According to "Teachers Who Pray" there are over 600,000 school teachers in America who believe in Jesus and his power to save!
I wish I had a way to reach all of those teachers, but um...well let's just say I'm glad for the 60-ish people reading this blog post right now. So, I had it in my heart to want to bring some of these teachers together to encourage one another. With some eager help of ladies ready to say "thank you" to some of our local teachers, an idea was born for a "Teachers Encouragement Brunch."
Each table was decorated with book pages and a "subject." To keep it from being too "teacher-y" I added some trend with burlap and floating spider mums.
Teachers give so much to students that sometimes we too often bring home leftovers to our own sweet children. It takes effort to not look like this bear at the end of some days....
Summer is our chance to sort of "make-up" for that and so this brunch was a chance to re-charge before pouring ourselves into our homes.
Glassware added a touch of elegance but bright colors reminded us of the kick off of summer and the fun that awaits us with our own children and families!!
Ah...Dick and Jane and the school bus...
So how do teachers recharge??
At the feet of Jesus ---
That's right -- we saw how the Master Teacher taught us more than the Two Sisters, DeFour, Hattie, Mattos, Knight and any other educator combined!
In Romans 12 we read...
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Jesus knew that the mind is required for transformation.
In verse one he calls us to present ourselves as living sacrifices. (Ha -- Teachers obviously took that literally). When we present ourselves we are surrendering our heart. But, we also have to put our minds to it; and then we can test it. That's right! The Master Teacher knew about assessment from the beginning. He knows that it's ongoing. He knows about re-testing. He knows that the test is the evidence of a transformation of the mind.
In verse one he calls us to present ourselves as living sacrifices. (Ha -- Teachers obviously took that literally). When we present ourselves we are surrendering our heart. But, we also have to put our minds to it; and then we can test it. That's right! The Master Teacher knew about assessment from the beginning. He knows that it's ongoing. He knows about re-testing. He knows that the test is the evidence of a transformation of the mind.
Then we go on...
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Imagine your collaboration time if we used these principles to guide us. Too often in our distraught education system we look for all the right strategies and it's too easy to forget WHO the strategist is we should be turning to.
In the gospels Jesus is referred to 90 times by different titles. Of those, 60 times he is called Teacher.
Look for more lessons for teachers from The Teacher coming soon at R7 Teaching
Imagine your collaboration time if we used these principles to guide us. Too often in our distraught education system we look for all the right strategies and it's too easy to forget WHO the strategist is we should be turning to.
In the gospels Jesus is referred to 90 times by different titles. Of those, 60 times he is called Teacher.
Look for more lessons for teachers from The Teacher coming soon at R7 Teaching
