith as much as they should, can be a source of huge emotional stress. That's why the church has such an important role to play in encouraging and supporting Christian teachers.

You can read more about the challenges Christian teachers face and the ways in which being a Christian teacher makes a difference.