Letting Go of Control: Giving This School Year to God

There’s a lot we can prepare for… Getting-to-Know You activities, bulletin boards, classroom routines and rituals. But there’s also a lot we can’t… The unpredictable student behaviors… The last-minute schedule changes… The new curriculum no one feels ready for.

This year, I’m whole-heartedly trying something different...

I’m letting go of control and giving it all to God.

Not in a passive, hands-off kind of way, but in a deeply rooted, faithful kind of way. Here’s what that will look like for me:

🙏 1. Starting Each Day with Surrender

Before the emails, before the chaos, I’m praying. A simple prayer:

“God, go before me. Teach through me. Let Your peace rule my heart.”

It centers me. It reminds me that I don’t walk into my classroom alone.

🕊️ 2. Responding, Not Reacting

When things go wrong, and they will, I’m choosing to pause and pray:

“God, help me see this student through Your eyes. Help me answer this challenge with wisdom, not fear.”

Letting go of control means giving up my need to fix everything and trusting God’s timing and plan.

✨ 3. Releasing Outcomes

I’m doing my best, but I’m not attaching my worth to test scores, classroom perfection, or how smoothly things go. That pressure, I’m giving it to God.

Say it with me: This year, I’ll plant seeds. God will bring the growth.

🌿 The Truth Is:

I can’t control everything, but I can choose to be faithful, gentle, present, and surrendered.

And when I do, I leave space for something greater than myself to move in my classroom.

Scripture I'm Holding On To:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

— Proverbs 3:5

If you’re a teacher trying to do it all like most of us are, maybe it’s time to stop carrying it all. Give it to God. We were never meant to do this alone.