Donna Braband
ELCA Assistant Director for Schools

Upon entering the classroom, Mrs. Bond observed Susie sitting in the gathering area crying. When asked if she could help, Susie responded with, “My daddy is going to war. I said good-bye this morning because I may never see him again.”

Matthew has been very quiet for a number of days. Quiet is not a normal part of Matthew’s day, so Miss James called and spoke with his mother about his unusual behavior. Mrs. Draper noted that she had been called to active duty. Matthew was aware of the happenings in the world and what that meant and was afraid for her well-being.

Martha was not in school for a number of days, so Mr. Thomas called her home. Martha’s mother shared that the family was staying together waiting for her husband’s body to be returned to them for burial. He had been killed in a conflict overseas.

Because of one situation, three teachers were forced to deal with needs to which they were not accustomed. As teachers, we are called on in times of fear and uncertainty to shepherd our children to an understanding of what is being asked of all of us. The difficulty of this task is that often as teachers we are not prepared to deal with such needs, finding ourselves as needy as the children we are called to guide in ministry. It is important that we take care of our wellness so that we are present for our children.

Psalm 23 gives us direction for our journey. We have nothing to fear because God is always with us even in the tough times. We need to restore our souls and minds so that we are able to meet the challenges ahead of us because of the uncertainty of our times. As teachers and administrators in Lutheran schools, we talk to our Lord through prayer. We encourage others to join us in prayer and teach our children to pray when things are getting hard.

We all need to maintain our physical and mental health to allow us to reach out to the children and families that meet in our classrooms. We each need to remember to set realistic goals that are attainable for ourselves and our ministry. Just being present and healthy in our school communities may be enough to help those around you to better deal with the fear and uncertainty that reaches all of us at some time. You may need to find resources in your congregation or community to assist you at this time – clergy, counselors, social workers, therapists need to be identified as people with whom you can network for support when needed.

Never lose sight of this simple and elegant fact: we are about the task of proclaiming the gospel in all we do and say, that in the death and resurrection of Christ all creation and all creatures within are being made new. The victory is certain with no serious doubts to be entertained. That gives people like you the hope you need to carry on. God is blessing you and your ministry. No doubt about it!

Donna Braband seves as Assistant Director for Schools at ELCA Churchwide and can be reached by email at dbraband@elca.org.

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