Hard Lessons from Teaching at a 'Solid, Christian School'

“If you were a public school teacher, but a position at a sound Christian private school opened up, would you take the $20k pay cut?” ~@rooted_renewed

This gem of a question came across my Twitter feed one random day in April of this year, but it took me back to three years ago, when I was presented with a very similar opportunity.

In early March of 2020, I’d interviewed for a job at what I referred to as a “solid, Christian school”. Things went pretty well, and I was invited back for a second interview the following week. However, the global pandemic would put things on hold, and, understandably, I wouldn’t hear back from the school for nearly two months.

When I finally got a response from the school in late April, they wrote to inform me they’d decided to continue seeking other candidates. I was blindsided by the news, as I hadn’t yet had my second interview. But, trusting the Lord’s providence, I accepted their decision and thanked them for their consideration. To be fair, they said they’d keep me in mind for a future opening, but I honestly counted it as HR-speak and didn’t expect to hear from them again.

Then, out of the blue, I received an email from them in July of 2020.

Subject: Teaching Opportunity

Date: July 15, 2020

“Dear Constance

My name is [REDACTED] and I am the new middle school principal at [REDACTED] Christian School. [REDACTED] gave me your name as a possible teacher candidate. I am reaching out to see if you are still interested and if you would be willing to connect over the phone. I would enjoy the opportunity to hear your story and the great things God is doing in your life. Do you have some time to talk? If so, when would be a good time to connect?”

“Praise the Lord!” I thought to myself as I read the message. “They actually kept me in mind!”

I agreed to speak with the principal later that day. He then invited me for an in-person interview the following day. Two days later I was invited for an interview with the Assistant Dean and the Head Dean of Schools. A couple of days after that, the principal called to offer me a teaching position, which I verbally accepted.

The next day I had a formal written offer, and within three business days, I returned my contract signed with absolutely no changes. The position paid well below what I was making in my existing teaching contract, but I was so overjoyed to finally have the opportunity to teach at a theologically-sound Christian private school, I didn’t feel the need to negotiate. Being in a solid Christian environment where I could freely discuss and teach Christ and not be required to peddle worldly ideologies was payment enough! “This job is going to be a breeze,” I thought. “Certainly worth the pay cut.” The only thing I needed to do during those three days before returning my contract was devise a plan to live off of what came to not a $20K, but a $40K pay cut!

Thankfully, I saw the Lord’s grace and providence at work even in my naive and hasty decision. Yet, pay isn’t the only potential challenge one might be up against at a “solid, Christian school”. There were quite a few issues that caught me off guard with that experience. So, if presented with the same opportunity today, I’d very likely decline. If nothing else, I’d certainly proceed with a lot more caution. I’d advise others faced with a similar opportunity to do the same, as teaching at a “solid, Christian school” can come with some very hard lessons.

You May Not be a Cultural Fit

While I was theologically aligned with the school’s “solid” statement of faith, I actually wasn’t the best fit for the school’s culture. This was challenging for me to process as the school year progressed, especially after learning from the Dean that my contract would not be renewed for another school year. But as I’ve reflected on my experience, I realized being a Christian was simply an access point. There were many other factors that were necessary from their end and mine before my serving there could work. Similar to seeking a compatible spouse in marriage, private, Christian schools are right to only consider Christian applicants. Can two walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3)? We are to marry “in the Lord”, and we aren’t to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Yet, within these parameters, the Lord also gives us the freedom to choose whomever we please (Numbers 36:6; I Corinthians 7:39).

I am of the mind that the same principle applies when seeking employment at a “Christian” institution.

I was so blinded by the ‘public school bad, Christian school good’ mindset, that I neglected to still vet the Christian school as I would any other potential employer. Granted, the school had a theologically-sound statement of faith, and I appreciated the rigorous application process that required me to articulate the Gospel, share my testimony on how I came to faith, and submit reference letters from my then pastor and a member of my then church. But I ignored a few cultural cues during my initial interview back in March 2020.

The school was a tad more structured and regimented, while my approach to teaching - and desired classroom culture - is more hands on, creative and collaborative. In my defense, my principal’s predecessor had shared her desire to see more diversity in the school. Indeed, I would become the only Black teacher in their middle school and one of two Black teachers on staff throughout all grade levels, but she wasn’t only speaking in terms of race. She also desired diversity of approach and perspective.

She was also part of my second interview in July, when I’d met with the new middle school principal. She mentioned that she believed I had what it took to “shake things up a bit” there, as she thought the school’s culture was a bit “stale”. Yet, I should have considered that she wouldn’t ultimately be my boss. I should have asked the new middle school principal how he envisioned classroom and school culture, and whether he believed I might be a good fit on his team. Perhaps he didn’t offer up this intel because he had a lot on his plate - he was new to the school himself, and he was working to quickly fill vacancies all while trying to settle his family after their relocation.

Yet, I’ve realized this key conversation during the interview process would have saved us both a lot of confusion with expectations and the eventual breakdowns in our communication. It would have also saved me the anxiety, stress and the demoralized state of being treated as a “bad teacher” for a time by some of the parents and my supervisor, who would ultimately come to realize my teaching style was simply another approach.

Not all “solid, Christian schools” are necessarily structured the way mine was. Yet, it would be one’s due diligence to determine if it is or isn’t sooner rather than later. To do this, it may be helpful to ask Administrators questions about cultural fit, their definition of “diversity” and what both concepts look like to them. It would also be helpful to ask them if abiding by that culture is explicitly required, or if it is a hidden curriculum (unwritten rules or expectations). In my case, it was “hidden”, which made it challenging for me to grasp that I was expected to embrace it.

You May Not “Freely” Discuss Faith, After All

It is such a blessing to be able to openly discuss your faith at work. Even more rewarding is the opportunity as a teacher to share Christ with your students that you have a hand in their spiritual and academic growth and development.

That was the number one reason I desired to teach at a “solid, Christian school”.

I assumed that I could share the Gospel and teach and discuss the Bible without the nagging fear of being attacked by angry parents or Administrators who hated God. In fact, my school asked that we teach each subject through a Biblical worldview, an approach they called “Biblical Integration”.

That was a great aspect of my position, but it was promoted with unspoken limitations, as I learned that teaching through a Biblical worldview simply meant not teaching “woke” ideology. Not every parent of Christian school students wants teachers to truly discuss the Bible with their children. In discussing this with a parent at the school, I was told many parents only send their children to a Christian school to shield them from the bad influence they believe public schools would have on their kids. They essentially only want the Christian teacher to be “Christian” in appearance, as in someone who is not a blue-haired feminist with rainbow flags plastered around her classroom.

I also learned that even as there were parents on board with teachers discussing the Bible, some had very strong theological views in one direction or another that utterly conflicted with what I believe the Bible explicitly teaches. For example, during an in-class chapel discussion on Luke 15, one student inquired of the “age of accountability” for sin. Seeing the student’s question as an opportunity for the Gospel, I responded that mankind is born with a sin nature, and that we must repent and be born again to enter heaven (John 3). I honestly thought that was a sufficient response and that the case was closed, but it only led to another student asking if that meant infants go to hell when they die. Being the landmine of a question that it was, I resigned to simply reiterate the Gospel and provide students with a few Scriptures they could review further with their parents at home. Thankfully, many of my students did just that, but a few of the parents were NOT pleased. I was accused of telling my students that “infants go to hell” when they die and told to keep my “opinions” to myself. It was an entire mess, and the confusion was great!

I developed a severe case of anxiety after that experience, as I no longer felt “safe” to openly discuss matters of faith for some time, though that is what I came to a Christian school to do.

All of the uproar likely explains why the lead teacher on our middle school team went into a full panic when one of her students asked her about the Trinity. At the time, I thought she was being cowardly and dramatic for not simply answering the student's question. Honestly, perhaps I was becoming a coward as well. But I came to understand her reservations to give her students any sort of an answer, and I consider that unfortunate and an overall undermining of the point of being a Christian teacher in a Christian school.

In the end, even Christian parents with students at Christian schools have concerns that teachers might “indoctrinate” their children. The concern is understandable considering that students spend the majority of their waking hours at school. Students also tend to ask their teachers a lot of interesting questions that may be best addressed by their parents at home. Yet it is also unreasonable to expect a teacher not to engage our students’ inquiries, especially teachers who are Christian and ultimately called to give an answer for our hope when asked (I Peter 3:15-16).

To mitigate parents’ concerns as much as possible while remaining faithful to Christ, however, I would advise Christian school teachers to 1) simply teach what the Bible says, 2) provide students with Scriptures regarding the topic they can view at home with their parents, and 3) send an email home to the parents (with your Administrator copied) before the end of the school day to inform the parents the discussion occurred. This way, your conscience will be clear before the Lord as you share His word faithfully, and you nurture your partnership with the parents. There will likely still be parents who complain, but ultimately all any Christian teacher can do is work to please the Lord.

**You May Be Overworked ‘to the Glory of GOD’**

Which brings me to the next hard lesson I learned at a “solid, Christian school”: you will WORK for every bit of that $20K- $40K pay cut!

Whatever a Christian does, we are to work heartily as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Yet, in my experience, it often felt like the school’s leaders and a faction of the parents over-leveraged our willing submission to this truth. In addition to having a regimented culture, there was also a culture of expecting teachers to be available and willing to do anything asked, no matter how inconvenient, unreasonable, unsustainable or outside the scope of our job.

I was willing to take a drastic pay cut, and I was willing to serve the school and my students as much as reasonably necessary, as I also saw my work as “ministry”. Nevertheless, the “job creep” I experienced only led to my burnout by Christmas break.

For instance, while I was initially hired to teach 5th grade math, a week before classes began, I learned the leadership had “prayed about it” and thought I’d instead be a better fit as the 6th grade Language Arts teacher, as well as a co-teacher for the 6th, 7th and 8th grade writing courses. Perhaps because they’d sought the Lord about it, they didn’t see the need to also discuss the matter with me. But I would come to learn of my new role only after inquiring why literature books, rather than math textbooks, were being delivered to my classroom.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” my principal admitted.

“We just felt that with the wonderful writing you do with your blog and your love for the Lord, you’d be a better fit for Language Arts.”

Granted, I wasn’t pleased with the way that job change was handled, but I decided to view the new role as a compliment. I also wanted to be a team player and do what was asked without complaint. So, I took on my new positions (plural) by collaborating with my wonderful colleagues in the Language Arts department. Outside of the literature/reading component, our middle school Language Arts program didn’t have a curriculum. According to my principal, it was because the school wanted to give us the freedom to develop our own lessons, which was great. But it also meant we’d be spending our own money to purchase materials or spending more time developing our lessons from scratch.

It also meant some of the parents were never satisfied with what and how we taught. As such, there were often additional requests made of us to appease them, especially when the parents were of influence in the school community.

For example, as the homeroom and Language Arts teacher for the Assistant Dean’s son, I was expected to “support” him through weekly in-person meetings with his parents, check his backpack and notebook everyday to ensure he had all of his assignments from all of his classes before heading home, to hold regular check ins with his private tutor, to provide to the tutor or his mother extra copies of all assignments, assessments and my lessons, and to place upcoming assignments and assessments on the Parent calendar under the date I assigned/announced them rather than under the date they were due. This was a request of his mother’s, but a directive of my principal, to help her keep up with her son’s assignments.

To be fair, if I were a resource teacher or providing one-on-one or small group instruction to their son, a couple of those requests would have been par for the course. Yet, with class sizes of about 25 students and having to teach seven classes, it was challenging to offer that level of support to any one pupil.

Other competing priorities included my principal’s habit of calling last-minute meetings before or after school, the unwritten (but very real) expectation to check work emails (or to receive work-related text messages) outside of school hours, and, of course, the infamous “other duties as assigned” that befalls most teachers - no matter where and what we teach.

Of course, the teaching profession usually entails teachers working well beyond our prescribed contract hours, and our position tends to be the “catch all” role at many schools. Yet this reality felt more pronounced to me at the “solid, Christian school”, likely because such schools also tend to be private. As parents directly pay tuition, which does fund your salary, this might tempt some parents to become entitled and view you as “the hired help” rather than as a competent professional. They may believe it appropriate to attempt to dictate everything that occurs in your classroom, and Administrators may be tempted to simply “bend the knee”.

The only advice I have for Christian teachers facing this scenario is to expect to be asked to do more than your job, to count the costs, then ask yourself whether the salary commensurates your outlined duties and your “other duties as assigned”. Certainly, as believers, we are to work unto the glory of the Lord even when employers do not pay a fair wage, and even when an employer is harsh or unreasonable (I Peter 2:18; Colossians 3:22-25; I Timothy 6:1-3). We faithfully do this knowing that it is God who will settle the scales on our behalf (Proverbs 25:21-22). Yet, it isn’t a sin, selfish nor does it make you “greedy” to negotiate from the outset if you can. Even when the work is ministry, God says that a worker is worth his wages and employers are not to oppress or take advantage of their hired servants (I Timothy 5:18; Malachi 3:5; Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

Sin Is No Respecter of Schools

While sin appears to be more overt and pervasive in many public schools, it’s also still present at “solid, Christian schools”. It may even be more aggressive, intentional and personal.

For instance, one of my students self-identified as a “gender non-conforming lesbian” and claimed to be dating another student on campus. Knowing the school focused on a Biblical worldview, she made it a point to repeatedly share her “identity” with other students during recess, swear at them just for kicks, challenge their faith, and attempt to refute the Bible during lessons and class discussions. No matter how much students and parents complained, however, this young lady was not dismissed from the school. Perhaps because some Administrators saw her antics simply as a child who was “still searching”. As one Administrator put it, “At least she’s willing to admit she has doubts.” Meanwhile, having worked with her each day, she seemed pretty resolved in her ideologies to me, even at eleven years old.

Perhaps the poor girl was “still searching", but I was disappointed she was allowed to roam freely and undermine the very point parents were sending their children to the school. Yet, since she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, the Lord granted me a way to repurpose her antics.

Whatever challenges she brought and whatever worldly ideology she attempted to spread to her classmates, I turned them into devotionals or Biblical discussions during in-class chapels. I told my students she presented a wonderful opportunity to practice refuting the things they’d see more of once they were in the “real world”. Knowing that her commentary only enriched and encouraged our talks, she eventually began to sit quietly during our faith-based discussions.

Surprisingly, however, she presented an easier challenge to reign in.

Gossip was a major issue among the mothers, and it caused a lot of unnecessary confusion when I was caught in the crossfires of those blazing tongues (Proverbs 26:20). When I’d shared with the Head Dean my concerns that there seemed to be a culture of people talking about and around me rather than to me, he essentially brushed it off as a “nature of the beast” type of issue rather than treating it as a violation of the school’s Matthew 18 policy.

“Not everyone is going to abide by the Parent-Student handbook,” he told me.

Clearly not!

No matter how doctrinally aligned I was with the school’s published statement of faith, as a cultural mismatch for the school, I did not belong there as far as some of the gossipers were concerned. I was the subject of chats that would ultimately become unfounded accusations or petty complaints to my principal. My teaching approach was questioned, and my judgment was undermined. And with the son of the Assistant Dean (my boss’s boss) in my class, I had very little support from my principal and much less recourse to deal with various issues.

I was often put in positions to placate the parents on matters I knew were either incorrect, not academically beneficial for the student, “not my job” or, in one instance, just plain sin. When I succumbed to pressure from my principal to change my students’ grades, I knew I’d hit a major low as an educator, and that I’d sinned against the Lord. We had students who were severely challenged in their reading and writing skills boasting A’s all because parents complained. We had students who should’ve been retained promoted. There were even issues with some parents doing their children’s schoolwork. One day, the Assistant Dean’s son, frustrated during one of our homework checks, randomly blurted out that his mother had done his assignment. Noting that the handwriting was indeed much neater than usual, I relayed this concern to my principal. Yet, I was told that I must have misunderstood what the student meant, as he likely meant that his mother had helped him with his work.

It was a hot mess.

By the time I was asked to complete an Enneagram activity for a team building exercise, I was over the entire “solid, Christian school” experience. Indeed, I wasn’t asked to peddle CRT or LGBT ideologies on any given day, but my “other duties as assigned” still included tasks that wholly violated my conscience.

Despite the strong urge to resign after being asked to change my students’ grades, I decided to stay because I didn’t want to leave my students before the end of the school year. Yet, sin, pride and unresolved offenses would culminate in my practically being forced to leave.

Knowing my students were the only reason I remained, my principal and the Dean basically “excommunicated” me from the school community for the remainder of the school year. This arrangement, which required that I not return to campus but instead help my principal close out the school year from home, was not because I had done anything illegal, immoral or against school policy, but because 1) I informed my students that I would not be returning the following year at the school’s discretion and 2) I’d taken a sick day to get dental work after my principal asked us not to take any personal days off in the final weeks of school. In their view, I exercised poor judgment with item 1, as the news apparently didn’t sit well with some of my students or their parents, who had questions and voiced their concerns to my principal. For item 2, they said by taking a sick day I’d displayed insubordination. Of course I disagreed, but I discerned they needed something to make their decision seem appropriate.

Feeling unfairly treated, targeted, and now being stripped of my ability to finish the year with my students, with much prayer and godly counsel (this time), I decided it best to just resign.

In other words, sin and drama isn’t limited to public schools. Certainly, the same sins that flood public institutions can also drip into “solid, Christian schools”. Yet you may find yourself and other professors of Christ there will simply sin or be tempted to sin in other ways.

For this issue, I’d advise Christian teachers to come to Christian schools prepared to be sinned against, but willing to take your concerns to your brothers and sisters to resolve them quickly if possible. I’d also encourage you to be willing to forgive and most certainly to repent. Yet, if these actions bear no fruit, or if the offenses come to affect your working relationship with your superiors, it would be wise to simply resign before Satan gains more of a foothold. The Lord admonishes us to flee the temptation to sin (James 1:15), to flee persecution when fleeing is expedient and possible (I Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22), and to flee the path of evil (Matthew 10:23). If you realize your work experience falls into either category, you have not sinned if you decide to quit teaching at a “solid, Christian school”.

I Said All of this to Say…

Admittedly, if the choice came down to sending my child to public school or a theologically-sound private, Christian school, my choice would still be the latter. Of course, homeschooling is the best and first option in my humble opinion. But if I had to outsource my child’s education, a “solid, Christian school” would be the second best option, assuming I’d done my due diligence to vet the school.

My first reason for this is I did very much enjoy my “solid, Christian school’s” stated mission and was blessed by the many teachers, parents and students who took that seriously and worked towards its ideals and intentions. After all, my challenges teaching at a “solid, Christian school” weren’t because the school was a Christian institution, but because various key and influential parties at the institution behaved out of step with Christ’s teachings and character.

Second, “solid, Christian schools” do offer children a Christian foundation, so it is still a ministry in that regard.

But that’s also where ministry seems to end.

I entered that teaching experience expecting everyone to behave as co-laborers who not only introduced students to Christ, but helped them grow in the grace and knowledge of Him. But what I learned is it was ultimately just a job where not all parties affiliated with “solid, Christian schools” are necessarily “solid” themselves. If they are saved and “theologically sound” perhaps they may be overcome by earthly cares (ex: money, job security, grades, or prestige). In either case, they do well to want students to have a form of godliness, but they may inhibit teaching the power thereof.

So I share this personal experience not as an attack on “solid, Christian schools” but as a warning to those who, like me, might be tempted to jump into teaching at such schools void of the due diligence and prudence we are called to apply in making faith and life decisions (Philippians 4:6; Proverbs 15:22; Luke 14:28). I was so anxious for an opportunity I presumed to be a “good thing”, I actually didn’t think it required much prayer, and I most certainly didn’t seek godly counsel on the matter (Philippians 4:6-7).

I also offer this as cautionary commentary on the spiritual implications of making such a decision. While I was willing to take a pay cut because I saw my job as “ministry”, I also worked a second job to help make ends meet. Even as my primary role with the school placed outsized demands on my time, working a second job only further impeded my opportunities to spend quiet time with the Lord or simply take His prescribed rest (Psalm 1:2-3; Genesis 2:1-3). And for the Christian teacher hoping to flee to a “solid, Christian school” expecting near utopian perfection from the experience, consider how you might need to be even stronger spiritually to resist the devil’s snares as, again, the attacks may be more personal and can cause offenses and discord amongst Believers, which can be a stumbling block in your walk with Christ (1 John 4:20; Matthew 5:22-24).

Be prepared also to speak up in the face of “other” sins. It’s very easy to confess that homosexuality is a sin in such a Christian setting, but consider how you might rightly navigate issues like gossip, cheating and others that tend to be treated with less conviction. Further, consider that not every colleague or parent is the same “variety” of Christian. Unlike church membership, where most parishioners hold to the same creeds or confessions or theological positions, you might encounter other professing Believers whose understanding of Scripture is counter to your own. Consider how you would gracefully navigate those conversations and how you are to respond if their response to you is rejection. Lastly, know that while a school may bear the name “Christian” it is still NOT a church. In these settings, there is no plurality of elders overseeing the staff and the parents to ensure all are held accountable to obeying Christ. I must have looked insane all those times I reached out to various parties requesting meetings to address offenses when all they wanted to meet about were their child’s grades or lesson plans. I’m sure the Dean chuckled after I left his office complaining that some in the school community were violating Matthew 18. I was so naive!

Private, Christian schools, while they have their benefits, are ultimately a BUSINESS. And Christian teachers, the employees, are at the mercy of school leaders who may or may not have Christ-centered motives, but are most certainly seeking to appease the parents (the paying customers who may or may not be Christians) and the Board of Directors (who want to ensure the school’s financial solvency and protect its reputation).

As stated earlier, private Christian schools are right to only consider Christian applicants. If the role entails ministry and the goal is to glorify God, indeed, two can only walk together if they agree. But as a business, there are many stakeholders yoked into the mix who actually may not agree or who may have motivations that undermine sincere ministerial goals. As such, I’ve come to no longer count private Christian schools as the ultimate of ultimate job or ministry opportunities for me as a Christian teacher. Indeed, I’ve learned the ultimate of ultimate job and ministry opportunities is wherever the Lord would have me go, so long as I work to His glory and faithfully share Christ when the opportunities arise.

I believe the same is true for other Christian teachers as well.