Teacher of Children
“and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—”
Romans 2:19–20
The context of Romans 2 is Paul confronting the haughty attitude the Jews have as they compare themselves with the Gentiles. Paul quickly silences them by addressing their disobedience to the law of God they rightly affirm and approve. There are three categories of people in verses 19-20. Paul recognizes the Jews esteem the teaching of the law of God. One category that is particularly interesting is “teacher of children.” The Jews in Rome during the 1st century considered being “a teacher of children” a worthy and high calling.
In our day, the vocation of teaching is not seen as such a high calling. This is evidenced by the low pay scale we place on our teachers. The attitude of the general public is that there are more important or worthy careers, and most of them are associated with high-income potential and less day-to-day hassle. Think about it, do most people you know consider a teaching position in an elementary, middle, or high school a prized position?
Regardless of our culture’s valuation upon the teaching of children, Scripture exhorts us to teach children (Deut. 6:7, Psalm 78:5-7), and Jesus welcomed them with open arms (Matt. 19:4-15). All of us have a part in teaching children. Parents are the premier educators of their children, and when a child is in a school setting, their teacher(s) are educators as well. Additionally, there are other family members — siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins — and then there are neighbors, community members, and most certainly, the church. Each of these play a part in teaching children.
CCBC, as a whole, has continued to do its part in placing a high calling on teaching children. The fruit of this labor and investment is still in development. There are a few areas to highlight as we press forward.
At the beginning of this school year, we arranged for seven students to begin band lessons through a homeschool band co-op in Chattanooga. Last month, these students showcased what they learned in a band concert held at Brainerd Hills Baptist Church.
In December, a selection of students participated in the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools (TACS) District Academic Testing. In January, we were notified that eighteen of our students have qualified for the State Academic Testing, which will take place this month on February 13-14th.
On Friday, February 9th, more than forty of our students will compete at the TACS Fine Arts Competition at Calvary Baptist Church in Red Bank. You are welcome to come and see our students compete. We have a few students who will have musical solos, in addition to an elementary choral group, a small and large middle school ensemble, and a small high school ensemble. In addition to the music category, our eighth graders will compete in a reader’s theater category; elementary and middle school students will compete in chess, spelling, and public speaking competitions; and several students have submitted pieces of art.
Teacher of Children,
Pastor Dave
CCA Headmaster