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After months of these small oddities, the teacher spotted a bruise in a weird place. Secretly, she called the hotline, hoping they could find the “something” she suspected but had no idea how to prove. This was the role of teacher after teacher through the entirety of Cynthia’s schooling. There was always a “reason” for the bruising that seemed well practiced and she had plenty of excuses for every little thing.

    “They was drug dealers, Mrs. Adams. We done moved to a new place and the basketball court is right outside my window. They be doing drugs and being loud all night long. I can’t get no sleep.”

Alfy waltzed into my classroom the first week of school with the charm of a gameshow host. Cheesy smile, boisterous presence, and humorous personality. As the weeks went on, his charmful façade eroded to expose the deep root of anger that could erupt without warning. Defensive angry words. Hurtful cuss words directed at other students. And defiance toward all authority figures.

Are you looking at your students through glasses of love? Or glasses of frustration? Preconceived ideas? Or Weariness? How can you work on changing those glasses this week?

That’s another reason why people become teachers: the challenge of the change. We want students to grow and become better versions of themselves. It’s not about grades or requirements, it’s about pushing them to change and improve. Never settling for halfway but always pushing to the next level, just like Joanie’s mom and I did for Joanie. We knew she could do better, but we had to find what made her tick.

Many teachers enter the profession so they can make the same difference that these “one”s made. They want to see the kid in the corner hiding from the rest of the lunchroom. Meet the child on the playground who is dragging their feet while swinging because no one wants to play with them. Sit with the boy who doesn’t talk because the girls make fun of his teeth. Help the girl who’s always told she’s dumb and doesn’t know how to believe in herself.

Loving what we do must collide with the love of Christ radiating through our words and actions. When this occurs, god’s love, along with our own, will be clearly seen by our students.

God called me to teach; I know this one hundred percent. Part of answering the call was becoming equipped by pursuing a degree in education. Classroom management, diversity, children’s literature, data analysis, math, science, social studies, English, and English as a second language. This is just a sampling of the classes I took to earn my elementary education degree. Some of the classes I enjoyed, others gave me pertinent knowledge, and then many were a waste of time.

Day 1 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)                Good things are not always God things. Just because we are good at something doesn’t mean that is what we are gifted in it. Plenty of people can stand in front of a room filled with young minds and present a decent lesson that delivers key points and important facts. But being good and being gifted are two different things.               Th

I’m grateful for the example of these teachers; they showed me how to be a teacher. They taught me the value of one voice and the importance of a single adult caring for a student. I learned how much it means to be seen and how that can change the course of a student for a lifetime. And I learned that teaching is about changing lives, one at a time.

Our sin does not define us. It is not our identity. Psalm 103:12 (NIV) says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” God doesn’t look at us and see our failures. He looks at us and sees his beloved children.               Do you have the freedom to fail? Do the students in your class have that freedom too? Do you live like you are a new creation or do you let the regrets, sin, and shame from the past weigh you down?

God loves us more than we can understand. He calls us his children. Loved by God is part of our identity. Whether we can understand it or not, we cannot change the fact that he loves us in an incomprehensible way. He also instructs us in John 15:12 (NLT) “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” 

So many of our kids live in homes that aren’t safe. Parents are unavailable. Kids are responsible for their own meals. Adults are busy doing their “important” things. Children often go unheard and unseen. Screens are raising so much of this generation. Interaction comes through games with people they’ve never met in real life. If kids do engage with parents, many times they are yelled at, mistreated, and rejected by the very ones who are supposed to want, love, and respect th

There’s something special about being seen and known. To remember a person’s name is a big deal, but recalling important details about them and including special activities for their benefit makes them feel special.

     If I was ever going to learn what my true identity in Christ looked like I had to surrender the last huge hold out—my identity as a teacher. I was a teacher to the core. God placed the call on my life and that was the reason I had been placed on this earth; to shape and mold children until I got too old to work. This job was my mission field, my everything. That sounds holy, doesn’t it? But as long as teaching was my everything, that meant Jesus wasn’t, and something had

Think about an art curator who has been given the task of tending to the Mona Lisa. Every move is calculated. Careful attention is given to unnecessary human touch that could damage the original work. Staged maneuvering. Focused cleaning with only the best products. Gentle moves and handling. Pride in getting the opportunity to engage with such a masterpiece.               Is this how we interact with the students in our care? Do we treat them as the masterpieces of God that

And while we are the authorities, we are also the protectors. Mrs. Tommy Lee not only shared her joy, but she told me where her joy came from. She not only shared her love for music, but she shared how music was all throughout the Bible. Everything I emulated had a deeper meaning that she gave away too.

Good leaders love well. They serve without question and sacrifice themselves for the good of the people. They are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They take the heat for decisions and protect the well-being of their followers. And they want others to become as they are. John 13:35 (NIV) says, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)                 For months we prepared. We read books, memorized scripture, learned key words in a new language, studied culture, and physically trained. Each of us, all from different geographic locations, readied ourselves for the adventure of a lifetime. Then we finally met in San Francisco and spent five days of intense training and team building. We learned to trust each other. Lean

  For the traditional public school, there are teachers and paraprofessionals who are in charge of implementing best practices in the classroom. Many of them are part of a team where they take concerns to a team leader. Beyond the team leader the principal or assistant principal. Then these administrators report to the superintendent.