My seven-year-old said a convicting thing to me yesterday. “Whenever I am at school and I get nervous about anything, I just pray. And Jesus helps me. I pray all the time at school.” I smiled and encouraged and swelled in my heart with love for God who has made Himself so very real to her. She does not doubt God’s presence or that God is for her at every turn. She is confident in God’s ability to help her overcome every obstacle. God is her “go to.” Sometimes I forget to go to God first. Sometimes I strive to do things perfectly or set things right or overcome an obstacle on my own, and I only come to God once I’m tired of hitting my head against a wall.

I want to join in with my daughter in praying for her school time. And while I pray for her at home all the time, I’m going to do a better job of praying for all of my children’s teachers this year. Think about it. Each teacher’s summers of relative quiet and stillness (if s/he had such a summer) is now shattered with the noise and bustle of an entire classroom of children. Most teachers will have never met any of their students before this year. And every child comes with at least one parent or other guardian that the teacher must deal with on some level. Every teacher your child has is now wading through an ocean of names and faces, doing his or her best to educate minds and make it fun and keep it interesting and keep it in order and help everyone stay safe and manage to stay sane. Preschool and kindergarten teachers are starting with the very basics of things such as how to walk or sit in a line, how to raise your hand when you want to speak, and what to do if you need to go to the bathroom fast. It’s probably a long day for those teachers.

Whether you love or like or are still undecided about your child’s teachers, there is one truth you can’t escape: this teacher will be spending a large amount of time with your child this school year. No one can replace a parent, but children are influenced by their teachers. A teacher’s praise or censure can dictate the course of a whole day, or a whole month, or a whole year. The very best thing you can do for your child’s teacher is to pray for him or her. The power of my prayers can impact my child and his or her teacher. Praying for my child’s teacher WITH my child is even better.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

A Teacher Prayer

Heavenly Father, I come to you today and ask for your grace and mercy and blessing upon my child’s teacher, _______________.

Please give her your wisdom today to know how to love her students well, to be an example of kindness and justice mixed with mercy. Help her get to know all of her students and their ways and how they best learn and what they need to thrive in school. Help her get her duties done efficiently and thoroughly.

Bless her with sweet time at home away from the classroom so she can recharge and come back each morning renewed and ready for a new day.

Bless her with knowledge of how and what to teach. Give her inspiration to make it fun even while trying to meet all of the teaching standards mandated to her. Please keep her in your care and help her to be a wonderful influence on my child.

Please bless her with supernatural patience.

Bless her with creativity and enthusiasm and compassion and wisdom. Help my child learn from her teacher.

Help me know how to best encourage and support my child’s teacher.

If the teacher does not know you Jesus, please let my child and our family be a witness of your love and grace in the teacher’s life that she will come to know you as her Savior and Lord. If she already knows you, draw near to her even while she is at school, comforting and encouraging her along her way.

If I need to address something with my child’s teacher, give me wisdom about the best way to do it so that I can be my child’s advocate, a person of compassion and forgiveness, and a minister of reconciliation representing Christ in my child’s school.

Thank you for placing my child in this teacher’s class. I believe it is for a purpose. Help me not waste an opportunity to be kind and supportive and a witness of your love. Please help this be a great growing year for my sweet kiddo, Lord. I trust You.

In Jesus’ name, amen.