1 Thessalonians
3:12 (NIV)
Prayer and Meditation
Reading the scriptures, I am more and more convinced
that God has an overwhelming love for me.
Unfortunately, too many of my students do not feel loved by God, by
friends, by family, or by those in their daily lives. Many do not even love themselves. Jesus demonstrated throughout His lifetime
how much He loved us. Let me, by my
actions, assure my students that they are loveable and loved. Let me demonstrate to them that I am not a
judge, eager to punish them for their failures, but a patient servant of God
who unconditionally loves all the children He entrusts to me. Through my gentle guidance and support may my
students come to know they are worthy of love and trust. Most of all I pray that my students come to know
the forgiving and everlasting love of God which is present in all of us.
The Actions of
Prayerful Teaching
- Observe and honor random acts of kindness among your students. Hold an honor day once a week to hand out certificates. Acknowledge that there were so many other random acts of kindness that you could not honor everyone, but everyone will get honored in time. Acknowledge how you felt observing these acts. Perhaps a kindness box could be placed in the classroom where both you and your students could describe random acts of kindness you observed. So as not to make anyone feel awkward, the recipient of the kindnesses need not be mentioned. Care must be taken so avoid details which would reveal the recipient.
- Print out each student’s name and place it in a box. Have students randomly pick out a name. Be sure to also place your name in the box. Several days later, students write complimentary or caring message to that student. This works best if you give students sentence stems so the comments do not become meaningless such as, “I like you,” “You are a good friend,” or “You’re nice”. Examples of sentence stems might be:
I saw
you ….
I like
how you….
It was
very considerate of you when you….
The stems can be
brainstormed together as a class. If you
feel there are any inappropriate
comments, just replace the message with one
you complete. To make this action more
sincere,
especially for older students, the student doing the complimenting
need not be identified.
- Write out a positive message on a card for each student. Hide the message somewhere where only that students will find it such as in the student’s desk, attached to papers you are returning, taped underneath the student’s desk, or as a bookmark in a student’s book. It is best to put the messages in a colorful or unique envelope with the student’s name on it in case someone who is not the intended recipient finds it.
- Practice good deeds. Students select someone for whom they will do a good deed in the coming week. A discussion can be held on how students felt when doing their good deed and how the recipient of their good deed must have felt. Is it important that the recipient even knew a good deed was bestowed? There can be numerous variations.
Students
randomly select another student in the classroom.
Students
select an adult or another student in the building, but not in the
classroom.
Students
select family members or important adults in their lives.
- Build awareness for those less fortunate. This can take many forms, but even small children can learn empathy. Homeless shelters, especially the children in those shelters, always have needs. Just collecting new pencils or coloring books and crayons is just one example. Older children may want to collect gloves, mittens, and blankets for the homeless who are living outside. Food pantries are always in need of canned goods.
Challenge of the Week
Demonstrate your
love for a faculty or staff member with whom you have had an unpleasant
experience. Surprise that person with a
bouquet of flowers or a “secret Santa” type gift. Acknowledging that you were the give of the
gift is not necessary. If this does not
seem like a credible option, write a note acknowledging the work of someone in
your building whom you feel has not been properly recognized for outstanding
service. The note may or may not be
signed.
Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,
Elizabeth A. Wink
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