Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

~Luke 9:48

Public Means All of Us

A high school teacher prep program gave me the opportunity to tutor a troubled young student off campus once a week. The freedom to craft activities, and the unique relationship of watching this sixth-grader explore and question things, was a feeling I’d not encountered. It launched my interest in public school education. I was thrilled at imagining guiding an entire group of students in the process of learning and growing.

Working in public schools was always my focus. The key word to me is public. It means an institution established for all children to participate, regardless of color, disability, or faith, and for them to use their diversities, beliefs, and experiences to enhance their understanding of one another.

Early into teaching I had a family of four students who escaped with their parents during the fall of South Vietnam. These teens were also talented tennis players on the squad I coached. I spent time with each of them in both academic and sports team settings. One semester, I was struggling to convey to my World Geography classes the chaos and overwhelming transition of those escaping Southeast Asia in the 1970s. With some hesitation, I approached these four humble students with a question: Would they let me videotape them describing their personal experiences of fleeing their homeland? I wanted to share their story with my classes. They nervously, but graciously, agreed.  

The ninth-grade class was transfixed a week later when I shared the horrors of the situation their classmates fled. The video exposed students to how others not only face trauma as a result of war, but are often welcomed and loved once settling into a new country. The impact of fellow students describing their struggles to assimilate into a free nation was vastly more insightful and powerful than any lecture, worksheet, or map assignment could ever convey. Students viewed their brave classmates who shared their intimate stories with a new sense of care, lingering questions, and awe.

I periodically run into the four students who opened up about their dramatic change to a new land. We have bygone tennis and classroom experiences to reminisce about. However, we know that our love for one another runs deeper because each took an uncomfortable leap of faith to educate their classmates.

We learn by observing, studying, and doing. We also learn by experiencing and interacting with other people. Our public schools are one of the few community supported places where all young people are welcome. To me it celebrates Jesus’ consistent message that God sees all of us as one; no better, no worse, and always loved. In this public setting of diverse interaction and genuine love, we become, and hopefully remain, the most curious and caring versions of ourselves.