I remember walking into class one day in college and the professor had written the phrase “To teach is to…” on the board. Our assignment was to complete the simile. I do not remember what I wrote at the time, but I do remember the words my professor used to complete the simile. He said, “To teach is to learn.” He then went on to assign us a project in which we were going to have to teach a lesson to the rest of the class on our own! And then it hit me, I knew exactly what he meant by “to teach is to learn!” In order to be an effective teacher, I was going to have to learn all that I could about the topic I was going to teach.
Full disclosure: I did not go to school to become a teacher. I studied business management and organizational leadership. So why did my professor give me this assignment in a business class? It was not clear at the time but from my current position as administrator at Covington Christian School, I fully understand why I was given that assignment! God was already preparing me for the ministry He would place me in some 12 years later.
Teachers across the nation and in our own communities put forth a great deal of time, energy, and effort to provide every child with a high-quality education. James 3:1 says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (NKJV). Teachers hold a tremendous weight on their shoulders, yet they come back year after year because they know there is a great reward. I’m not talking about a monetary reward. I’m talking about the reward of seeing a child finally understand a concept they’ve been struggling with for a long time. The reward of helping to shape a child’s future by teaching them the skills they need to succeed.
Teachers do all of this despite the many, many obstacles they have to deal with on a daily basis. In a book I once read titled, If You Don’t Feed the Teachers They Will Eat the Students, the author so perfectly illustrates the kinds of difficulties teachers face saying, “Children enter school doors everyday either having just left a healthy, happy home where adults truly recognize the importance of a good education and raising self-directed children or having just left an empty house filled with empty promises and an empty refrigerator.”
I am so thankful for the teachers that I get to work with everyday at Covington Christian School.I am also thankful for the teachers at all the local public schools.You all deserve a huge thank you for the way in which you have taken on this incredible responsibility of teaching the youth of the community.Your dedication to the enhancement of these young minds is inspiring.I pray that you find grace to continue to do what you do despite all that the enemy of this world is trying to do to destroy our children.