I’m sure anyone in education has come across them. We’ve probably all worked with them; no doubt we’ve all despaired of getting them to some semblance of grade level work. Some days it seems like you’re starting over anew yet again; after five months the Kindergarten child still only knows perhaps eight or ten sight words while the rest of the group has mastered 70+, or the fifth grader still can’t explain to you the difference between a noun and a verb. When you ask, it’s as though the concept is totally new. As a teacher, have you been there?
I teach English as a Second Language (ESL), and experienced this afresh one day last spring. I was administering the end-of-year placement test that all Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in Georgia must take. This was the child’s fourth year in an English speaking school. He’d received at least three years of ESL services. During the Written English section he was presented with a graphic showing several stages of a process studied on his grade level. He was asked to look at the graphic and write a short description of what was being shown. He had about 20 minutes to write his response.
After the time had passed, I asked him if he was finished. His paper was blank. He said he couldn’t think of anything to write. (It was a tightly scripted exam, and I could not give any hints). My heart goes out to children like this. What kind of future lies ahead without some sort of direct intervention? I can’t begin to imagine.
Later in the spring, this situation came to my mind again. But this time, I saw myself as the student, and our Lord was the teacher. Why do I have to repeat so many lessons over and over? Each day I get a new chance to apply what I’ve supposedly learned. I turn around as if I’d never faced the situation before, and I blow it again. Our Lord is so patient with
me. He’s willing to try again and again. I’m so thankful He never gives up on me. I appreciate that so much. That is enough to make me want to keep trying.
How is it with God’s lambs that you and I work with, or rub shoulders with? Does the way we treat them give them hope? Are they willing to try again and again, because of the way we respond when they don’t make it? Or do we give up hope ourselves, and respond in a way that brings discouragement, fear, and doubt on the part of the struggler?
It may be a public school I teach in. Perhaps you, too, are in a position where you are not able to direct the eyes of your charges directly to Christ. But I am convinced that, regardless of our situations, we are still under-shepherds. It is our responsibility to PROTECT THE LAMBS!
Have a great day!
Dr. G
I teach English as a Second Language (ESL), and experienced this afresh one day last spring. I was administering the end-of-year placement test that all Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in Georgia must take. This was the child’s fourth year in an English speaking school. He’d received at least three years of ESL services. During the Written English section he was presented with a graphic showing several stages of a process studied on his grade level. He was asked to look at the graphic and write a short description of what was being shown. He had about 20 minutes to write his response.
After the time had passed, I asked him if he was finished. His paper was blank. He said he couldn’t think of anything to write. (It was a tightly scripted exam, and I could not give any hints). My heart goes out to children like this. What kind of future lies ahead without some sort of direct intervention? I can’t begin to imagine.
Later in the spring, this situation came to my mind again. But this time, I saw myself as the student, and our Lord was the teacher. Why do I have to repeat so many lessons over and over? Each day I get a new chance to apply what I’ve supposedly learned. I turn around as if I’d never faced the situation before, and I blow it again. Our Lord is so patient with
me. He’s willing to try again and again. I’m so thankful He never gives up on me. I appreciate that so much. That is enough to make me want to keep trying.How is it with God’s lambs that you and I work with, or rub shoulders with? Does the way we treat them give them hope? Are they willing to try again and again, because of the way we respond when they don’t make it? Or do we give up hope ourselves, and respond in a way that brings discouragement, fear, and doubt on the part of the struggler?
It may be a public school I teach in. Perhaps you, too, are in a position where you are not able to direct the eyes of your charges directly to Christ. But I am convinced that, regardless of our situations, we are still under-shepherds. It is our responsibility to PROTECT THE LAMBS!
Have a great day!
Dr. G
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