Little People

We named our teacher team “Little People.”  We chose this name because we teach the little people and because we want to be little people in our humility, in our attitudes, and in our perspectives. Jesus said we must become like little children, and I tell my students different times that I can and do learn from them.  How can we be little people?  How can we model this to our students?

This year we memorized Romans 6-8 and I realized that I can learn about scripture memorization from my students.  Many weeks they knew the passage better than I did!  At every test, a couple children knew it nearly word-perfect.  I too need to apply myself to hiding God’s word in my heart.

I can learn about faith from my students.  One year we had a pet gerbil, Snuggles, in our classroom.  The children enjoyed holding him, but he did have a bad habit of biting their fingers.  One morning he bit a finger and was dropped on the floor.  Another child did not see Snuggles on the floor and stepped on him.  He died, giving a traumatic beginning to our day!  We took Snuggles out to the field and buried him.  After we came back in we proceeded with the day and when I prayed at the end of devotions, several hands went up.  “You didn’t pray for Snuggles!”  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, since he was already dead.  They were sure I should pray for him to come back to life.  Several weeks later, we saw the farmer beginning to plow that field, and one of the children said, “God better hurry up and make Snuggles come back alive!”  She still had faith.

Forgiveness is another area in which my students can teach me.  They are quick to forgive and let it go.  I can learn from my students in loving, caring for others, and showing compassion.  When Jeffrey spilled his soup at lunch and burst into tears, a number of students jumped up and went to help. They scrubbed the floor, helped him gather his dishes, and consoled him.  One of the girls said, “You don’t have to cry.  We all spill things sometimes.”

“Can I do something for you?” my students often ask.  They can teach me about service, too.  One day they decided to clean out the microwaves, which really needed it.  This was not a glamorous job at all, and they did not receive a reward for doing it, but they cheerfully scrubbed and served the class in that way.

I hope I can learn the student-taught lessons well and be more like the “little people!”