The Authority of My Classroom

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (ESV)

              I had a dynamic children’s choir teacher when I was four. Her personality and smile were the biggest things about her and her charisma was contagious. She’d strum on the autoharp, then plunk on the piano. Mrs. Tommy Lee made singing fun. Her husband was our interim pastor, and soon they moved to another church. I never forgot Mrs. Tommy Lee, and she never forgot me.

              The summer after I graduated, my children’s choir teacher sent me letters while I worked at Ridgecrest conference center for three months. Her letters encouraged and challenged me to keep Jesus first in all I did. Her influence remained so great, that I soon began leading the children’s choir once I returned home, hoping to share the same charisma and joy that she bestowed on me all those years ago. Because she shared her heart, I wanted to share mine.

              Mrs. Tommy Lee taught me a lot about leadership and even more about authority. She oversaw the children’s choir, but she was also a part of the children’s choir. Without us kids, she had no choir. And with no choir, there could be no director.

              The same is true of our classrooms. We are the leaders and teachers of our students. They will mimic and model what we offer them. If we are filled with joy, they will be that way too. If we are spunky and filled with life, they will strive to be that way also. If we lead them well and give them a love for the subject, they will desire to become like us, seeking opportunities to teach and influence the next generation. But we must always remember that we are just as much a part of the classroom as the students are. We are a fluid system that cannot function without the other.         

              If I had never had a music teacher who loved what she did, I would not have known how to teach other kids how to love music too. We, like Mrs. Tommy Lee, are tasked with the same great responsibility. Our leadership should be contagious.

              And while we are the authorities, we are also the protectors. Mrs. Tommy Lee not only shared her joy, but she told me where her joy came from. She not only shared her love for music, but she shared how music was all throughout the Bible. Everything I emulated had a deeper meaning that she gave away too.

              James reminds us to submit to God and the devil will flee. We must run our classrooms in such a way that we are the teacher, leader, authority, and protector, but also a follower. While our students look to us for leadership and guidance, we must seek Christ for leadership and guidance. Without him at the head, we are missing the point. Mrs. Tommy Lee always let us know she was leading us in the way that Jesus led her. Can we say the same for us?

Do the Heart Work

1.      Have you ever been under someone’s authority who made a lasting impression for a lifetime? What did you take with you from their leadership?

2.      What does it mean to be the authority and protector of your classroom?

3.      How can you be the authority and Jesus be the authority at the same time?

Digging Deeper

Read Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV).

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,    and they will lift you up in their hands,    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Jesus knew the truth.  Even when he was weak, tired, and hungry he was able to stand on the truth. As the authority of our classrooms, we must know the truth and stand on it to protect our students and lead them well.

If You Get Spare Time

              Write down a scripture and memorize it. Every time you get frustrated, distracted, or tempted, recite the scripture and remind yourself that you are being followed by a classroom of students that need an authority figure worth following. Ask God to be your strength in those moments and think about the influence you are having on them in those hard times.