Christian Teacher of the Year: Like Jesus, Courtney Warren ‘washes the feet’ of her students so they will go out and do the same 

For Courtney Warren, Christian education is the best way to cultivate both the mind and the soul of children, in what she likens to Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.

“I’m so glad that I teach [at a Christian school] because it feels truly like you’re also in church,” she told The Lion. “We get to see our school be a church, and be God’s people as we weave God into all of our lessons and all of our discussions. Whether we’re teaching The Giver, we’re doing an activity, or we’re in the STEM lab, we see Christ in every single lesson.

“And that’s what we’re doing. We’re washing the feet of our students so they can go out into the world to wash the feet of the world.”

Warren recalls the impact her own daughter’s kindergarten teacher had when she literally washed the feet of her students to teach them how significant and loved they are by God.

“[My daughter] … came home one day from kindergarten and her shoes were on the wrong feet. 

“I said, ‘Miss Ma’am,’ why are your shoes on the wrong feet?’  

“She said, ‘Oh, you know how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples?’ 

“I said, ‘Yeah.’  

“She goes, ‘Well, our teacher did that today.’ 

“Her kindergarten teacher, during holy week leading up to Easter, had turned the lights down in the classroom. Then, she went to every single child, washed their feet and told them they were important. And to know that she’s in a classroom surrounded by that love and surrounded by someone that loves her like Jesus loves her, and it’s not just at home and someone else is pouring into her every single day.” 

Warren’s coworkers say her positivity and enthusiasm are only outshined by her genuine love of God, and for her students. For these qualities and more, the middle school teacher at Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Madison, Mississippi, is one of just 12 teachers across the country to be named 2024 Christian Teacher of the Year by the Herzog Foundation, which publishes The Lion. 

Warren says she has always known she wanted to be involved in Christian education, having benefited from private school herself. And she felt teaching in a public school would mean she would have to hide away a part of herself, her faith.  

Not so at her Christian school. 

“If something’s going on, we’ll just stop class if we need to pray, or if we need to have a conversation,” she told The Lion. “I had a student whose mom passed away when she was in elementary school. We were reading [one day], and all of a sudden, she just broke down crying. I had the option to send her out and continue class, or address it. So, we just stopped class and we sat with her, we hugged on her and we prayed with her.  

“It’s probably one of my favorite connections I made that school year. You can’t, you don’t have the time to do things like that in in public education – being able to reference God naturally because it’s part of who you are, versus trying to hide it or slip it in somewhere. I can’t imagine not being able to be my full self in a classroom environment.” 

Warren’s energy and positivity are contagious, too, affecting her students, fellow teachers, and even her principal. 

“Where do you start when trying to describe an experience [of] Courtney Warren?” wrote Madison-Ridgeland Principal Ben D. Haindel in a recommendation letter. “Whether she is warmly welcoming students at the front entrance with bubbles blowing in the wind, or engaging her students with a new game or activity she has created to hammer home the key concepts of her lesson, Mrs. Warren is at the top of her game each and every day. 

“She is one of a kind, and she is in no category that I have ever encountered in my 27 years in Christian education. Mrs. Warren is a tempest of positive energy. She is loud, rambunctious, energetic, enthusiastic, and deeply caring.  

“Mrs. Warren’s most outstanding quality is her heart for her students. She has no bigger desire than to see them know the Lord as their Savior and help them become who God has called them to be. Our Middle School students are so impressionable at this age, and Mrs. Warren is a genuine, caring mentor and example for them.” 

In the classroom and beyond, Warren models servitude and uses her positive energy, creativity and caring nature to faithfully pour into her students. Her reward is watching them develop as students and as Christians. 

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 will attend a special professional development and recognition event in Washington, D.C.