It comes as no surprise to the people who know me well that my faith is an essential component of my identity not only as an individual, but in my teaching profession as well. I try to walk in Christ's light, but I definitely fall short. Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed with everything and anything, so when I heard we were having mission at church a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to make it. Even if for only one night.
I loved everything about the evening I was able to attend, but the one thing he spoke about that truly spoke to me was the importance of a single moment. He said to never doubt the transformative power of a single moment to change lives. What a message, especially for teachers. We have these moments every second, every minute, and every hour of the day. The way we speak to our students, the way we handle their disruptions and ridiculousness, their adolescent tears, their adolescent choices that leave a lot to be desired, their challenges, and their mistakes. Talk about pressure. Sometimes I think we forget that adolescents are not adults. They might think they are, they might try to talk to us like they are, and they might actually take on that role in their homes. But they're not. Even the most mature ones.
I'm not saying we can't keep it real with students, after all, that might be exactly the moment that is powerful enough to transform their lives. In fact, I rarely sugar coat anything in my class, because the world is a difficult place and they need to know how to live in it. But the way we handle those single moments, those brief encounters, they matter. Sometimes we might want to yell and scream and pound our heads against the wall, sometimes we might want to cry because they're too young to be in that much pain or to have made such as adult decision. Sometimes, we might want to crawl under a rock and find someone more suitable to handle the situation. But we're it.
Teachers take a pounding. Especially the good ones. We take it in the media, from society, from unfair expectations, and from the emotional stress that inevitably comes with teaching other people's children. So as we approach each moment, let's try to think about how to handle it the best way possible. No matter how small, each moment has the potential to transform lives, and that is powerful.
