Back-to-School Prayers for Teachers

Mid-August always feels like a big pivot in my home. I'm married to a teacher, and in this season, we shift from the laid-back pace of summer break to early mornings and strict routines of the school year. For both teachers and students, back-to-school elicits a mix of anticipation, hope, anxiety, and stress. One of the best ways my family copes with the chaos of this big transition is to pray. 

Here are three prayers: two from veteran teachers and one for a first-year teacher. I hope their words will inspire your own prayers for the teachers in your neighborhood and beyond. 

Prayer for My Classroom, written by Ryan, a secondary education teacher

Dear God, please calm my anxious nerves and racing thoughts as the new school year approaches. Provide creativity as I put together my classroom that invites students to wonder, to learn about their world, and to feel safe. 

Please provide stamina as I design lessons. May the lessons invite students to be curious about what is around them and to be kind to others who share spaces with them. Help me use words that you give me, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to speak justly, to speak with mercy, and to speak humbly as I interact with the children you invite (Micah 6:8). 

Help me build healthy relationships with colleagues, students, parents, and administrators to remind me that I can’t do this alone. Allow me your grace to make mistakes, learn from them, and start anew. This is my prayer to you, God, my teacher.  

Prayer for a First-Year Teacher, written by Kent, an elementary school teacher

Dear God, my classroom is set, textbooks placed carefully, “get to know you” games ready, and classroom procedures outlined. I feel ready—or at least, I think I am. My heart is full of excitement and nervous anticipation. I feel confident, organized, and motivated. More than anything, I sense that this is exactly where you are calling me to be. Yet, I know not everything goes according to plan.

Some lessons may flop, behavior systems won’t always stick, and there will be days when I drive home questioning whether I'm really cut out for this work. Yet even in these hard, imperfect, stretching moments, you are doing your deepest work in me.

Proverbs 3 reminds me to trust in you with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding. As a first-year teacher, it’s tempting to believe that success means control, perfection, and having all the answers. But your Word gently reminds me that this calling isn’t about my understanding; it’s about your faithfulness. I don’t have to have it all figured out. No one expects me to. 

Grow in me a mindset that embraces formation instead of fearing failure. When something doesn’t go well, help me to ask questions, reflect honestly, and seek the wisdom of trusted colleagues. Lord, thank you for calling me into this sacred work of teaching. On the days when I feel unsure or overwhelmed, remind me that I can trust you more than I trust myself. Help me to grow, to learn, and to lean on you every step of the way. 

Prayer from a Veteran Teacher, written by Reba, a high school teacher

As I begin a new school year, I feel mixed emotions. I’m excited about the possibilities this year may bring, yet anxious about the unknowns. Who are the children who will fill the seats in my classroom? What will they need from me?

Some will arrive carrying the weight of instability at home, needing a safe space to learn and feel seen. Others may already feel discouraged, believing they’re not capable of succeeding. Lord, help me to see each student the way you see them: uniquely created, deeply loved, with a sound mind and purpose crafted by you.

Quiet the noise of negativity that may come from those around me. Guard my heart from discouragement. When I feel overwhelmed, help me to lean into you. Remind me of the special calling you’ve placed on my life. As it says in Esther 4:14, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Help me wake up each day with gratitude for the privilege of working with your children, to know them, love them, teach them, and most of all, to point them toward you and the incredible plan you have for their lives.

As you pray for teachers, whether they are just beginning their journey, returning for another year, or leaning into their years of experience, may these prayers inspire you to pray. We also invite you to join our Prayer Team and receive weekly emails to pray for others. You can join here.