Monday, August 8, 2022

A Teacher's Prayer

 The other day I was watching a stand up comedian and I looked at my husband and I told him, "I think I can do that."  He told me to sit down.  I mean, I think that I am funny.  I can be funny.  I think I meant to say that in my whiny voice.  Can you hear it if I say, "Think more whiny."  I can be funny.  In my head it came out exactly how I expected.  Maybe I should take his advice and learn to sit down.

I had big dreams.  I have always had big dreams.  I had this sense of who I was.  I still have that confidence in who I am.  I look around the room where I am working.  Well, maybe I can work on a few things.  Here is the thing, if God meant for me to have a different life then, maybe I would have a different life.  I can't tell you how much I have tried to escape teaching and yet here I am... teaching.  "God," I pray. "Really, God?  Is there any way that I could try something else?"  I look around and I try applying for other jobs.  There should be no reason why I don't get another job and yet, I am overlooked.  I pray to God and I can hear that those jobs were not meant for me.  "But, God, I never wanted to teach."  I ran from teaching the way that Jonah ran away from Nineveh.  He spent three days in a whale and still had to go back and prophesy to Nineveh.  God will tell me that it is not about what I want but what He wants.  I should want what he wants.  

This year, I have started embracing teaching in my own way.  I wanted a plant theme and I went out and went crazy getting plants.  I want to teach the students how to have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset.  Already they are warming up to me.  I bought a shirt that announced to the world that I was a teacher.  I think I have finally embraced my occupation.  I am waving my white flag.  Okay, God, I am a teacher.  I very educated and degreed teacher.  I think that there is a possibility that I can do this job well.  We will soon find out.  

It is the second week of school and already I am tired.  I look forward to cooler days and celebrations.  I look forward to the breaks found throughout the school year.  I look up what this state is willing to do to help teachers make ends meet.  There appears to be a disrespect for teachers as professionals.  It's hard to make a comfortable life.  We need more teachers to help spread the need out.  I talk to kids, I tell them to consider teaching.  They smile.  I can almost see the head shake.  Everyone knows that teachers have a bad deal.  

God, help the teachers this year as they educate and fight for their students.  God open up hearts and mind to receive knowledge.  I pray that parents hear and understand what we are trying to say.  I pray that you help the teacher's heart.  Help them to be strong in a hard job.  Please God, have mercy on our teacher.  

Amen.

Have you prayed for your children's teachers lately?  I would recommend it.  Ask them how we could be praying for them and then pray for them.  They have your children for a big chunk of the day.  Consider that.  In the meantime, praise the Lord!

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