Christian Teacher of the Year: Lucas Vieira instills wisdom of past to shape minds, souls of students

Lucas Vieira hopes his students “fill their soul cupboards” with the wisdom of the past and Scripture that is “good and true and beautiful.”

Indeed, Vieira’s passion to build up not just his students’ minds, but also their souls, shines through in everything he does – helping make the teacher at Beacon Hill Classical Academy in Camarillo, California, 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.

Now the head of the upper school at Beacon Hill, Vieira actually became a Christian educator simply to help make ends meet after college. But what started as an opportunity to earn some extra cash quickly became something so much more meaningful.

He soon realized Christian education combined his two passions: ministry, and shaping the minds and souls of students for God’s glory.

“When I was in college, I was a philosophy major – just loved thinking about theology and Christian philosophy, and my heart was to go into ministry,” he tells The Lion.

After graduating college, Vieira found a job at a Christian school, initially to complement his part time position at a church.

“But then I began working at this small, little Christian school, and all of a sudden it just grabbed my heart, and I realized this is what I want to do.

“I think Christian education was the spot where my loves for ministry, but also working with students and helping shape their minds and shape their souls for God’s glory, were able to happen. So, I started working in Christian education right out of college just because I needed a job, when I found a love for something that I think will last my whole life.” 

Vieira says he believes by building a foundation on biblical truths and traditional wisdom, a classical Christian education far outpaces anything offered by a government school. 

“One thing that the classical Christian school is offering is a glimpse of that wisdom of the past. What we read in Jeremiah – find those ancient paths, right? Walk in those paths, and you will find rest for your souls. 

“I feel the same way about the wisdom of great Christian thinkers from the Reformation or the Medieval period. Or the ideas of the Greeks and the Romans on goodness, truth or beauty. We get to introduce people to that.  

“I don’t think – actually, I know – students won’t get that full glimpse in a government school. The classical Christian education has much to offer. It’s just a better education because it seeks to not only shape the mind or indoctrinate the mind, it actually seeks to form the soul. That’s why I love it.” 

Part of what makes Vieira’s instructional model so effective is a conscious decision to – surprisingly enough – make his students uncomfortable from the get-go.

“At the beginning of the year, my students … are hesitant. ‘What’s this guy doing?’ ‘What’s he making me do?’” he says, noting they’d probably prefer to just sit and hear a traditional lecture at first. “But [my model] requires them [to participate]. They know this is how the class starts. I stand up and I say all these things.” 

Using what he calls a class catechism, Vieira has each student stand and answer a list of questions at the beginning of class.

What he loves most about his role are the special moments when he finds students learning not just to make the grade or pass a test, but for the sake of learning. That’s how he believes they’ll build a lasting foundation.

“I actually tell them ‘I will never quiz you on this. I’m never going to grade you on this. We’re just going to do this because I actually believe it’s good for our souls to learn these things.’ And so, all of a sudden, the kids realize, ‘Oh, I’m not doing this to check a box, to get a grade.’ And so, learning for the sake of learning.

He will ask them such things as “What is the blessed life?” And they start quoting Psalm one. When he asks, “Which rights did heaven give?” they quote from the Declaration of Independence.

“And all of a sudden, they have all of these great words, great thoughts, great quotes, great scriptures, written on their hearts. They weren’t trying to memorize those things, but I think I just kind of snuck up on them and tricked them. And now they have all these things memorized.” 

He loves it when his returning students readily recall such quotes from their prior years with him. 

In his letter recommending Vieira for the award, Principal John Witty lauds him for “expertly balancing his shepherding of his students through American History and the great books of American literature with administration and oversight of students and staff from grades 6-12. 

“Mr. Vieira has established himself as an instructor known for his ability to winsomely draw students into course material while expertly challenging them and fostering academic growth and maturation. He has an excellent relationship with students who readily identify how his personal integrity, commitment to excellence, and elevation of Christlike virtues are visible in his words and actions. … 

“Mr. Vieira has added incalculable value to Beacon Hill Classical Academy and every student under his care is privileged to have him as a teacher and role model.” 

Vieira points to famous theologian J.I. Packer, author of the book Knowing God and editor of the English Standard Version Bible, who wrote of the importance of committing the best scripture, songs and stories to memory to “fill the cupboard of their souls.” 

“So, I hope they take those with them, and they can realize, ‘I can write God’s Word on my heart; I can take that with me.’” 

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.