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“Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.” –– Titus 2:7-8
On a morning run this week I was making my way through the parking lot at Ardrey Kell High School. Up ahead of me, I saw two teachers walking separately, one carrying a knapsack and the other an expandable leather briefcase, both holding their requisite Stanley coffee mug in their free hand. They didn’t appear overly skittish as if entering a new school and a new job at the same time. Rather, it was apparent that they were comfortable in their own skin, and that though this may have been the first teacher workday, this was not their first teacher workday. They had walked this path for a few years, and yet, they were still ready to walk this path for another year.
Watching them approach the school entry of “The Knight’s Castle,” I thought, what a brave and bold act I was witnessing, the consequences of which can be as significant as a soldier traveling to a theater of war. Both require daily acts of valor in service of a greater cause than self. Undervalued, overworked, underpaid, unrealistic expectations placed upon them and insufficient resources provided for them, lightning rods for parent vexation, parenting failures projected upon them, targeted with blame for conditions they did not create and cannot control. Yet, they pick up their satchels and their Yeti cups and go back for another year in search of that spark in a student’s eyes upon comprehending that which heretofore had only been confusing.
Teachers are uniquely placed to make an outsized impact on the communities around them. Through their efforts with students, dreams are formed, responsibilities are accepted, values are inculcated, honor is valued, careers are pursued, communities are enriched, nations are strengthened, societies are developed. Why wouldn’t we want to encourage and support teachers to the best of our ability? Why don’t we value them more? A mind is a terrible thing to waste and the classroom is a horrible target for disrespect. The late Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Paul understood that. His letters weren’t just social correspondence, they became teaching templates for the ages. When a wise teacher crosses paths with a thoughtful, inquisitive mind, worlds are changed. When Jesus was called a rabbi, that wasn’t so much a liturgical office as it was a sign of respect for those who taught, and even Jesus’ opponents did not deny him that. We can do no less for those brave teachers crossing the threshold into a new school year. May the Lord bless their work, for they are surely a blessing to our children.
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