Why I Decided to Become a Teacher

   “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions” (unknown). Some of you may know that I went to college to learn how to teach the young minds of this world. Most of you do not know the conversations I hold with others who ask me different questions about my profession. So, I am writing this to inform you of some of the questions and conversations I have had over the past four-five years.

   Question 1: What are you going to college for?

      Me: I am going to be a teacher in elementary schools.

      To this I typically get one of three answers: “oh that’s nice,” “wow I could not do that so 

        more power to you,” or “good luck with those kids.”

   Question 2: “What school districts have you taught in so far?”

      Me: “Lancaster Country Christian School, Manheim Township (public school), The 

        School District of Lancaster (public, city school), Maytown Community Nursery 

        School (Christian school), and Donegal Intermediate School.”

      The typical answer here is the person totally skips over the other schools and says: 

        “Wow, those School District of Lancaster kids must give you a really hard time.” 

        Every once in a while people will just say “that’s nice,” or “I went to [insert school 

        name here].”

   Question 3: “Where do you want to teach when you get out of school?”

      Me: “I don’t really know. I will go where God calls me; but, if I had a choice, part of me 

        wants to teach at a Christian school. That way I can teach others about God directly. 

        But, the other part of me wants to go back to Donegal (the public school that I grew up 

        in).”

      At this point the person may say something like “that’s nice.” Or, “it is great that you 

        want to teach others about God.” But one answer that I specifically remember was: 

        “oh, don’t go back to Donegal. The district doesn’t pay well and the kids are horrible.”

   I’ve had more conversations about teaching but these are the main questions and answers that come into all of the conversations. All of these questions made me think about the whole reason I got into teaching in the first place. It is true I had people tell me that I was good at teaching before I went to college; but you cannot just be “good” at teaching in order to be a teacher.

   To me teaching is more of an art than a science. For the past four years I have made more lesson plans than I can count, talked about differentiated instruction (Definition here) out the wazoo, and gotten to know more acronyms and planning things to teaching than I can even remember. That is the science part of teaching and it is important. But, if you are a teacher and all you know is how to plan I can guarantee you will not make it far in the classroom.

   Children are not cut and dry. People are not the same. I mean, just look it up in the Bible. God made us all unique. That's why I don't like it when people say "those city kids must give you a hard time." Sure some days it is hard. But those kids still deserve to learn. They didn't chose where they lived or who their parents are. But teachers can choose to make an impact on their lives.

   A good teacher knows that she cannot teach all children in the same way. A good teacher will cater to student needs. That’s not an easy task; but I won’t get too far into that because there are some other points I want to make in this blog. I just want you to think about how many students you had in your classroom when you were younger. And think about the best way you learn. Is the way you learned different from the way one of your friends learned?

   One reason I decided to become a teacher is because I had great teachers who cared. These teachers worked hard day and night in order to make sure every student learned to the best of their ability. If you are a teacher you did not get into teaching for the money. Because, they honestly don’t make that much money. In fact, if you think about it they should make more because they are shaping the future. But I won’t go into that right now.

   The main reason I got into teaching is because I wanted to change the world. I want to help others. I want every child to feel loved and cared for. And, I want every child to be able to learn to the best of their ability. God has given us all the great responsibility of leading others, being a role model, and training children to walk with him. We need to love others even when it is hard.

   That is exactly why I decided to become a teacher even though it is one of the hardest professions that I know. I know I will get headaches in the future. I mean, I am getting them right now and I’m not even in the classroom all day. But, I know that when I see that “ah ha” moment, when I get a present, a hug, a compliment, or see their smiling faces it will all be worth it.

   This week I encourage you to think about the teachers you had. It doesn’t matter whether or not you thought they were a good or a bad teacher. I want you to thank God that you were able to get an education even if it was hard. I encourage you to thank God that you had teachers who cared enough to work overtime in order to help you learn more. And, if you happen to have any way to contact your teachers, can be current or past, I encourage you to just say thank you to them.

   Titus 2:7-8, Proverbs 22:6, 1 peter 4:10

Speaking Up

   Picture this you are a teacher and you are about to work with a small group. You sit down with the students and start working. Suddenly you see it. On one of the students, you see your worst nightmare: a runny nose. Snot begins to fall down the student’s face and you can barely look at the student. You tell the student to go get a tissue but five minutes later his nose is running again.

   This was my experience during student teaching many times. And, it got me sick many times. Along with being sick, people said I lost my voice as well. It seemed like I did, but I do not think I did.

   According to Dictionary.com voice is “the faculty or power of uttering sounds through the mouth by the controlled expulsion of air.” It is true that when most people hear the word voice they thing about talking. But, when I hear voice I also think of other forms of communication. For example, let’s say I had no voice right now. I may not be able to speak right now but I can still communicate.

   Another definition of voice is “expression in spoken or written words, or by other means.” See, while I was sick I still needed to communicate with my family and my teachers. How did I do this? Well, I did it by writing, having someone talk for me, or by using hand motions or sign language. I did not lose my voice; I lost the ability to talk.

   Why am I telling you all of this? I am telling you this because no matter if you have lost your voice or not you can still communicate with others. It is our job, as Christians, to share the good news. Even if we feel like we have lost our voice literally, or just in culture, we still need to spread the gospel. Nowadays it seems like it is hard for Christians to have a voice in culture because it is so far gone. But, we cannot stop trying. We were put on this earth to reflect God’s glory. If we do not use our voices for him then we are not following him. And, the very rocks will cry out if we do not.

   So, have you been using your voice to reflect God’s glory? Do you feel as if you have lost your voice at all in society? What can you do to get your voice back?

   1 Peter 3:15-16, Romans 1:16, Luke 19:37-40

The Greatest Love

   While I was student teaching at Lancaster County Christian School every day they have a verse of the day. On Valentine’s Day the verse was John 15:13 which says “greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends(some translations say brother).” Because I was working with first graders, I figured I would need to discuss this verse a little more.

   I asked the students what they thought this verse meant. They said it was talking about love but they could not get much more out of it. I decided to flesh out the verse a little more. I started off with saying we use the word love a lot. We say “I love cheese curls,” and “I love my mom.” Is that the same kind of love? They said yes and no. We did a bit of a history lesson and I told them that the Bible was written in many languages, one of them was Greek. In Greek there are five different words for love.

   I said do you love your brother/sister? Some students said yes, others said no. I then went into would you die for your brother? Many students said no.

   Next we talked about the greatest commandment and the second greatest commandment. We are to love God and love others. I talked about to love others we need to be nice to them and forgive them.

We then discussed what Jesus did for us. Jesus had agape love for us (back to the Greek words). His love for us was unconditional. Jesus forgave us of our sins and took away our guilt. He was willing to die for us before we were even on this earth. While we may not be willing to die for our family members or a complete stranger, Jesus was. This got the students thinking about what love really is.

   Why am I telling you all of this? It is because I want you to think about if you really know what love is. So many songs are written about love. But, many people do not actually know what love is. Real love isn’t the love you have for cheese curls or temporary things. Real love is unconditional. I should not have to buy someone’s love and, if I do, then that person will never really love me.

   Also, though we may never be asked to lay down our lives for anyone we need to think about what Jesus would do. As we grow in Christ we must stop thinking about the things of this world and start thinking about eternity. What can we do to help others in eternity? We can follow the Great Commission and love others by saving them from death. We need to tell others the good news so that none may perish but that all would feel the love of Jesus and have eternal life.

   So, do you actually know what love is? Are you willing to show others the unconditional love that Christ has shown us?

   Mark 12:29-31, Luke 6:35, Matthew 28:16-20

A Question for the Ages: What is the Meaning of Life?

   What do you think of when you think of life? Maybe you think of your time on earth. Maybe you think of misery. Maybe you think of eternal life with God. But, what about this life? Why exactly are we here on earth? What is the meaning of life?

   Man has been asking that question for years; and many have come up with different answers. But, I know the answer. We were first put on this earth because God loved and still loves us. God didn’t need to create us but he did. Even though he knew that he would have to go through horrible pain and betrayal he still created us because he loves us. And that’s why he calls us to love him and love others. It isn’t like other religions that the people do all the work and the Gods do nothing for them. God reached out to us first. All we need to do is take his hand.

   So, when it comes to the meaning of life, why are we here? We are here to glorify God and help others. In helping others we will glorify him. And, in glorifying him we will help others. Over and over again in the Bible it tells us to glorify God. He is the only one who deserves honor, glory, and praise. That’s why we need to reflect his glory him. He loves us and we love him. When we use our talents, which he gave us, for him we are showing we love him; and we are following the great commission.

   It isn’t always easy to glorify God. But, God didn’t promise our life would be easy. Sometimes glorifying him means making a tough decision. It means choosing right even when it would be easier to choose wrong. It means standing up for what we believe in even when it is hard. It means putting others before us. It means doing your best in all you say and do. It means being thankful even when trials come. It means following God’s word and example here on earth.

   Now that you know the meaning of life do you like it? I like it sometimes; but other times when I am down on myself it is extremely difficult to reflect his glory. It is in those times that I am inside myself and looking out for my selfish needs. But, then I realize that my life isn’t worth living if I don’t have God. Because, he created everything. And, without him, I wouldn’t be here and neither would you. So, why shouldn’t we glorify God? I mean, after all we wouldn’t be here without him.

   So, do you believe this is the meaning of life? If you do, are you going to reflect God's glory in all you do?

   1 Corinthians 10:31, Matthew 5:16, Revelation 4:11

Does Everything Really Happen for a Reason?

   For a long time now I have said time and time again that everything happens for a reason. Well the other day I was looking at my home page on Facebook and I saw a blog that said “Dear Christians, Stop Saying Everything Happens for a Reason (link).” I looked at the blog and it was talking about how a loved one had cancer and this woman just could not figure out why God would let that happen. Then she said that somethings are not God’s will. 

   I still stand behind my belief that everything happens for a reason and I will tell you why. The basis of my whole theory is based off of the word of God. James 1:13 talks about how no one is to say “I am being tempted by God” because God does not tempt anyone. However, God does test us. James 1:2-4 discusses the fact that we should count it a joy when we meet trials because the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. To say that everything doesn't happen for a reason is to say that God doesn't have control over what happens.

   All of this is to say that yes, sometimes the devil tempts us but God knows about that. For example, let’s think about Job. He had it made: food, animals, land, family, riches, and the list goes on and on. That’s why Satan asked God if he could take away Job’s reason for praising God. And, you know the rest. Job never cursed God. He stayed faithful to him. Satan has to have God’s permission to do anything (1 Corinthians 1:13 [key word: let]). Don’t you think God knows what he is doing?

   Let’s go to the testing then. There are countless people who were tested in the Bible. But, let’s talk about my favorite: Joseph. Joseph had trial after trial. He would excel at everything he did; but then he would be cut down by someone else. Joseph could have given up. He didn’t have to keep doing his best for God’s glory but he did. Joseph passed the test.

   Even looking back at my life I can see God at work. But, there are trials I have faced where I have no idea what God was doing and that’s okay. If I did know what he was doing all the time then I would be God, and I wouldn’t need to worship him. It is through the trials and temptations of life that we grow. We become stronger in God if we pass tests and avoid temptations.

   So, do you believe everything happens for a reason? Do you believe that you will never be given more than you can take? Will you pass tests that God sends your way so that you will grow in Him?

   Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 2:18, 1 Corinthians 1:13