We asked some wise pastors and professors for a some back-to-school wisdom for 2024, and they generously shared it. You will find their wisdom in this post for students of all ages, parents, teachers, and seminarians. We hope you will find it encouraging! And please pass it on and as always, give credit where credit is due.
For Everyone
Expect it to be chaotic—it’s not a sign that you’re doing it wrong. It’s just the way it goes. It will settle.
– MaryAnn McKibben Dana (she/her)
Ask curious questions! Human beings are made for learning. As teachers and as learners, keeping curiosity at the forefront serves everyone well. Some of my favorite curious questions include:
- What is the quality of this silence?
- How did we get to this place?
- I wonder where we might go from here?
Rev. Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed is founder and host of Three Minute Ministry Mentor, Co-Director of the Learning Pastoral Imagination Project, and Visiting Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care at Union Theological Seminary. You can read her questions for children.
For Seminarians
Remember that seminary is a journey. Allow the journey to unfold organically. You will not understand everything within the first semester.
Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker, associate professor of New Testament and Greek at McAfee School of Theology. Learn more about Dr. Parker’s book If God Still Breathes, Why Can’t I? And watch her interview on 3MMM.
Welcome to a new academic year! You are entering or reentering doors of collaborative possibility. Move into online or on-site classrooms and take your seat at the proverbial table. Receive and engage what is being offered. Ask questions. Give what you can, drawing on your prior studies, experiences, affirmations, and challenges. You have something unique and important to offer. Be confident and humble, slow to certainty and quick to consider new ideas and connections.
Learning and unlearning happen in school, disciplined by careful discernment, listening, and wrestling. Welcome both learning and unlearning. Sometimes you may not know which is which. That’s ok. Keep going. Ask for help. Rest. Try again the next day or the one after that. Honor the work it took to get here, the communities who have supported you through generations and the communities and generations you inspire. Remember you contribute to possibility. Welcome it here and now.
Dr. Mindy McGarrah Sharp is Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at Columbia Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Learn more about her teaching wisdom for times of crisis.
For Students
Look carefully, Paul says, in Ephesians 5:15, how you should live your life. The NRSV translation “Be careful how you live your life” misses the force and focus of the Greek. Paul is not simply saying “watch out, be careful.” No, he says: “Look carefully.” Regard, think about, plan how you will conduct your life. Pay careful attention to the way you live your life. Live with intention and direction and purpose. Live for what matters most.
I love the lines from Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Summer Day.”
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Attending to that question leads to wisdom.
Dr. Bryan Whitfield is professor of religion at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia. Learn more about Dr. Whitfield’s contributions to preaching preparation over at Working Preacher.
For Parents
Ask for Help — There are so many parents out there who are ready to help you if you ask for it. Not only this, but the act of asking for help can be a solid foundation on which to build a friendship. “Hey, would you mind picking up my child from school today? I’d be so happy to return the favor.” We’ve become so self-sufficient, but we were meant to be in community with one another.
Rev. Traci Smith, author of the Faithful Families series. You can learn more about her work at her website. And read about three more things Traci advises for back-to-school season.
For Teachers
Looking back before retirement, I remember thinking “I’m not ready!” But I drew in so much great energy from the students, new and returning and their excitement. Just got pictures of my grandchildren and my daughter (who is an elementary teacher) headed back! They are awesome!
Dr. Susan Willhauck is retired from teaching at Atlantic Theological Seminary in Nova Scotia, Canada. Read some of Susan’s reviews of practical theology books in 2022 and also in 2023
As a teacher I have struggled with integrating technology in the classroom in a way that is active and not passive. Early in my teaching career I tried banning tech, and that was terrible for me and the students. It did not work. Learning more about Universal Design Learning (UDL) led me to re-integrate technology into the classroom and work on note taking skills with students.
Dr. Adam D.J. Brett is a 3MMM Team Member and will be teaching four classes this fall in religion at two schools. You can read his thoughts about teaching religious studies, using technology, and helping students with note-taking.
More for Teachers
This August we are featuring back-to-school teaching articles by the 3MMM Team. In addition to Adam’s blog on teaching religious studies, you can also read about “Teaching the Gospels with Film” by Elizabeth-Anne Lovell and “Blessings for School” by Erin Robinson Hall. The blessings for teachers and seminarians may be just what you need to start your year out right!
