by Danna Shirley
Teacher: also called educator, tutor,
instructor, coach, trainer, lecturer, guide, mentor, counselor, pedagogue . . .
and I would like to add to this list mother, father, and
pastor. When you have a calling as a teacher by any definition, you can find a student anywhere and at any age. Everyone should recognize that learning is a life-long process and our eyes and ears should be open and attuned accordingly.
The learning process reaches far and wide stretching across all
social boundaries and professions; however, our individual interests may be
limited to just one or two areas.
It’s
the teacher who seeks to bring out the gift and creativity of any person. Someone
with a talent for dance or entertainment shouldn’t be forced into sports. Someone
with a talent for computers shouldn’t be forced into playing an instrument. I
am not athletic so you will not find me jogging or even power-walking; however,
I love to read and therefore I
love to write. I sit and compose
stories at my computer like a pianist composes songs at a piano. I play my music
with words.
God’s Word tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go,
and
when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
In other words, train
a child up in a careful study of his individual character and capacity, and
with a thoughtful regard to his future
course of life; the direction in which he is bent (his inclination, tendency, and disposition).
The
biggest challenge for any teacher, then, is to discover the talent of their
students and bring those abilities to the forefront; helping them to identify and
pursue their future course of life to success, the very thing for which they should
already be passionate. Individual gifts should be developed and encouraged for
everyone; if you’re five or fifty-five (plus), man or woman, boy or girl.
When a teacher sees the glimmer of understanding and the idea
of a fresh thought shine in the eyes of their student, they join in the delight
of this great discovery and something new is born. Something new takes off and
grows and advances and matures until the world has the--
Telephone ~ 1876 Television ~ 1927 Artificial heart ~ 1982
Electric light bulb ~ 1879 Computer ~ 1936 World Wide Web ~ 1990
Automobile ~ 1886 Polio vaccine ~ 1955 and on and on I could go...
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
I would love to believe every new invention, discovery, or development
produces a positive outcome for humanity but unfortunately, human nature comes
into play and devious minds advance destructive consequences . . . which
produce dictators, wars, murder/suicide, racial unrest, divorce, abortion, and
many more; so many damaging causes that frustrate any community to be able to see
hope and a future.
We, indeed, must look to our teachers (and pastors) to
instill in our children the desire to promote peace and find a way to put
destruction and unforgiveness under our feet.
Will you be that teacher, mentor,
role model?
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