Even Here

I started teaching a little over a month ago in a public school, one that many people in the county would label as “bad.” But it’s also the school I grew up in, so in a way, it feels like coming home. Still, seeing it from a teacher’s perspective instead of a student’s has been completely different.

Before I started, all I heard was how “bad” kids are these days, especially the ones I would be teaching. But after stepping into my classroom, I’ve come to love every single one of my students.

Are they rowdy sometimes? Absolutely. I’ve used my “teacher voice” more times than I can count. But they’re also kids who want to learn (most days), and they are fun, kind, and full of life. In just this short time, I’ve already seen them grow so much, and that’s because they want to do better.

When I left my previous job, I wasn’t sure what it would look like to follow God in a public school setting. I wondered how I could live out my faith when I couldn’t openly talk about Jesus throughout the day. But God has a plan, and little by little, He’s been revealing it.

Even when I can’t speak His name freely, I can still live like Him. I can pray over my students. I can show them the same love that Jesus has shown me. I can choose to be a light in their day.

Because the truth is, these kids have it hard. Some of them, at just 12 years old, have been through things I can’t even imagine. So before we label them as “bad,” we should take a moment to see them the way God does.

And God is moving, even in places people think He isn’t “supposed” to be.

I recently started attending a new church, and some of my students go there too. One student told me he had been inviting a friend from school, and that friend had started coming. My heart was so full hearing that. Here’s a 12-year-old from a “bad” school, understanding that God’s love is for everyone, and wanting his friend to experience it too.

Another day, I heard his older sister, an eighth grader, inviting someone to church, saying it was “so much fun.” Out of all the things she could be doing, she wants others to come experience church with her.

We also have a student-led fellowship on Friday mornings where kids gather to pray and read the Bible. Last week, students put note cards in lockers all around the school inviting others to come. Because of that, I had several students ask me what it was, which opened the door for conversations I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

I may not be able to start those conversations myself, but I can answer when they come. I can show love. I can be available.

And that’s enough for God to work through.

So first, I want to thank the parents who have raised their children in the Lord. You may never fully see the impact, but seeds are being planted because of you.

Second, I thank God for placing me right where I am, to love students who may have never truly felt that kind of love before.

And finally, I want to encourage others: we need Christians in public places. If we avoid the spaces that feel “too worldly,” who will be there to shine the light?

We weren’t called to live in a bubble. We were called to go.

Jesus didn’t die only for those who seem put together, He died for everyone. The lowest of the low and the highest of the high.

And maybe, just maybe, God has placed people exactly where they need to be, so that even in a school labeled “bad,” His love is still being seen, shared, and multiplied.

So pray for those in public spaces. Pray for boldness. Pray for wisdom. Pray that God would use them right where they are.

Because He is still moving, and He’s not limited by a location.