675Folk

It is a struggle to keep from feeling proud of yourself and your own abilities. But is an enjoyable ministry working with students and trying to help them overcome obstacles.

I often have this feeling when "MY' schedule is interrupted- not just by students, but when God changes what I have in mind. I need to remember that my day and schedule are His and not mine.

In student life, these interruptions have to be tied to boundaries, for me often one a.m. wakeup/interruptions were requests for toilet paper, etc. Somewhat out of frustration these types of interruptions became conditionaland legitimate after asking about bleeding, breathing and living. At other times, I must guard against administrative duties becoming tyrannical and realizing that my relationships with students are often more important.. Truthfully, I am learning to be less impatient when God interupts. Your thoughts are a good reminder. Dave

Did Jesus always have positive affirmations from others?

My desire as a teacher is to respect and care for the souls of our students, which in public school must be carried out in character and depth of care for students, rather than by words. Even though God has chosen to have me career substitute (8 yrs now) I carry this desire with me daily. I don't just fill a spot, I become the active leader of the day. My attitude can make or break the day for my students. I'm thankful when I can leave at the end of the day with a feeling of making a difference in a child's life. This is the joy of partnering with God - showing my students who He is by my involvement with them through the day, and leaving with the knowledge that my best was good enough. If that knowledge isn't there, then I need to refocus and work harder the next time. This article is greatly encouraging.

I, too, recall teaching sophomores in a setting where sweat was running down my back and I could see beads of sweat on students' foreheads. I was thinking....How do we work on Geometry topics in this heat???

In the Crossways Bible study materials, sin is diagramed with an arrow that circles a person's head. It is pointing totally back to self instead of toward God or other people. In the Melanesian Pidgin Language that we used in Papua New Guinea, we called it "Mi yet tingting." That translates to "Thinking only of myself." If you keep self-centeredness in mind as you read through the Ten Commandments, you easily see that all of them warn of the dangers of self-centeredness.

Jeanette--that is a relevant reflection, that many of the 10 Commandments can be avoided if one looks beyond one's self gratification and needs. Jesus' injunction to love our neighbors as ourselves addresses the issue in a different way, suggesting that self-love can be a measure of the regard we also hold for others.

As educators, we are indeed blessed if we can interact with students over a long enough time-frame to be able to notice "long-term change." John and I were recently expressing our amazement at the maturity and 'presence' of one of our current seniors. She has grown in so many ways during these four years at Concordia. We feel priviledged to have connected with her during these years...and we hope we can stay connected as she embarks on a teaching career next year.

When we train student leaders, we challenge them to have an eternal perspective because they may not see the short term success of their investments and efforts. The final product may not be perceived until they debrief with that person in heaven. This is a hard lesson for many, but it reminds us that we are working with the Holy Spirit and are only intersecting with someone's spiritual journey even though we don't know their itinerary.

I am struck by the author's use of the word "control" in this context. I do believe that many educators desire a sense of control in their classrooms under the guise of classroom managment. The distinction needs to be drawn between maintaining an orderly learning environment and holding power over students. The latter is a an ego-centric position while the former allows for a collaborative environment.

As a former English teacher, the practice of plainly stating that "this paper is about..." is anathema. I spent so much time telling students to "not say but show." I see this frequently in academic writing and it bugs me. Although, it is easier to get to your point.

Improving weaknesses is the opposite of Strengthsfinders. This popped into my head because we're completing the Strengthsfinders assessment and sharing them in our weekly teachers meetings. My goal was to get all the teachers, admins and staff to understand each other better as well seek to support and encourage each other in a Christian learning community.

This was the first thing that came to my mind as well. If we focus on our gifs and strengths, perhaps our weaknesses will diminish.

I think the word "partnering" is crucial. It is freeing and filled with grace. It takes the primary onus off of the teacher-the actual change in a student is wraught by the catalyst of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who directs our actions, and put simply -we are his agents. I love the word "partner" it reminds me that Jesus task is "light". Dave

Dave: I see your comment here.

Does anyone still wonder why most people leave the teaching profession within the first 3-5 years?

The national average for college resident directors is 2 1/2 years. While both are educators, RDs are informal educators. I think the overwhelming natures of task, emotions and new responsibilities hit in similar ways. Dave

I see the descriptor "tight-knit" often associated with rural or small communities. My school is tight-kint and we are located in a city of 250,000 surrounded by cities that are even larger. I think people in general require someone new, someone unknown to "earn" a welcome. This is very different than Christ's example, isn't it? Many communities or organizations are quite friendly at the beginning but the friendliness is shallow. I think how we treat newcomers deserves a great deal of reflection.

This is a lovely article. An encouragement that should be shared with all Christian teachers.

I agree! You have commented several times along the way about your similar experiences along your path as an educator. I look forward to returning to the article in a few days to look for comments from other classmates.

I don't know about this article, Scot. Too much of it is too close to home! I'm thinking I need to call Gennie up and have coffee such are our shared experiences.

I think she would like that. Gennie is in data collection now on her dissertation at Oregon State. If you are going to be on campus next summer at all, I would love to introduce you.

When students challenge a grade, I love to talk with them. Ultimately, I want them to grow and so I structure the course for mastery. If they have reached that and I have overlooked it in my "final" assessment of both their achievements and my teaching, I want the opportunity to reassess and have some good discourse about each of our perceptions. If we come to an agreement that mastery was not attained, what can be done to get there in the next week or so? If nothing, the grade stands. If there is some way to allow for the additional growth needed to meet my standards then we all learn and grow and that is what education is about. In one of the textbooks I use, the author points to research that supports the theory that stringent grading does not raise student achievement and on the other hand, making it easy to get good grades does not lead to inferior work. (A Kohn. (1994) "Grading: the issues is not how but why." Educational Leadership.) We also know that grades are really not related to teaching or learning well. (T. Guskey. (1996) "Communicating student learning." ASCD. So then why do we put so much on those letters??!!

This hits close to home!

I have found that being someone who shows love, care, concern, understanding, patience develops followers who do the same for those who follow them.

This year I am providing my teachers with weekly pamphlets from ASCD's The Master Teacher. A few weeks ago the anticipatory quote was something like "we would be wise to consider all five of the relationships a student brings to the classroom to understand the student well." These are the student's relationship with the classroom activities, home, peers, self, teacher. I wonder if some of the students' outside relationship issues were affecting what the author seems to see as more personally intended?

It almost doesn't seem possible to practice active love for others an not recieve in return. Of course, that should not be the motivation, but with prayer and Jesus, there is always hope and that is something! How wonderful that she continues through such a challenge.

Is anybody else as tired as I am of training to attain stardom? Thankfully, it really isn't our calling. I love to think on that.

I think Shirley Mullen, the president of Houghton College, said that when it comes to competition, she doesn't like to win or lose-she likes to tie. I like those implications when we look at our competitive North American culture. Dave

Dave--Thanks for reminding us of Dr. Mullen's comment. The desire to be in a win-win (if one can intepret tying in that light,) is a much more creative and rewarding challenge. This reflection on "working for win-wins" is very germane to my job as an administrator, and I have to admit, it is much more automatic to work in competition rather than collaboration.

Our faculty used this book as a focal point at our fall retreat a few years ago. I enjoyed it then, and have appreciated Gennie's references to it. I should pull it off my shelf again...

I have noticed that some educators take this goal by students as a personal attack on them; when I unpackage events with students they often have no concept of the impact of heir actions on the teacher, administrator or support worker they are overwhelming. It turns out that there is no personal attack-ironically this is developmentally in character.

I understand this line and I see it as a reflection of the Father's grace to us, but I wrestle with it in terms of the true sense of vocation-how does grace and the tasks tied to "calling" come together. I don't know...

I guess I need to ask the reverse of this observation, at what point does our irrelevence become a handicap? In student life, ones asks the question tied to age, can I still connect with college students in relational and mentoring roles when I am 50 or 55 or... I understand Nouwen's corrective, but I still have contextual and relevency questions.

However, this would have been pretty impressive!!! However raising the dead and walking on water are fairly significant.

We often use this book to train our student leaders in the significance and definition of a community, as well as a primer for building a community.

This is very thougth provoking because we know that teacher retention is a huge problem and I am wondering if the main thought in the minds of new teachers is not "How to I serve my students?" but rather, "How to others see me as an actor in this setting?" it is no wonder we are loosing teachers within the first three years.

This is a thought provoking statement because the idea that one is an actor in the educational setting concerned about how others view the performance could be a reason we lose so many new teachers within the first three years. We must focus on service rather than what others are thinking.

Wanting relevance and significance is understandable, but the power has me wondering what this authors means by that word.

Here we get to the answer for my first question! Power in the Christian sense is not control over others but leadership toward Christ like action and behavior.

Here we get to the answer to my question...power is not control over others but leadership towards Christ like actions or behaviors.

I see my work as a substitute often as a performer. I want to be efficient and effective. My interruptions come in the form of a teacher not "trusting" me to teach the class, but in outlining an "easy day" for me. In reality those easy days are more difficult because they are not routine. This feeling of not being good enough gets in the way of doing the best for the students in my care.

I read something different in this sentence: once again, the teacher was letting her own desires and needs obscure what the students needed and felt--and the teacher was assuming it was all about her. I have made that same assumption many times in life and found to my suprise that it had nothing to do with me at all. If we look past our own sensations and reactions to a situation to see what the other persons are really thinking, we can begin to find solutions.

What an authentic way to describe our prayers. It's very true that if we aren't doing life with God then we are trying to do it on our own, the hard way.

This is a great article and really speaks to the need to daily dying to self so that we might be like Christ for others.

This is an excellent point. So many times Christians feel as if they cannot pursue excellence in their careers. I firmly believe that God gave us the abilities we have and we are to pursue them to the best of our abilities.

Another great point. I once hear a sermon entitled "The interrupted Christ" that was based on this theme. If we are open to who God sends our direction we will see all sorts of opportunities to engage in God's work for us.

My wife always says that it is so much easier to focus on the negative rather than the positive. I have found that it takes a considerable amount of prayer and hard work to try and stay positive. This is still an area with which I struggle.

This is still a difficult concept to strive for. I believe that it is only through the power of Christ that we may ever attain this. This is definitely one that I struggle with on a daily basis.

I was once told that it doesn't matter if you use the latest research in your teaching as long as you teach with enthusiasm and commitment to your students. I think there is definitely some truth to this.

This is a great point and is something I see many Christians struggle with. It would seem that we have been told so much about humility that we have extended that concept to our own God-given gifts and I believe this is a mistake.

I think this is definitely true. Whatever we do, if we do it with passion people will buy into it. This does not guarantee that it will always be that way but it at least gives people a reason to join. If students know that you truly care for them and their learning they are much more likely to learn.

There is no better way to be humbled than to be in a group of people that have no idea of your accomplishments and in all honesty wouldn't care even if they did. It is so easy to get caught up in our own accomplishments and not realize that these things matter to very few people. This does not mean we shouldn't strive for excellence, it simply means we shouldn't think we are more important than we really are.

Great point! I love Mother Theresa's statement, "...give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway." I reflect on this often. As a Christian, it puts everything into the right perspective.

This is an area in which I continually struggle. It is so easy to find fault in other people and yet so difficult to find it in ourselves. The only way I know to do this is to die daily to myself and let Christ do His work in me.

Tim--Bonhoeffer's words here are very compelling and indict me, as well. It reminds me of the old saying that if you are pointing a finger at someone else, there are 3 fingers pointed back at you. Only Bonhoeffer said it so much more eloquently.

Another great point. It is very difficult to take the time to really try and figure out what leads to our students behavior. There are so many other things that pull at our time and make us think that we don't have the time to do this but as is pointed out in the article it really is the most effective way.

Great point and something I am having to ask myself as I continue my education.

Loving the people that are least lovable is another area with which I struggle. It is so difficult loving people who seem to try so hard to be unlovable. It is only when I see them through the eyes of Christ that I am capable of this at any level.

Wanting to be seen as a relevant, spectacular and powerful is a temptation for all of us, whether we have a faith system or not. I appreciate that the author has taken some constructive steps to deal with this ego-centric posture. If we. as teachers, are more worried about our own image, we aren't putting our students' needs in the primary position in the classroom.

It is so true that the chaos of our professional lives of educators frequently focuses us away from reflection on what really drives us and our students. Discovering the motivating factors for both us and them helps clarify the paths necessary for a creating a good teaching/leearning environment.

It's fortuitous that the Ethics class came along at the right time for this teacher. Frequently, we as educators don't take the time to reflect on our practice because the hectic pace of just getting through the day or the term supercedes everything else.

This is also a powerful reflection, that when teachers set up the learning environment as a win-lose situation, it usually leads to students exhibiting resistance. Power struggles, in my experience, have never built self-confidence--either for the loser or the winner. The author was wise to perceive the flaws in this approach to teaching.

I had to laugh--I have a picture of myself in the coveted beanie, as well. I THINK I am using it as a motivational tool but this passage causes me to reflect on my own motivations.

I deal with this "bitter fruit" scenario frequently as I find myself in the position of "wearing the black hat" with both students and faculty who are complaining about issues at the college. It is very challenging to NOT leave any situation in its win-lose configuration but instead to find ways to turn the inevitable "lose" position into some kind of redeeming experience.

I, too, am glad that Jesus takes me seriously despite my flaws as an educator and as a person. My awareness of his mercy toward me brings a smile to my face and a willingness to share that mercy with other humans around me--especially those I work with in the school setting.

This should be the goal of all Christian educators.

This should be the goal of all Christian educators.

I agree. I believe that most young, dedicated educators feel this way. As we mature as educators, our desires are less self directed but more student directed.

Is it really improving thier real lives?

This group may have saved some from committing suicide, but is encouraging abnormal sexual behavior (from the Biblical view) morally acceptable?

People may be more open to sharing their feelings authentically online, where no one really knows them, than they would be at a large meeting in person.

Simulations of situations in the real world may give people emapthy and understanding for those who have actually experienced the situation.

this article talks about working on your online identity almost from an advertizing viewpoint (your personal brand). You want to be able to find yourself in a Google search with losts of positive qualities.

This appears to be talking about your real life strengths, goals and attitudes about things- not a virtual reality.

by using blogs, creating a professional website, using networking sites and web-based communities to appear the way you want to look on a Google Search. Does this really show authenticity? Or are you becoming a salesman of your "good qualities"? It sounds more like slick advertising to me.

Sounds like a symbol broker to me