When I began my first year as a student teacher, I encountered a tough classroom situation. Unsure of what to do, I asked my mentor teacher for advice. His words have stayed with me ever since: “Always do what is in the best interest of the students. Even if it doesn’t work out the way you hope, it is always easier to explain.” 

That wisdom gave me a compass. It told me that no matter the pressures from systems, politics or even parents, the test is simple: Is this truly best for the student? Too often, that test is forgotten. In many settings, students are treated like numbers on a spreadsheet or products for the workforce. But children are not products, and teaching is not transactional. At its best, teaching is sacred—a holy calling that shapes lives.

Howard Hendricks, author and longtime theology professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, once wrote, “You will never graduate from the school of Christ. You will be a student until the day you die.” If following Jesus means lifelong learning, then education at every level must honor the sacred role of shaping students—not just processing them through a system.

Virginia’s debates reveal this tension. In 2012, the state launched the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit to help low-income families access scholarships for schools they choose. Later, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears supported efforts to expand choice through the Virginia Education Opportunity Alliance.

These efforts promised hope for students in struggling urban schools but failed when rural........

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