#44

Some blessings require a little more explanation…

Shortly after my last class of the day began, I had to remove a student from my class for making a vulgar comment. Without going into detail, the episode was swift and harsh, but it resulted in an incredibly quiet, well-mannered group of students that remained! We finished our lesson and the students began working on the day’s assignment. While working, I frequently engage students in random conversations, usually short, but hopefully enough to build a relationship and trust and let them know that I am interested in more than just their math abilities. This time the students began turning the conversation and started asking me questions.They discovered that I flunked a math class in college then dropped out of college (but went back) and that I wasn’t really a math major (my Bachelor’s degree is in Natural Science). The questions eventually led to, “do you ever want to quit teaching to do something else.”

There is some sort of code or teaching ethic somewhere that says I am not allowed to discuss my faith, but I am allowed to talk about my faith if it is in response to a student’s question. So I responded by saying that the only thing I would do besides teaching is to work for a missions organization that was helping the poor somewhere in the world and I had a chance to say why. I then told them about my trips to Ninos de Mexico and how much I would love to go back for longer, maybe even teach in the school there. We talked about poverty in other parts of the world and how fortunate they are to be able to go to school. And they shared their own experiences and experiences of family members who had gone on short-term mission trips. I don’t even remember everything we talked about, but it was one of those moments where everyone was engaged without the typical, middle school goofiness that often infects conversations like these. Their listening was genuine as were their contributions to the conversation. Once it got rolling, I had a hard time keeping up, but I was loving every minute. It was one of those moments that I live for as a teacher - the kind I pray and long for.