REFLECTIONS

School Days

“School days, school days/good old fashioned rule days. Reading and writing and ‘rithmetic…”  Well, maybe some of you remember the song. But it’s not the song or the “three R’s” mentioned that are most important. None of us would be where we are today if it weren’t for the teachers who taught those subjects.

Like most students, I resented (or pretended to resent) their discipline and the tough assignments they gave us. Today, I give thanks for their commitment and dedication to make the lives of their students better. I remember almost all of them.

Back then I thought it a waste of time to learn what happened in the world before our time. But because of Mrs. Westbrook, at least some of the lessons from those history books are applied to daily life. Because of Mrs. Jones, written communications are more effective; and because of Mr. French, sense can be made of the mathematical world.

Though each of my teachers had specialties they taught, it wasn’t the subjects that were most important. They were preparing their students for life ahead. And that’s what made all the difference.

So, as my classmates and I moved on in life, we were prepared for it by what we had learned from those teachers. Some even chose to become teachers themselves. But most of us pursued careers in other fields, at least until an awakening came—the same awakening that unexpectedly struck Paul on his way to Damascus. I frequently mention the event that changed his life, and that to his dismay he found himself, “appointed a herald and an apostle — I am telling the truth, I am not lying — and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.” (1 Timothy 2:7) And to your dismay, you have become a teacher too.

Teachers are those we learn from—not only the three R’s, but about life. Teachers are our peers and friends. They are doctors, lawyers, and street sweepers. They are grocers, bakers, machinists, and truck drivers. They are the ordinary people we encounter who go to work each day, play on the weekends, and go to church on Sunday. You and I are among them.

The subjects we teach may not be reading, and writing, and arithmetic in a school house class room. Our classrooms are in our workplaces, in the stores where we shop, in the recreational activities we enjoy, and through the traditions we practice in service to others. In all we do, someone else is watching and learning. All days are school days. Without intention, we prepare others for life ahead. And how we live our lives…

Well, that’s what makes all the difference.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org.

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