To be clear, this doesn’t mean that there should be prayer in public schools.  Actually, if the local community wants prayer to be present “in” the public school, it should be allowed…but that’s another topic for another article.

If there is prayer permitted in the school, and if there isn’t prayer permitted in the school, the school and its students should be prayed for by the community.  In the words of Pastor Robert Schuller, “Prayer is the power that pulls all things together successfully.”  That’s a very important phrase to remember.  Not only is it about prayer, but it’s at the heart of systems thinking.

While knowledge is important, knowing how to function within a society and to care for that society as well as the less fortunate is also important.  All our actions need to be rooted in a higher power and a higher purpose, rather than to just learn and do for ourselves.  Therefore, it’s not just a higher purpose, but a helpful purpose.  As some writers state today, a noble purpose.

We’re encouraged to pray for those in power, no matter what faith tradition we believe and practice.  In a similar way, we need to pray for those in our schools – administrators, teachers, and students – and this year especially, they don’t need criticism.  They need support, and prayer is a foundational way of doing that!  Today’s teachers need to be prepared to be able to change their mode of operation at a moment’s notice.  And, interestingly, isn’t that what we’re expected to do too?  What’s the lesson?  They’re preparing our students to be able to pivot, rather than succumb to the routine – which, when it’s upset, is what throws us into a panic.  Instead of complaining, let’s offer it up, learn from it.  This way, we become partners with teachers, engaged in the practice of learning, and learning creates knowledge.  The system then comes full circle, because knowledge is power.