Christian Teacher of the Year: Christian education may be ‘the last light left on’ for America, says Julie Pickard, while making sure it shines brightly

Julie Pickard is the middle school teacher every Christian parent dreams of: a loving mentor, eager to help budding youth embrace and take ownership of their faith.

It helps that she teaches Bible and art, both of which can be usefully “messy,” not unlike adolescence.

“I feel like middle school is the perfect opportunity to meet kids when they’re really searching out their own identity,” the 20-year veteran teacher tells The Lion. “In a lot of ways, they’re learning what they’re good at. They’re learning what they enjoy. They’re starting to establish a personal identity away from their parents, and that’s why it’s my favorite time to teach Bible.”

At Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale, Iowa, Pickard especially enjoys teaching the Old Testament, where “there are parts of it that are gory and messy, and there are parts of it that are beautiful and redeeming.”

Her dedication, consistency and effectiveness explain why she has been named as one of 12 Christian Teachers of the Year by the Herzog Foundation, which publishes The Lion. 

Imparting a Christian worldview 

Pickard knows the value of a Christian education for students and their parents, having been raised in such an environment. 

“I’ve spent my whole life in Christian education,” she says. “My dad was a Christian educator. I have been in Christian schools from kindergarten all the way through a masters of education, and it’s pretty rare, I think, to find individuals like that. 

“I took that for granted for a very long time, probably until my undergrad, when I realized how blessed I was to grow up with this foundation of Scripture and truth, and that although I got a high-quality education, I also became a high-quality believer because of teachers and incredible programs.” 

And high-quality believers are what the career educator labors to produce in her middle school classroom.  

What constitutes quality?  

Pickard wants to ensure her students develop a thoroughly biblical way of viewing the world. In other words, she wants them to develop a Christian worldview. 

“As I teach 6th graders Old Testament Survey each year, I am also teaching them to think, speak, and act with a biblical worldview, beginning by equipping them with a framework of questions. …  

“Once equipped with the framework, students can begin to apply these same questions to people, companies, governments and situations in their everyday lives. These tools, packaged as questions, allow my students to make sense of the world and begin to impact it.” 

Beware of ‘hidden’ worldviews 

But a Christian school isn’t the only kind that imparts a worldview, which may surprise parents of kids in public schools that don’t acknowledge that fact. 

“I think it’s important to know that every educational setting – whether it’s preschool, kindergarten, elementary school – will have a worldview, and some of those are hidden worldviews,” Pickard warns. “I would say a lot of our public schools have hidden worldviews [and] they’re not going to broadcast what agendas they’re pushing. …  

“[Christian schools] are about a biblical worldview. We’re about Jesus Christ and infusing every bit of education with Jesus Christ and the truth of Scripture. Public education is not neutral. And I think that is an assumption a lot of young parents make going into education for their kids, and it’s important they realize it’s not neutral. 

“There are worldviews in every educational setting, and so if a biblical worldview is important to you, then you really have to invest in it.” 

It doesn’t take long after enrolling their children at Pickard’s Iowa Christian school for parents to see the difference such worldviews make. 

“This fall, I started a parent-teacher conference, and I said, ‘I’d love to pray with you and pray over your son.’ And so, we prayed together,” Pickard recalled. 

“And after the prayer, [the mother] looked up at me, and just with tears streaming down her face, she said, ‘This is the first time anyone has prayed for my child in an educational setting.’ And she said, ‘We’ve waited two years for our son to get into this school, and really it was just this chance opportunity. I’ve never regretted it for a single day.’  

“And so, I got to teach her son this past year, and just to see a family who values Christian education, because they’ve seen the other side of it, and they recognize the incredible gift [of Christian education].” 

Christian education, the ‘last light’ in America 

As Pickard looks at the country and reflects on her own experience growing up in Christian education, she wants to fully appreciate the privilege and make the most of it. 

“Christian education may very well be the last light left on for our society, and I’m here to make sure it’s shining brightly,” she declared in a video submission for the Herzog award. 

“I learned from Christian educators to see the world through the lens of Scripture with a focus on truth. I learned to see Christ in literature, biology, art and even math; I learned that education can be so much more than content knowledge. I was shaped by Christian educators like my own dad, and today it’s my turn to carry that baton from my own three sons and every student in my classroom.” 

It’s a baton that’s not only handed off, but multiplied – to the more than 2,000 students Pickard has taught to date. May they, like their teacher, carry it well! 

The Christian Teacher of the Year honor is part of the Herzog Foundation’s Excellence in Christian Education award series. Each of the 12 winners this year attended a special professional development and recognition event Saturday in Washington, D.C.