What surprised you most about the transition from teacher to administrator?

They are two completely different jobs in the same environment. I thought it was going to be similar in that I would spend most of my time working with students, but it’s a completely different job. It is mostly working with adults, teachers and parents. The most significant transition has been learning to become an instructional leader, helping teachers reflect upon and improve their performance. Good administrators also partner with parents in their children’s education to help make students successful.

What subject areas are most difficult for students with a Christian worldview to navigate?

The most obvious subject that everyone thinks of is science, with regard to evolution theory. Much of that depends upon the teacher’s presentation. I’ve worked with teachers who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and a six-day creation model, and that comes through in their teaching. I’ve also worked with teachers who believe the Bible is a nice book of stories that has nothing to do with science and who are strict Darwinian evolutionists. That’s probably the most problematic area for Christians as they navigate the curriculum in public schools. I don’t think it matters what school you’re in, what state you’re in; the theory of evolution is not regarded as theory by most people who are writing curriculum for public schools. Another difficult area is language arts. Parents need to consider the type of material that schools may be asking students to read and whether or not you want your child to be reading those materials. Parents should be aware of the book list and materials their children are going to be asked to read at each level—not just to know the titles and read reviews, but to read the books themselves.

What do Christian parents misunderstand about public schools?

I think there’s a common misunderstanding that what you see and hear on cable news about the worst examples of what’s going on in public schools is the norm. Even with the onset of the Common Core curriculum standards, each state and school district still has a fair amount of autonomy in what the curriculum looks like, what kind of content the kids are going to interact with, and how they are going to be tested over that content. Christians should be engaged with their local public school in the development of curriculum and assessment.

How much freedom do you feel school staff has to speak up about their beliefs?

When I was a history teacher, I would begin every year, every semester, and each new class by talking about how your worldview affects what you see and understand, and how you present that to others as historical interpretation. I would introduce myself by talking about how my faith shaped my historical perspective. That gave me an opportunity to share my faith and my belief in Christ with my students. I shared not only that I believed in Jesus, but that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven. I would also share that I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. So, I think there are ways in which Christians can share their faith in public schools, even though they may feel a pressure to remain quiet. Of course, I don’t know that the pressure to keep quiet in a public school is greater than any other profession or workplace, but I certainly struggle daily with being bold for Christ in a secular environment.

Do you think if you had mentioned Christ more often there would have been complaints?

I don’t know. The general rule for public school teachers is not to proselytize. But I would also say the Christian teachers that I know feel comfortable in sharing their faith, or aspects of their faith with students, not only if asked, but even in the context of teaching their material. Many Christian teachers also find opportunities to share their faith by sponsoring clubs. Clubs like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Christians in Action (a Bible study during club period) and the Creation Club (a group of students who study the biblical account of creation) need staff sponsors to provide leadership and guidance.

What characteristics have you observed are important for Christian students to navigate a large public high school?

Strong families. Strong Christian parents who are involved in their kids’ education, not in the sense that they’re always at the school and that they’re always volunteering, but that they know what’s being taught in the class, know their children’s teachers, and know how to talk to their kids about what they’re learning. Parents who make their children aware of what they might hear or see or face in a public school. Parental support is very important. I think you also see students who are successful coming from strong churches. Often they get involved with parachurch organizations within the school like FCA or Younglife.

How do you observe Christian high schoolers successfully navigating social relationships?

They build healthy relationships with other Christians. That’s not to say they isolate themselves, but they make conscious decisions about who they spend their time with.

How can parents get to know the teachers and know what’s being taught?

Open houses, parent/teacher conferences, email. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about assignments. You can get to know a lot about a teacher in terms of the way that they respond to questions about assignments and content. The Christian parent will need to initiate contacts in order to learn more, as the school or teacher is not likely to broadcast its bias.

What can Christian parents do to better oversee their children’s public school education?

In a Christian home, having regular dialogue about what our kids are doing and seeing at school is extremely important. We do that most often through daily family worship, when we read Scripture and talk about what God expects of us and how we are to live to glorify Him. We carry that over into a conversation about what they do at school, or what they might see at school, or by asking questions. “Have you ever seen someone at school do this or say that?” “What do you think you should do?” Role play can be very helpful with children of all ages.

What do you think is the most important challenge facing the public school culture from a purely educational viewpoint?

I think the temptation today in schools is to adopt the philosophy that it’s beneficial to the student to allow them to fail, meaning fail assignments, fail tests, fail classes. It’s the student’s fault if they don’t succeed. Or, another errant philosophy is to pass all kids, removing any accountability on the part of the student. Failure is important because kids learn from failure. Everyone learns from stumbling. You get up and you figure out what you did wrong and you try not to do it again. It’s not about getting rid of failure; it’s about allowing students to fail, but not without hope. So a student needs to know, “I failed this assignment, I failed this test, but I have an avenue to recover from that failure fully and learn the material and be successful in school.” There’s a balance between teaching students accountability and providing them hope by saying, you can recover from that—whether it’s an assignment or a test, or a grade in the class. Telling them, “Here’s how we’re going to do it,” and laying out a plan for them to do so. In my eyes, it’s not unlike sin and the grace and salvation God offers to us.

Is there a particular Scripture you find yourself using most in your work?

I came upon the parable of the barren fig tree in Luke 13. Although I think the context is that the tree has been in fertile soil, I like the aspect that the owner of the vineyard sees that the tree has not borne fruit and is ready to cut it down, but the keeper of the vineyard intervenes and says, “Let it go one year while I dig around it and fertilize it; and if it bears fruit, well, but if not, you can cut it down.” So I think of myself sometimes as having a short window of time to help tend and cultivate these students, because I see a lot of kids who are obviously not bearing fruit in many ways, whether it’s in life or in their education (although I don’t know that that’s a proper application of this verse). I see a lot of kids who struggle and make bad decisions and they’re failing in many ways, whether they know it or not. It’s my job to bring them hope. And I think that this is a passage that talks about God’s grace and mercy despite our own actions and our own failures. I know that God has me doing what I’m doing because He wants me to be an instrument of His grace in the lives of these kids.

What would you say to those who have a negative view of the public school system?

The public school is a microcosm of the world we see around us. That’s why you hear horrible things about public schools, because they are full of sinners. And to a large extent there is a void of God’s Word and God’s people. Public schools desperately need Christians; they need God to intervene by providing teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, counselors, custodians, and students who love Him, who will be salt and light for the ultimate purpose of bringing Him glory.

—Kyle Reed

Assistant Principal Kyle Reed has worked at an 1800-student suburban public high school (Washburn Rural) in Topeka, Kan., for 15 years. He began as a teacher and coach, transitioning in 2006 to administrator. Kyle grew up in the Sterling, Kan., RPC, and is currently a member of the Topeka, Kan., RPC.