The request has been made. The deadline is approaching. And still, you are wrestling with a decision. Do I go or do I stay?

For some of you the question is, “I love my job. Do I really need to quit teaching?” For others, it is, “I like what I’m doing. I see the need, but the possibilities of next year look overwhelming.” And yet others are thinking, “The need is great, but am I truly the one to fill it?” You look somewhat enviously at those teachers who readily make their decision.

Take courage. In whatever lies ahead, you do not go alone. Seek wisdom from God and His Word. Seek the counsel of others. Hear what trusted individuals are saying.

Explore the reasons you have for not returning to the classroom. Many of those reasons have a call that is beyond the classroom. Ill health, burn-out, providing care for others, or the need to be a homemaker in your own home can all be good reasons to not return. Teaching is stressful and demands much from a full-time teacher. You cannot do two demanding tasks without sacrificing quality.

To my co-teacher who is struggling with the realization that teaching interferes with her being a homemaker and wife, I say, “Go with God. Your absence will be felt. But you have a higher commitment, now, than only being a schoolteacher.”

To the first- or second-year teacher who is unsure that teaching is their strong point, I give you the example of another co-teacher, who had decided to quit after one year because they felt they lacked qualifications. But when the new school term approached and there was no teacher to take her place, she reconsidered. Today, she is a very valued member of the team. Teaching is not a job that one can jump into and be totally competent. Every year you teach builds experience. If others are encouraging you to keep teaching, give some thought to their advice.

For some teachers, awareness of what the next year may hold brings a reluctance to commit. The number of students, the challenges of the students, the co-teacher drama, the ability to work with certain parents, the need to fit into a particular framework, or other obstacles may look overwhelming. Be realistic and understand who you are and how you handle stressful situations. But also, do not be afraid of the challenge. We aren’t promised an easy path, but we are promised that God’s presence will go with us. It is in the hard and challenging that we learn to trust the most and grow the most.

Do you go or do you stay? Only you can truly answer that question. Wherever God calls, He equips, provides, and grows. Whatever your decision, trust Him to work in you and through you.

I must admit that when I first began reading and hearing about the long term effects of the internet and screen time on students (as well as students using the internet and AI to cheat on assignments) I largely dismissed it because I thought (naively), “This isn’t affecting our Anabaptist schools because our parents know better than to let their children spend inordinate hours on the internet, plagiarize, or play online games for hours.” Sadly, I am concerned about it now.

A colleague recently shared with me the article “What’s Happening to Our Students?” and I am indeed worried, because although most Anabaptists are usually a little behind pop culture and its trends, the Internet has allowed us to be almost, if not completely, caught up with the world and its trends. We are definitely being affected by it and are headed in the wrong direction.

I have talked to several teachers who confirm that this is true in our schools as well, and all agree that they have seen the effects (although not as dramatic as in public schools) in our schools. This is especially the opinion of teachers who have taught ten years or longer. One teacher had overheard her second graders (who were tired and not focused on their work) talking to other students about staying up late and using their big brothers’ accounts to play online computer games with each other after school and in the evenings.

This makes me want to cry, or bang my head against a wall, or both. These children should be outside riding their bikes, climbing trees, and building tree forts with their fathers. Unfortunately, some of them head home from school to retreat to their bedrooms, shut the doors, and play online games, staring at a screen and interacting online with people they just spent seven hours with in real life at school.

I have two questions.

1. Why is this happening in our Anabaptist schools?

2. What are the parents thinking?

I have some suggestions for answers.

I believe that this is happening because we are just a few steps beyond secular society. Regrettably, the lure of being cool and fitting in, which is greatly influenced by social media, is extremely appealing to the parents of our students, the 25-40 year olds, many of whom are buying into the new norm of Youtube influencers, Instagram, and Facebook likes; along with all the hype, lingo, fashion, and accompanying mannerisms.

This is exactly the opposite of what God instructs us to do in His word: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch not the unclean thing; And I will receive you." 2 Cor. 6:17.

Woefully, this is the answer to question number two as well. The only other option is that the parents are simply not aware or are not monitoring the activities of their children, which is equally as bad. The end of that verse is frightening. Will God receive this?

Many of our Anabaptist brethren are just steps behind the world, and the resulting consequences are becoming apparent in our schools. Students are becoming more and more tuned out, overly stimulated mentally from other more entertaining sources. They are becoming bored with maps and interesting history and science facts. They are more enthralled by computer screens and online games than they are teachers, math problems, or English grammar.

There is almost nothing the teachers can do except to gently warn our students of the dangers of such behavior. From what I have seen and heard from other teachers, the students will politely listen and then go back to their same activities. It is the parents who need to be aware of the dangers and be proactive about this hazardous situation.

We can make parents aware of what we are hearing at school, but this obviously can be unappreciated and labeled as “tattling”, unless the parents ask us directly, which rarely happens.

In conclusion, what we can do is to pray for our students, pray for their parents, set a good example ourselves, and to cling to Paul’s words: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8