Stereotypes

(Introductory Lesson or Weekly Group Study)

Prayer:

1. Pray intentionally for the student(s) in your classroom who seem not to live up to their potential.

2. Ask God to fill you up this week and to keep being a light in your classroom no matter what.

Opening Story:

Sasha lived in a two-parent household in a middle-class neighborhood. The yard was clean and trimmed, her clothes were washed and stain-free. Daily, she walked to the bus stop, arrived at school, completed her work, then rode the bus home. From the outside, everything seemed fine. 

But Sasha's life was far from perfect. Beginning at seven years old, she did all the cooking, clothes washing, and cleaning. Not only did she have to finish any homework, but she could not go to bed without completing all the chores. Her life resembled that of Cinderella, only she was their blood daughter, not a stepchild.

When she turned thirteen, her parents no longer paid for her school lunches, school clothes, menstruation products, or any extra items. Sasha had to find a job; on top of the household chores she was responsible for. School was not a priority in her life; she needed to survive. 

Middle school and high school were hard. Sasha rode her bike to a different, much farther bus stop each day to avoid bullying and mistreatment. She stashed her bike in the woods and went to school. Boys began noticing her budding body and Sasha became the target of sexual harassment, both at school and at her after school customer service job. 

All her parents cared about was whether she finished the wash, cooked supper, and cleaned the house. Sasha was forced to grow up way too early. When her grades dipped in high school, it wasn't a concern to her parents or her teachers because Sasha was an average student. She was an average student because she didn't have anything more to give after surviving her everyday world. 

Though her grades told another story, Sasha was intelligent. At thirteen, she began saving money from every paycheck. She even figured out how to start a savings account. By the time she turned sixteen, she'd saved enough for a car and by eighteen, enough for a down payment on a house. 

If the circumstances were different, Sasha could have been a star student, but given her hidden homelife, academics weren't a priority. Survival was all she could do some days.

How many Sasha's do we have sitting in our classes? Academic disinterest even though they are smart. Clean and tidy appearance even though they are the ones washing all the clothes. Sexually mistreated by peers and perverse adults on a regular basis. 

We don't know what our kids endure each day. We may never understand the ones who come in tired every morning or appear disengaged. But we can ask God for insight. We can ask him to expose what is hidden and reveal the secrets of their world. And we can ask him for eyes to see the true person behind the facade so we can learn to love them well.

  Sasha turned out okay. She got out of her house, married, and created a home that was nothing like her family of origin. She came to know Christ through a kind neighbor who took her to church, and she lives a sold-out life for Jesus now. 

Scripture Reading:

Read 1 Samuel 25:2-41

This is the story of Nabal. David and his men were in hiding from King Saul and needed food, but Nabal refused to help and acted like he had never heard of David. Anger surged through David and he rallied his troops. One of the servants hurried to Abigail, Nabal’s wife, and she quickly intercepted David and the troops with much food, saving trouble from befalling her household. Abigail was the hero.

Abigail was married to a selfish, pious fool. Her life must have been difficult. Though on the outside, they had much fortune, behind closed doors was likely a different story.

Discussion

1.      Do you have any Sashas and Abigails in your classroom?

2.      How do you reach these students who wear masks every day and go home to a terrible family situation?

3.      Students in these environments aren’t allowed to be kids. They are required to be responsible for adult things and rarely get to participate in kid things. What activities could be added into your classroom that would allow pure, organic child-like fun?

4.      Do you feel like Abigail? Always cleaning up messes or being the peacekeeper? Remember the blessings Abigail received for her faithfulness.

Homework

              Read 2 Kings 6. Then focus on verse 17. Ask God to open your eyes to be able to see the supernatural activities happening behind the scenes, just like Elisha and his servant saw the angel army fighting for them.

Personal Reflection

              Outside appearances are rarely the truth. Even good homes have dysfunction. When our students act differently than usual, do we automatically think we’ve done something wrong, or have we considered that something in their world might be off? How can we react differently in the future? And how can we show love to those kids when their private world might be falling apart?