A Teacher's Prayer

School has started or will be starting very soon for all of us. It’s time to pray. Our schools are the most vibrant communities in the nation. Our children represent the best of us and are image bearers of our Lord. Over this Labor Day weekend, let’s engage our hearts in a school year passion for the power of prayer – a true labor of love. Prayer is our gift from God to communicate with the One Who has made everything and gives us the opportunity to lift those in need to Him.  Where else can we find so many needs in one place as our schools? Prayer for our schools is the greatest gift we can give as teachers. We’ve all heard about the power of a praying mother for her children, but can you imagine the impact of a praying teacher for all of his/her students?

When Jesus’s disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He created a pattern of prayer for all of us in the “Our Father.” In Matt. 6:9, He taught us to first say, “Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name….” This power beginning of prayer is to teach us and remind us that He is the reason for everything we have and to give the proper awe, respect and love in our prayers for Him before we start making our requests.  So what does it mean to hallow His Name?  His Name is powerful. It is all encompassing. It is all that is good and wonderful. As we come humbly before Him, describe Who He is by using a form of “The Teacher’s Prayer.”

Years ago, Judy Turpen taught us how to pray in the ABCs. She had learned to hallow His name by attributing an adjective or noun describing Him in alphabetical order. When I heard that opening of the prayer, I was struck by the simplistic beauty of designating honor and respect one letter at a time. I have since taught teachers to pray in this manner and have nicknamed the ABC pattern of hallowing His Name – The Teacher’s Prayer. I personally prayerwalk each day and begin my prayers in this manner. It’s creative, invigorating and a challenge to think of names and adjectives that describe Him each day. Before I ever get to requests and thanksgiving, I have spent a good deal of time praising His Holy Name.  This is an example:

Dear Heavenly Father, hallowed be Thy Name. You are the Authority over all life, the Amazing Grace for us all, Beautiful Beyond Description, the Bright Morning Star, Blessed Be Thy Name, Courageous, Counselor, Comforter, Creative God, Designer, Director, Divine Redeemer, Everlasting, Excellent, Father, Faithful and Fearless.  You are the God Who is Generous and the Genius of Creation, Holy, Holy, Holy, the Hope of mankind and High Above us all, Intercessor, Incredible, Intelligent Designer. You are Jesus, Jehovah and the Jewel of the universe, King of all Kings, the Key to everything we need, the Lord of all Lords, the Light onto my path and the Lamp unto my feet.  You are Mighty, Marvelous and Most Holy, the Name above all Names, Near to me and You will Never leave me nor forsake me.  You are the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Powerful, High Priest. You are the Quintessential Essence of all things and the Ruler of all.  You are all the Riches and Resources of the earth and the Salvation of all mankind, the Stability of our times.  You are the great Teacher and Testimony for all to see.  You are Understanding, Unmatched in Your beauty and Ubiquitously mine; Victorious, Visionary and the Voice we want to hear. You are the Word, Wonderful and Welcome in my life, the eXpert, eXcellent and eXperienced One. You are Yashua and we Yield to You; the Zenith of all things and the Zeal for life – Hallowed be Thy Name.

This prayer is adaptable to any setting, any situation and makes a great prayer starter when beginning a prayer group at your school. Why not go around the room and ask each person to describe God’s name with a letter from the alphabet? It’s interesting and vibrant because it never comes out the same and awesome in respect to the One to Whom we prayer. On the Christian Educators (CEAI) website, we have a pamphlet available with some great ideas for prayer including praying in the ABCs.  It is a free download and can be shared with others. May God give you the strength and desire to pray regularly for your students, colleagues, administration and parents while entering prayer in this most respectful and complementary way. 

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Gentleness in the Classroom

As I began reflecting on what it means to have gentleness in the classroom, I felt so inadequate because I don’t feel gentle most of the time. It is one of the parts of the Fruit of the Spirit that is a weakness for me and often an area of repentance.  However, as a grandma, I relish the opportunity to be gentle with my granddaughters by giving them a place where they are safe, comfortable and at peace. Isn’t that what we all strive for in our classrooms? Don’t we aspire to create an atmosphere that is safe, pleasant, calm, comfortable and peaceful? Gentleness is our ability to give others that sense of “I want to be here.” Gentleness in the classroom is our purposeful attempt to make all our students, even the unlovables, feel safe and welcomed.  No learning can begin until there is that sense of trust and reliability. Being gentle does not mean weakness.  In fact, it takes a lot more strength to be gentle under adverse conditions than to be powerful. Anyone can intimidate a child into conforming, but it takes the Spirit of God to consistently be gentle on a daily basis.

What might a gentle classroom look like? One of the synonyms for gentle is placid. As a lake without ripples, waves or turbulence, a gentle classroom will have a sense of calm. As the gentle leader, our students will respond to “events” in our classrooms as we do.  Ask any substitute teacher about classroom personalities. If the teacher is loud, the class is often loud.  If the teacher is calm and soft spoken, the class, in general, takes on those qualities. It’s a great experiment to test this theory.  Speak in your normal tone while giving instructions or lecture and then mix it up with a very soft voice. Our students will immediately notice the difference, perhaps strain to listen, and if given the opportunity to respond, they will answer in a quiet tone.  Our classrooms environments are set by our standards, our mannerisms and our display of the Fruit of the Spirit.  Let’s be purposeful in being gentle to these precious children we will inevitably be making an impact on this year. Let’s strive to be gentler in order to give our students a calm, orderly, and safe place to learning.

The greatest teacher who ever lived, Jesus, was described as gentle shepherd. What a compliment if we could be like Him! These four verses are my favorite reference to gentle in the Word.  May you and your students be blessed with a gentle classroom this year.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Philippians 4:5
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry byclicking here.

Kindness in the Classroom

Kindness is the 5th part of the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Before I write anything, I always ask the Lord to help me and I love how He inspires. I learned an old Anglican prayer from Dr. Barry Black and Alistair Begg that reads, “I want to think myself empty, I want to write myself clear and I want to pray myself hot,” while asking the Lord for His guidance. As soon as I was done praying, the Pay it Forward concept came to me.  He is good! I can’t think of any other topic that portrays kindness in the classroom better. In today's world of technology and gadgets, we need human kindness. The concept of Pay It Forward (as developed in Catherine Hyde’s novel) is simple.  It begins with doing an act of kindness for someone without any expectation of being paid back.  Instead, the recipient of the kindness is encouraged to “Pay It Forward” to three others with the same expectation that the unconditional kindness will be paid forward.  The unconditional kindness can be large or small, depending on the interest and age level of the giver. Catherine Ryan Hyde, in her novel “Pay It Forward” about a 12 year-old boy who accepts the challenge of his teacher to change the world, is the springboard from which the Pay It Forward Movement began.  Trevor’s idea was to choose three people for whom he will do a favor or act of kindness.  When the people thank him and ask to pay him back, he tells them that they are to “pay it forward” instead to three more people. It’s nothing less than a human chain of kindness and good will.

Catherine Ryan Hyde established The Pay It Forward Foundation in September 2000 to educate and inspire students to realize they can change the world and provide them with opportunities to do so. The Pay It Forward Foundation is a small, mostly volunteer organization with a powerful heart and gift to educators.  They provide Pay It Forward grants, ideas to share and an excellent website with success stories. The Pay It Forward Foundation has trademark rights to the term, “Pay It Forward Foundation.”  The idea of “pay it forward,” however, is in the public domain and the foundation encourages all who want to promote the concept of paying it forward to do so.  The Pay It Forward movie and website are property of Warner Brothers and the novel, “Pay It Forward”, is copyright property of Catherine Ryan Hyde. She has now given the reigns over to a young man named Charley Johnson. He developed the Pay It Forward bracelets and has distributed hundreds of thousands throughout the world. He's spoken at TED twice and is about to do his third. Here are three samples: the story behind Pay It Forward bracelet, Global Reading Flash Mob of Pay It Forward, Charley Johnson on TEDxBountiful.

In April 2005, I developed a “Pay It Forward” presentation for students of all ages which encourages students to create their own movement with their families. I have presented the lessons for hundreds of children from kindergarten to college and in very large group settings and even churches.  I have an annual date with one of my daughters who is a teacher on the Friday before Thanksgiving to present the concept to their families around the Thanksgiving table. If you are interested in a presentation for your classroom, just contact me. There’s no charge for a Pay It Forward lesson, you only need to agree to pass it on!

Pay It Forward Day is April 30th each year.  An Australian group is hoping this will become a worldwide event.  Check their website at www.payitforwardday.com for more details and ideas on how to Pay It Forward!

Let’s face it, our classrooms can use a whole lot of kindness. Why not make a commitment to raise the kindness level in your classroom this year and teach your students not random acts of kindness, but purposeful and targeted ways to be kind to others? Order the Pay It Forward bracelets for your students and as they do an act of kindness, they hand to bracelet to the person and encourage them to pass it on.  Simply beautiful!

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Teachers in the Public Schools

Yesterday I spoke with some delightful teachers at a Georgia CEAI event where we studied and discussed ways to be legal and graceful in the public schools. The personal stories were priceless, the fellowship and sharing could have gone on for hours. Christians in the public schools, we need to meet more often.  You are not alone and meeting face-to-face is empowering.  One of the attendees was Dalene Vickery Parker, the author of Christian Teachers in the Public Schools.  Naturally, I was intrigued immediately by the title, but was drawn in by her kind and gentle spirit.  Dalene has written a practical and comforting book for all of us who enter through the public school doors. She is a 16-9 educator without even knowing it! 16-9 educators are seeking to know the law and to be light in the their schools through the Fruit of the Spirit. Dalene’s book will certainly seam the threads of the tapestry of being a Christian in the public school.

On the back of her book, she states, “Whether you are a student, parent, or teacher, one thing is clear: the public schools in America are a rough place to be for kids and adults alike. If you are a Christian educator in a public school, where do you turn for uplifting and scriptural-based advice? How do you strike a balance between wanting to share the love of Christ with your students and coworkers while retaining the professionalism and religious distance expected of those within the educational community?”  Dalene organized the book into 13 Essentials for the Classroom: Learning to Pray, Learning to Fight, Learning to Wait…………(I’ll let you get the book to read the rest!)  The best part is that you really don’t have to read it from cover to cover because you can hone in on the essential you most want to learn or practice.  I just began the book myself and look forward to finishing it this weekend. She has also created a Facebook page for the book. Why not go to her page and give her a “like” to encourage this new author. 

Special thanks to Dalene for risking her finances, her name and her professionalism to help encourage all of us in the public schools.  Let’s spread the word for her especially now as we began the 2012-2013 school year.  Start the year off by establishing your spiritual plans before you write any lesson plans. Begin your school year with refreshment before you enter the hectic routine (or lack of routine) that our days in school represent.  You can purchase her book for under $13 at Amazon.com or at Beacon Hill Books, her publisher. She does have e-reader versions available for Kindle, Nook and iPad readers. 

One thing is for sure – we need each other. Thank you Dalene for giving us a common platform where we can unite in truth and comfort.  By the way, she said you can remember how to say her name by associating it with Mary Magdelene and then just shorten it to Dalene.  She’s just as sweet as her name.

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Patience in the Classroom

Is patience in the classroom an oxymoron? On the surface, perhaps, but in reality, it is a necessity. How can learning take place without patience? To establish patience in the classroom, we must begin with ourselves.  How can you bring that patience to the classroom? Every fruit of the Spirit is a gift to the classroom, but patience is unique.  Even God can lose His patience. I heard a sermon about that recently and thought that it would be impossible for God to lose His patience, but He did with Israel several times.  So if you have ever lost your patience in the classroom, join the club.  Our purpose is to overcome the loss of patience with the presence of God with us as we go about our charge as teacher.

With first things first, pray for patience.  Be specific. Ask God to help you with that particular child that knows how to push all those buttons.  Ask for intervention when you are unable. Sometimes “we have not because we ask not.”  Ask! Next, practice. Be purposeful about addressing those things that wear your patience down and then practice having a different reaction.  For instance, if the way the students enter your classroom in unruly and unorganized, instead of getting heated and getting on them for being so noisy, laugh about it.  Add a little humor and then practice, practice, practice until they please you and then praise them.  Too often, the management chaos in our classrooms is our fault for not setting routines and expectations and then keeping up with them.  When things become too familiar, we get sloppy (the students and us!) Change it up. If a routine is not effective any more, make a new one and practice, practice, practice.  Going home exhausted by a chaotic day does no one any good. Bring patience to your classroom with practiced and purposed management.

What about the student who makes the little hairs on your neck stand up when they enter the room? We’ve all had them, but the difference between being stressed and being patient is how it is handled.  When “that” student begins to move your patience meter down, pray immediately for wisdom and guard your mouth. Be especially careful, not to say what is in your head and heart at the moment.  He/she is an image bearer, don’t forget.  Next, begin targeted prayer for the child. Sit in their desk before school starts and pray for his/her family and home life. Ask for help with communication with the parents before you call home. Ask for private time with the student to discuss goals for success in your particular class setting. Pray for patience. There is no easy method for solving the stress of having students who are disrespectful or unruly, but praying for them changes the situation and us.

You know you have patience in the classroom, when you want to be there, when your students feel safe and learning is happening.  May God bless you and your students in this upcoming school year with patience for each other. Grace and peace to all.

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.