A Year Behind Me

Thursday was the last day of school for my students.  Short year, I know.  Since the school runs on a college model, my students finish around the time colleges wind down.  The last month of classes went by rapidly, and then suddenly the year was over.  I have been thinking about the things I have learned this year, my first year away from school books myself.

One thing I did learn is that teachers are perennial students.  There is always something new to learn, something else academic that can be added to the info “bank” of your mind if you’re a teacher.  Sometimes it is overwhelming.  There were times when I was asked a question that I really had no idea what the answer was.  But if I stayed ahead of the game, I could anticipate such questions.  I learned that about halfway through the school year.  When I was making lesson plans I would sit in front of my computer and think to myself, “What is the kind of question so-and-so is probably going to ask me?”  It often worked.  But I had to put study time in to gather more info on the subjects I teach.  Most of us think college is supposed to do that completely for us, but it is pretty amazing how much is forgotten a few months after graduation.

I also learned to say no.  My personality is pretty much the opposite of “no.”  I can be easily persuaded.  High-schoolers sniff that out the moment they meet a teacher.  So I had to learn to be firm this year and sometimes painfully honest with a student when they were not doing what they were told.  I had to learn to confront, which goes under the category of saying “no.”  I started out the year by sending my woes to the office, but I ended it by learning to take care of it myself.  I learned that there will be students who just do not like me very much.  And that’s okay.  It’s okay for them to think I’m too strict.  Usually they think I’m too nice.  I learned that I’m not doing them any favors by favoring them when they do wrong.  The same with parents of students.

I think one of the biggest lessons I learned this year while teaching is that teaching is not just about a subject like history.  Some of the lessons students will remember the most might just be that F on a paper for plagairism (I had to force my right hand to write F on a few papers because I’m too much of a softy…)  It might be learning how to give when they get nothing in return…or learning how to confront those who cheat them…or being thankful for their parents…or…

And I have been reminded again and again that God does give grace, and He uses us even when we cannot see it, even when we feel like maybe our efforts are in vain.  I have to learn that instead of thinking about whether I was just wasting my breath, to simply serve God and let that be enough.  He does the rest.

I’m starting to wonder why I did not learn some of these things back when I was in kindergarten.  I was taught them, but there is a big difference between being taught something, and actually learning it.  Some lessons we learn the first time- but we have to learn them at a whole new level again and again.  Next year there will be new lessons, but I have that, no doubt, everything I have written above will be learned all over again in a new, deeper way.

Interested in Biblical Counseling?

Has a friend ever come to you with a problem, but you felt unsure how to counsel her biblically? There are so many different self-help books available today, but somehow they fall short of what we really need: spiritual growth in the midst of our problems- not just escape from those problems!

A few years ago I discovered a biblical counseling series that is absolutely phenomenal. The Institute of Biblical Education (Bob Jone’s University) offers a long distance certificate in Biblical Counseling. Each ‘student’ takes 6 courses, each course being 12 hours in length. The cost is $55 per course. The classes offered are in the areas of biblical counseling, crisis counseling, premarital counseling, and family counseling. These are all approached from a biblical basis, using the Word of God to guide Christians through real life problems. These DVD lectures given by Dr. Jim Berg are actual classes that are offered for credit at BJU, but have been converted into an easy format for the layperson who would like the biblical teaching without the tests and papers. So, same information, less stress. I do not always agree with some minor views from BJU, but I have found the counseling series to be right on target.  It is helpful not only when counseling others, but also in biblically tackling my own problem areas that need spiritual growth.

Check out the website!  

Biblical Counseling Series

Adventures in Teaching

Episode 2: The Mystery of Pam

I really enjoy when new students come to class.  New students add a certain excitement and freshness to routine. Many new students started signing up around November. Most, however, would not attend class for the first time until after the Christmas break.

From what I can remember a month ago, I was told there would be three new students in my high school worldview class (the same class in which I had to explain the skirt situation). One new student, by the way, was unusually named Pam. Since I knew her name, I began telling my students that she would be coming after Christmas. I prepared them for three weeks about the fact that Pam would be joining us in our close quarters. It became humorous among the class because this “Pam” person was a complete mystery, but her name was very memorable because it is unusual for a high school student. It became as though Pam was already known by the class since we frequently talked about her coming.

Well, Christmas break came and went, and so did the first week of school. Last Monday, I was beginning to worry about Pam. Did she drop my class? She wasn’t showing up, although the other two new students were accounted for. And why was I unaware of her last name? I had never been informed of that information.

Concerned, I had one of my students ask the office about this class-ditcher named Pam. He came back to class with interesting news—

There is no such person as Pam…!

Apparently I had somehow misheard a new student’s name, or someone had repeated it wrongly to me (I think it’s the first option)! So for about a month we spoke about Pam, who in reality does not exist. My students claimed disappointment. They also told me I will never live that one down! I’ve been hearing about “Pam” sightings all week…

Shepherding a Child’s Heart Pt. 2- Worshippers

photo from ecoscraps.com

During the second session of the Shepherding a Child’s Heart seminar, Dr. Tripp transitioned from formative instruction to what children naturally gravitate toward:worship. He stressed the point that we all are made to worship- the question is, who or what will we worship?

First, Dr. Tripp pointed out idols that exist in children’s hearts (and adults, too!) He listed:
-Power and influence (ex: bossy 4 year old who tells everyone what to do)
-Pride and performance (ex: plays a sport for the attention and glory)
-Pleasure and sensuality (ex: always looking for the next thrilling experience)
-Possessions (ex: possessive over his belongings and always wanting more)
-Fear of man (ex: more loyal toward bad friends than honest with parents)
-Desire to be approved (ex: always having to be up to date on the latest ‘it’ thing)

As Jenny mentioned in her last post, Dr. Tripp stated that, “You must be dazzled by God to dazzle your kids [about God].” And in order for children to see sin as it is and run from it, first a parent has to have a proper view of God. As Tripp noted, “What we do with God determines how we interpret life.”

Tripp listed Psalm 145, Psalm 16, and other psalms to help parents teach their children that true joy is found in knowing God. When a child grows up with this view, he will be prepared to obey Scripture because He knows God and desires Him. He delights in Him.

One of the most impacting statements to me during the seminar is that, “Rather than helping kids see the glory of God, we polish their idols.” He gave an example of a child he saw at church in a baseball uniform. He first assumed the child was wearing it to show it off to his friends. However, toward the end of the sermon he saw this child and his family leave during the service to go to a baseball game. Tripp noted that if the child grows up with a dazzling view of God, “it will be in spite of his parent’s actions, not because of [their actions].” Often adults wrongly prioritize in their child’s life, which results in God being somewhere else besides first place.

Though I do not have children, I teach youth aged students every week! I also have young nieces. This was a very sobering message and an excellent reminder to whimsically teach the Glory of God and the joys that come from knowing Him, and not polish the idols.

Adventures in Teaching

Episode 1

This is my first year as a teacher. As any teacher knows, everything that could possibly go wrong usually does the first year. I think this little law is true. My first really embarrassing incident was when I least expected it to happen. It was just like any other morning, and I was beginning to get into routine. I got up early and put on my favorite plaid skirt and black shirt since fall time was in full swing. Everything was going as usual until I walked into the teacher’s lounge and checked my mailbox. A fellow teacher came up behind me to whisper in my ear,

“Girl, your zipper is stuck and your slip is showing!”

Confused, I put my hand behind me and felt for the zipper. She was right. There was a gaping, wide hole in the back of my skirt. She attempted to fix it for me, but we soon found out that the zipper wasn’t actually stuck- it was broken. The zipper was snagged at the top with a hole underneath where it split. The art teacher managed to pin me up with straight pins, instructing me to keep my back to the dry erase board and to not sit down!

My mom saved the day. She left her cozy home at 8:30 in the morning to bring me a replacement. After my first class, I went into the bathroom and attempted to change. The only problem was that my skirt wasn’t coming off at all. I couldn’t pull it over my shoulders and I couldn’t pull it down past my waist. The secretary attempted to pull it really hard over my head, but nothing was giving (this must have looked interesting). Finally, I took scissors and said goodbye to my old trusty skirt. I tried not to damage it and only cut the zipper. I cut it off and put on my other skirt so I could head to my second period class.

What was possibly even more humorous was explaining to my high school students why I was late for class. They also got a kick out of the fact that my shirt was black and my replacement skirt was black. So, I looked like I belonged in the mod squad or a sleuth movie from the 1960s. Even though it was really embarrassing, it was one of those humbling situations where I was reminded that I need to laugh at myself. We all want those days when we feel like we have everything under control. But the not-so-in-control days are a good reminder that only God really has everything under control…which is a comforting truth.