Thursday, April 12, 2007

Why I teach...

Yesterday at school I saw a problem student light up. I've never seen a spark so clearly and a passion for something. You see yesterday we played Gotcha (a basketball game). He is a new student and claims to have gotten in tons of trouble at his old school...like that is something to be proud of...he's been pretty good for me, but hasn't really let the chip on his shoulder be lifted until yesterday. When we played Gotcha he did great and I saw an enjoyment in his eyes. He was very talented and I began to pray for the opportunities he would face in the future. I prayed that he'd come in contact with people who would point him to Jesus and that he would recieve guidance for the tough decisions he will face in the future. I don't teach at a school where it's easy to make the right decisions; I don't teach at a school where the children have every want or whim provided for them; I don't teach at a school where Jesus is preached out loud every day. But I do teach at a school where I am a light, where there is hope for their future, and where we have great academic success. At church in the children's ministry (called Cross Street) we constantly tell the children to: MAKE THE WISE CHOICE. I've been trying to incorporate that saying at school and repeat it frequently. That is something that has been great for me as well. At certain times I'll think....am I making the wise choice? Hmmm.

3 comments:

Lauren said...

You just reminded me of my first year as a teacher. One of my students came up to me and said, "Guess what, I told someone about Jesus at lunch today!" I taught at a public, suburban high school. This student and I had learned of our mutual Savior, and bonded through the experience. Although I was not able to directly witness to my kids, I was able to rejoice with my Christian students who were light in an oftern dark environment!

OKeedokey said...

Hey Emily!
Man, what an important job you have! Just the opportunity to pray for your students...... and then on top of that, the words and actions you can show them to point them in the right direction.
I'm proud of you and all you do!

Lauren said...

I've tagged you at my blog, to give you something fun to post about.

http://awanderingheart.blogspot.com