The Blessings of Being a Teacher

Often, at night, when sleep is hard to come by, one of my favorite ways of lulling myself to sleep is to remember students who have been in my classes. I am happy that  quite a number of them have kept in touch through the years. I get a warm feeling basking in their reflected glory as I relish their successes and accomplishments. And I snooze off to dreamland with wonderful thoughts of them.

Teaching has been one of the many blessings in my life. I sometimes wish that I had more financial resources to be able to give things to people in need. But sharing ideas, knowledge and skills with my students is just as important and may be even more so. For these prepare them for life. I share ideas instead of things and help my students acquire effective paradigms. I share my life story and offer them options and alternatives of how to do things. I share the God I believe in and help them put meaning and direction to their lives.

Being a teacher is being like a sower. I sow the seed and then watch how the seeds grow. I have seen and been blessed with the fruits of my teaching. I thank God for this grace and the blessings my students have brought into my life.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
~ Psalm 27

Jesus said to the crowds,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Mark 4:26-34