Taking God to School

Before school starts this year, take some time to visit your child's school, and talk about the following:

Your school is full of people who are there to help you learn and grow: Teachers, the principal, cooks, and janitors. How can you help each other? Pray together, asking God to help students and school employees to work together in the upcoming year in a Christ-like way.
God loves each of us, and accepts us all if we try to follow his teachings. He wants all of us to live together in peace, according to those teachings. How will you treat classmates or teachers you don't care for at school? How would Christ treat them? Pray together for God to help you appreciate and accept all those you will meet at school.
You can glorify God through your friendships as school, and the schoolwork you do… and you can have fun, too! Pray together for a successful school year, filled with all three: friendship, learning, and fun!
Starting a new school year can be a scarey thing, but you are never alone in class: God is with you! Provide your child with a small icon of Christ or St. Ignatius of Antioch - who Christ called to His side as a child - for his desk or locker.

In your child's homework area to home, provide:

an icon of Christ, or his or her patron saint;
a Bible (for "studying" the daily scriptures) in addition to the normal desk reference books;
a copy of the prayers for before and after studying.

Prayer before Studying

Most Blessed Lord, send down upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit; sharpen our insight, so that, giving attention to our teachers, we may grow in Your glory and be a source of joy to our parents, and a blessing to Your Church.

Prayer after Studying

We thank You, O Creator, that You have given us a chance to learn. Bless our parents and teachers who bring us this knowledge, and give us strength to persevere in our studies.

Prayers taken from the Come to Me prayer book, Christ the Savior Seminary Press.

© 1996 by Orthodox Family Life and the original author(s).
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	Your school is full of people who are there to help you learn and grow: Teachers, the principal, cooks, and janitors. How can you help each other? Pray together, asking God to help students and school employees to work together in the upcoming year in a Christ-like way.
	God loves each of us, and accepts us all if we try to follow his teachings. He wants all of us to live together in peace, according to those teachings. How will you treat classmates or teachers you don't care for at school? How would Christ treat them? Pray together for God to help you appreciate and accept all those you will meet at school.
	You can glorify God through your friendships as school, and the schoolwork you do… and you can have fun, too! Pray together for a successful school year, filled with all three: friendship, learning, and fun!
	Starting a new school year can be a scarey thing, but you are never alone in class: God is with you! Provide your child with a small icon of Christ or St. Ignatius of Antioch - who Christ called to His side as a child - for his desk or locker.

	an icon of Christ, or his or her patron saint;
	a Bible (for "studying" the daily scriptures) in addition to the normal desk reference books;
	a copy of the prayers for before and after studying.