The Day Our Students Quietly Stood Out
Recently, our Year 6 students had their Gala Day, a full day of sport and competition with neighbouring schools. At the end of it I did what all teachers do: I went looking for the verdict. I asked the teachers how it went.
Although the day had some challenges, every single teacher said the same thing, almost word for word: “…but our students were great”.
A Conversation I Didn’t Expect
I was teaching Year 6 that day, so I brought it straight to the students. I asked them to rate themselves out of five on the “Maranatha student conduct” they thought they displayed at the Gala Day. Many gave themselves a four. A handful rated themselves a two or three. When I asked why they were being so tough on themselves, the answers were honest and immediate, especially this one: “I struggle to control my anger when people are in my face.”
What do we do, as Maranatha Christian School students, if someone swears at us in a game? What if someone cheats? What if the refereeing feels unfair? The students knew the “right answers”. But they also knew something else: it’s one thing to say it in a classroom; it’s another thing to live it when your heart is racing, you feel intimidated, and everyone is watching.
The people our students meet on days like this could be encountering a Christian for the first time. Some may know very little about God. Some may have been told negative things about Christians, so an opinion is forming before a word is even exchanged.
When You Might Be Someone’s First Picture Of Faith
That’s the moment the big question becomes very practical: What are we to do? How are we to be?
Even when it’s difficult, we are called to be the light.
“…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Our teachers really were proud. Not because the day was perfect, but because our students coped well in the circumstances. They are learning something that takes adults a lifetime: we can’t always control what happens around us, but we can choose how we respond.
Jesus reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount that our lives are meant to point beyond ourselves—to our Father in heaven.
I encouraged our Year 6’s to think about the message they leave behind. After the game, after the conversation, after the moment of pressure—what lingers? What opinion will someone develop after interacting with you today? Did you show them Jesus?
A Bus Parked Out The Front
My mum used to drive one of the Maranatha buses back in the day. Every now and then, an enormous white bus with huge red writing: “Maranatha Christian School – the school with the Bible” would be parked outside our house.
There was no hiding what we were about. Before anyone met us, an opinion could already be forming: Christian family. Christian school. “The school with the Bible.” In a way, it felt like free advertising and a gentle kind of accountability. If people were watching, then it was time to show them Jesus.
Those buses ran far and wide, from Frankston to Belgrave. Children travelled long distances in the non-airconditioned buses to come to “the school with the Bible”. Maranatha carried a name and wore it openly. The purpose wasn’t hidden; the vision was on the side of the bus for all the world to see. And when your identity is visible, people make their judgments quickly so we needed to shine Jesus all the more.
What People Are Really Looking For
As part of my role, I have the pleasure of interviewing prospective families who dearly want to send their children to Maranatha. When I ask, “Why Maranatha?” the answers are often beautifully simple. They have heard it is a strong Christian community and that is what they want for their children and for their family. They tell me stories of a neighbour who attends, or a friend from church, or a parent who once wore the uniform themselves. These examples offer a warm invitation to the wider community to come and see the Maranatha difference.
Why I’m Proud
I couldn’t be prouder of our Year 6 students and the way they conducted themselves at the Gala Day. Even those who rated themselves harshly showed maturity in the way they reflected. At twelve years old, they are already learning to consider how their behaviour and their response under pressure can point people to Jesus.
Maranatha is different. It stands on the Word of God. The faith that was there at the very beginning, when our school was just an idea, is the same faith our families hold to today as we listen again to Jesus’ reminder: be a light in the world.
Maranatha is a light in the world. Sometimes that light looks like a big bus parked out the front. Sometimes it looks like a Year 6 student on the footy field choosing self-control. Maranatha gives us a daily opportunity to be Jesus in our community.
Kelly North
Head of Junior School Endeavour
Maranatha Christian School
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