I was talking to Josh, an elementary teacher, this week. I asked him, “How much time do you have influencing students? Don’t include recess. Do include assignments.” He said, about 8 to 8 ½ hours per day.

Do the math on that. 8 hours X 180 days = 1,440 hours of influence in a day. That’s a chunk of time.

School is a powerful influence in anyone’s life.

If that teacher is Josh, who treats people with respect and who knows Jesus, that’s time well spent. If that teacher is cynical, atheistic, or misanthropic, that’s problematic.

We are really blessed, in Clearfield County, to have a great bunch of teachers and good school systems. And we, as a nation, are blessed with great tech schools, colleges, and universities. But that doesn’t diminish the need for students to be prepared for what’s ahead — whether in high school or college.

School always comes with pressures to conform, to fit in, and to concur with ideologies that you might not naturally agree with.

This podcast talks about being yourself in school

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