Public school teachers face an impossible job that is deserves the respect of everyone who loves kids!
This funny story makes a powerful point – teachers need your prayers like never before!
After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:
Let me see if I’ve got this right.
You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.
You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride..
You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.
You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.
You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.
You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN’T PRAY?
Hat Tip to A Peculiar Blog where I saw this posted.
5 Reasons We Need to Pray for Teachers
Chuck Lawless (author & seminary professor) wrote an important article on this topic listing reasons we need to pray for teachers.
- They may be the most stable adults available in the lives of some students.
- Many are trying to be a Christian witness in a lost world.
- Many are working multiple jobs to pay their bills.
- Many feel a genuine call to teach.
- Teaching can be a dangerous job.
He then offers some practical steps you can take:
- Prayer for the teachers of your family members.
- Pray for at least one other Christian teacher you know today.
- Challenge your church to join you in these prayers.
- Send a note of prayer to a teacher.
This really touched me. I was going into teaching some time ago years back and I can relate to this. I was on fire and a new Christian back then. I have matured now and have moved away from teaching. Not that I do not love children. Not that I do not have a passion for other children who are less fortunate in any other way. What it boils down to is that the education system here in the USA is messed up. Teachers are not given the respect that they deserve. Teachers are constantly censored, under paid, and asked to do so much more than just teach along with digging into their near empty pockets to try to make lessons age-appropriate for multiple children of different abilities, etc. On top of that, districts are cutting back on TAs and extra help for classroom teachers. I can go on and on.
Nothing is wasted in God’s kingdom. I now use my previous education degree to be a better mother to my children and homeschool them in the Word. For the public school system, I pray for the teachers in the comfort of my own home or at my children’s school. They can not stop me because I am not teaching there!
Amen-
Thank you for those powerful words. I think this is an area where Christians must complain less and pray more.