by Mitch Cook | January 14th, 2010
A day in the life of a typical High School student is rife with prayer. Believe me.
1) The pre-arrival prayers. “Please wake up with that nasty zit all dried up.”
2) Pre-Arrival prayer #2. “Please make it to school without getting another speeding ticket. I could lose my insurance.”
3) Arrival prayer. Directed at a potentially stuck locker. “Open, Open, Open.”
4) Pre-home room prayer. “Don’t say anything stupid in front of (fill in the name).”
5) Home Room prayer. “God I hope (fill in the name) didn’t hear that.”
6) Various classroom prayers about homework, school dances, after school events, parental disagreements, idiot siblings, test results, gym class fiascos, band challenges, and dead car batteries.
7) Post school day prayer. “Thank God the car started. Thank God (fill in the name) didn’t hear me. Thank God that zit was dry. Thank God I got a C on the Chem lab.”
Pre-sleep prayer. “Please let tomorrow go as well as today went.”
There are other days that use entirely different sorts of prayers AND curses but those vary according to the decade. But the basics are always the same and, as far as I know, never went away AND are highly encouraged rather than discouraged.
So, next time you get a bug up your but about prayer in school, either FOR or AGAINST it, remember that kids all over the world are going to do it with or without sanction.
-MRC
