Category: The Curriculum

When I recently took a stand against a worldly and abusive sexual education curriculum in my school district, my words reached a popular conservative commentator for television and radio. It’s funny how we tend to see only one thing God is doing when something magnificent happens and realize later that God was doing many things in that same situation simultaneously (say that five times fast). While I was reeling from the shock of my words reaching so many ears, Glenn Beck was hosting an amazing lady on that same radio broadcast. She is the founder of For Kids and Country and was ready to fight for me the moment she heard my letter. I was surprised to hear her vow to help me stay employed if my school acted unfavorably toward my rejection of their curriculum. At first I thought she was merely touched by my willingness to follow through so boldly. But, she was about so much more!

My favorite verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The very first part of it tells us that everything under heaven has a perfect time it is supposed to happen. Every email, phone call, new acquaintance, conversation, and revelation happens exactly when God knows it will serve Him best. A few days after the radio show, I was able to finally talk to Rebecca Friedrichs in an email but it was weeks before we reached each other by phone. I thought we would just exchange pleasantries and wish each other well as sisters fighting for decent education. Instead, we had so much to talk about that we couldn’t even fit half of it into an hour long phone call. Rebecca and I decided to meet. Despite a few states existing between the two of us, I was thrilled to let her know that I would be flying her way in March. I have never been to California and thought it would be great for my husband and I to squeeze in a vacation as well. I love to see new places and travel, so I am beyond excited! I will be sure to bring back stories from the coast in a future article.

Rebecca had sent me a copy of her book Standing Up To Goliath, before we actually talked, and my eyes were opened to so much I didn’t know about the control school unions have and the corrupt things they are doing with that power that are nothing short of left wing political indoctrination and child abuse. I felt I had just stepped off the farm and emerged into the ghetto. The more I read, the more aware I was of my lack of knowledge. So many children are being led daily into the deceptive clutches of Satan and we are not fighting hard enough to save them. In fact, our inaction is silent endorsement. Unacceptable! Matthew 18:6-7 says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” So God knew the schools would become this corrupt, but the consequences will be unthinkably painful. And woe to the NEA and everyone else who is facilitating this destructive curriculum. I would not want to be in their shoes when their punishment comes. If you hear nothing else, hear this my friends…if we remain silent, it WILL get worse. We WILL watch our children go through unspeakable harm. But we have God ordained authority over this situation. We have the right and obligation to step up and rebuke these unacceptable school practices and restore morals and innocence in our students. We have the duty to restore the authority of parents over their children and empower them to boldly embrace their God-given role. Whew! I almost started singing!!

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NKJV

Public schools started more than a century ago with teachers, parents and students holding to this principle, teaching Scripture at every opportunity because they feared a world without knowledge of Scripture. It is time to bring the most important curriculum back, infuse it into our words and actions, and save our kids!

Right before the weekend, I emailed my biology parents about the unacceptable indoctrination threatening their children in my school district. Even though I was choosing to trust God’s plan, I wanted to be as prepared as I could for the consequences of my actions. Once a girl scout, always a girl scout. I updated my resume and sent it to an amazing private Christian school near me. They had a solid reputation for putting God first and keeping Scripture as their foundation. It would be so nice to not feel like I needed to filter my Faith. So many times, when teaching science, I have had Scripture on the tip of my tongue and refrained from mentioning it, to avoid potential backlash later. The Christian school wasn’t hiring at the moment, but I emailed my resume anyway. Here I am, God. Send me.

I prayed for God’s direction as I sent my resume out. The very next day, I had an email asking to interview me. I took this as assurance from God that He was going to carry me no matter what happened. I quickly responded and set an interview for the following week. Everything seemed to be falling into place seamlessly. Could taking a stand be this easy?

By Sunday, I had messaged my pastor and his wife about everything that had transpired. My church prayer warriors surrounded me and prayed over me. We were a growing army now trusting God with what was becoming clear as the beginning of a battle. As I stood there in the middle of outstretched arms and hearts, I had an overwhelming feeling that there was so much more to do and I would need to roll up my sleeves and be ready to work hard. Even five years ago, I would have been too afraid to put my paycheck and reputation at risk. When my son passed away, though, it was my mother who added some new perspective to my life. She reminded me that everything we accumulate is temporary and can’t go with us when we die. Our time in these bodies is such a tiny blip on our eternal radar. When we go home to God, it will not matter how high we climbed the ladder at our job or how fancy our belongings are, or how decorated our children are. The only thing we will take with us is how we loved God and others. How much do I love my students? Enough to do whatever I can to protect them from this worldly indoctrination? The answer to these were surprisingly complicated as I walked out of an amazing interview with the Christian school. I felt so torn and desperately needed some clear direction from God. Time to hit your knees again, sister.

The next week at school, I was summoned to the principal’s office. Even though this is a person I am honored to serve under, who runs our school with patience and amazing poise at all times, I was sweating like a teenager and silently praying all the way there. It was a long walk, so I managed to go through Psalm 23, Philippians 4:6, and several pleas for peace and wisdom. I knew what this was about and would own my actions. As she closed the door, I quickly rehearsed my polite acceptance of being canned. Instead, she sat down, smiled and assured me that she had no intention of losing me and was equally concerned with the content of the curriculum I was opposing. I had already informed her that I would not continue working there if the curriculum was forced. She assured me that she had carefully formed a plan to meet my requests because she valued me as a teacher and did not want to lose me. Thank you, God, for this woman!

I walked back to my classroom and taught my next class with an ear-to-ear grin. God was clearly in charge and I felt so safe and relieved. When I realized I would not have to leave my amazing, sweet students, I sat in my empty classroom and wept. These students have been burned into my heart. They have their whole lives ahead of them and look at me with big eyes and share with me their even bigger hearts and dreams. They have taught me patience and compassion on a level I didn’t know existed before I began teaching. I can have a rotten start to my day and then my students instantly turn it around with their funny antics and the innocence they try so hard to pretend isn’t there. They are a true source of joy for me.

If you are a teacher and are struggling to find joy in your job, I would like to offer you this: A wise person once said that whatever you expect from a child will not leave you disappointed. In my third year of teaching, I decided to expect only the best from my students every day, to assume that they would be amazing in their behavior and their work. I would enter the building, smile at everyone, exclaim what a wonderful day it was, and let my joy well up and spill out on everyone around me…every day. Love is messy, folks! Warning…if you stand close enough to me, you WILL get sticky with joy. I noticed some other teachers seemed to be equally as happy and it was encouraging. Then, I noticed something phenomenal. Most teachers will testify that there is a noticeable depressing cloud that drags teachers down as Christmas break approaches. Faces are battle worn as teachers sink into survival mode. Teaching is not for the faint of heart. But that year, teachers were still smiling after Thanksgiving and exclaiming how few fights there had been and how wonderful the atmosphere was in our school. God was working there and it was exciting to watch. Proverbs 15:13 says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” If we want our students to be filled with joy and peace, we must first show them what that looks like. We must choose joy, so that they may recognize it on our faces.

“Some things have happened…”, she said. I had just sent a letter, exposing some worldly indoctrination in our school system, to the parents of my biology students a few days before and now it was my turn to receive a shocking email. Since my expository email, I had been receiving several responses thanking me for the information and for taking a risk reporting deceit and destructive measures within the school system. But this email was different and proved to be the beginning of a sweet friendship…two mothers fighting for our children’s innocence.

Her email begged me to call as soon as possible. I immediately called and a very excited woman answered, “I hope you’re not mad, but I kind of sent your email to someone.” She was practically breathless and kept apologizing. She had sent my email to her friend, Glenn Beck. She hadn’t expected him to read my email on his radio show the next day and was now worried about my response. I have always maintained that I shouldn’t have anything to hide if I am living in God’s will. That doesn’t mean I always adhere to that wisdom, but it is merely what I strive for. I assured my new friend that I was honored that he gave my letter such attention. She told me that something big had started and I was a part of it. I didn’t put much thought toward that statement, as I really only expected some surprised parents and a possible demotion or loss of job. Don’t misunderstand my calm words in response to the thought of losing my job. It would certainly cause financial trouble for my family. However, I learned a long time ago how useless dramatic exclamations are. Yelling and begging for sympathy is what one does when they do not expect help. My hope and trust is in God, so I don’t need to worry about my future. God WILL provide. I assumed that my warning to the parents would fizzle out as old news and be lost in a sea of other ignored moments of bravery from past teachers. I assumed my voice would be unheard or quickly dismissed and certainly wasn’t giving God the trust He deserves.

That evening, I came home to a peaceful and empty house. Although I cherish every moment my husband and children are around me, I sometimes appreciate those moments when they are all away at work and I am able to spend some time in silence. I opened up the radio broadcast and found the time marker my friend gave me, and I listened. I sat and cried as Glenn Beck said some of the kindest words, and as he encouraged people to step up their support for teachers everywhere. My letter was supposed to encourage parents and assure them that they were trusted to know what was best for their child. I wanted to restore their authority and confidence as parents. That is something public schools have cruelly stripped away from them. So many parents have been duped for so long into believing that they are not good enough and should just let the schools raise their children. Glenn Beck was extending my message further than I could have imagined. I immediately wrote him a reply thanking him for sharing my letter.

The next day, the same mother was texting me and urging me to watch Glenn Beck’s show again. He was reading my reply! I had assured him that I was not afraid to share my name and my actions. Now I watched, from my empty classroom, as he paused for a small eternity and then uttered my name. Now it was out there. I knew there was no turning back and immediately thanked God for the opportunity to take a bold stand against evil. Jesus cherished children so much that He encouraged us to be like them. As soon as Glenn Beck said my name I became aware that a revival was about to begin and I was being called to the front to fight. Whatever happens from here, I will see this battle through until God sends me elsewhere.