What Can Be Learned After a Career as an Educator

It is common to have significant periods of reflection when major life change occurs. This month I retired after 38 years in K-12 Christian education. Change like that causes you to reflect on what you have done and what you learned over that period. For me, there are four lessons that stood out to me.

#1 – Do What Your Called to Do

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph. 4:1) God calls some to be teachers and others to be administrators, but often we don’t accept God’s call and pursue our own ambitions. My calling began as a teacher and then transitioned to administration. After years of experience in the classroom and administration, I never felt called to be a head of school. I had offers but never felt the Lord was presenting the right opportunity.

It would have been easy to allow my pride and ambition to lead me into a position that was not a part of God’s plan, but I would never be happy outside of his will. There were times when I rushed God’s plan and suffered the consequences. Overall, I can honestly say that my 38 years in education have been a true joy, and I am convinced that this is because I always strived to do what I was called to do.

#2 – Relationships Matter a Great Deal

God created man to live in relationship with Himself and each other. Teacher and administrator, I found that it is relationship building that makes it work. In transactional leadership the relationship is based on what each party gets out of it. In transformational leadership the relationship is based on teamwork, serving alongside each other. Therefore, transformational leadership captures more of the biblical ideal.

The research and writing of Sergiovanni documents the effectiveness of servant leadership in schools. Other writers like Carolyn Crippen and James Laub have confirmed Sergiovanni’s work. There is a close relationship between servant leadership and positive relationships. John Maxwell wrote, “The only way to create great relationships and results is through servant leadership.” It doesn’t matter if these relationships are teacher to students, administrator to teacher, or school to parent, taking time to build relationships is crucial in maximizing effectiveness in all aspects of schooling.

#3 – People Don’t Understand Integration

Call it biblical integration or worldview integration… it doesn’t matter. Too many educators in Christian schools don’t understand what integration is. Some think that chapel and Bible classes equal biblical integration. Others think that answering the call to build discipleship relationships with students is integration. There is so much more involved with integration. The goal should be to claim each subject being taught for the Lord. We need to teach in a manner that provides the biblical purpose for teaching the subject, helps students identify the assumptions and presuppositions that the world has added, and guide students into biblical thinking that allows then to be discerning of truth in all areas of the curriculum. It has been my experience that this just simply is not being done in our Christian schools.

#4 – Take Your Time

When I was young my mom used to sing a little song with me… “Be patient, be patient, don’t be in such a hurry.” We have all heard that patience is a virtue, and this is true of school administrators as well. It is easy when a new leader takes over to want to make an impact and make changes right away. There is great wisdom in evaluating the culture and environment of the school before trying to make changes.

Patience in decision making provides time to pray and listen to God’s direction. Trying new ideas, a little at a time, allows the leader to assess effectiveness before committing too many resources and funding to the idea. Practicing long suffering allows you to determine the best response to a situation instead of the easy response. Slowing down makes it easier to engage the faculty and staff in the decision-making process. Finally, the health and well-being of many leaders requires us to pause and take care of ourselves. I once had a Head of School I worked for tell me I “shouldn’t have to die to prove the school can exist without me.”

These are just four things that came to my mind during a time of reflecting on a long career. I hope others can benefit from these thoughts. Feel free to add your comments below in the comments section.