The famous French essayist Joseph Joubert wrote, "To teach is to learn twice." I have found it to be the absolute truth. Not only does the teacher learn it once for herself and again when she teaches, she remembers the truths longer and perhaps more accurately after she’s served them up to her class. Last week, I had the stressful privilege of teaching Vacation Bible School at our church. I already knew the familiar Bible Stories—Jonah and the Whale, David and Goliath, and several … [Read more...]
How to Thank a Teacher
Did you know May 2-6 is Teacher Appreciation Week? For six years I’ve been an occasional substitute teacher in our local elementary schools. During one of those years, I subbed long-term for three different teachers on maternity leave. To say it was an “eye-opening experience” would be a vast understatement. Let’s just say that if we are standing in line at Walmart and you tell me you’re a teacher, I want to ask everyone in the check-out line at Walmart to step aside, please, there is a … [Read more...]
The Unseen Work of a Teacher
A few years ago I heard a call-in radio show honoring teachers. A Michigan man with a slight Arab accent told a story I can’t forget. In the 1970s, when he was in elementary, his family moved from Iraq to Michigan. Can. You. Imagine? One day at school his teacher had pulled down the world map at the front of the classroom and explained the rules for a geography game. The students would come in pairs to the front of the classroom and stand with their backs to the map and faces towards … [Read more...]
Are You a Teacher?
Maybe it's been a long day, or a long week, or a long 8 months. And you know you've been going to work every day, but you're not sure if you're a zookeeper, a prison warden or a teacher. I understand how that can happen. I spent a few days in the classroom last year as a substitute teacher, and I have nothing but deference and respect for you. In fact, I have previously recommended we remove our hats to salute a teacher whenever she walks in the room. So, for Teacher Appreciation Week, … [Read more...]
Teachers: We Salute You!!
After spending approximately 20 weeks as a substitute teacher in my local school district, my participation in Teacher Appreciation Week is not optional. I've had an extended close-up view of this little community called a classroom, and I’m amazed there are humans (I might argue they are super-human) who teach full-time, year after year. I owe them all some sort of salute. I did my best to salute them publicly in our local newspaper, and you can read that article by clicking here. Whether … [Read more...]