MY ASSIGNMENT
January 04, 2022
Prayer: Lord, we pray today for fellow teachers who have difficult students this year and for the students. Have mercy and bring Your joy in these assignments. Amen.
Scripture: He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]. Eccl. 11:4 AMP
I’m ashamed to admit that I mentally called him “Street,” this student of mine that could reduce a fellow student to tears with just a few words. Though he read haltingly and struggled over the simplest of class work assignments, he had an uncanny ability to zero in on the individual flaws of others. After highlighting the pimple on someone’s nose, the imperfections in a boy’s haircut, or the sneakers a student wore, he’d single them out and tease them without mercy, causing others to laugh.
Though he himself stuttered, few teased him because he stood a head taller than most of the other students and had a temper. “Street’s” record indicated that he had no fear of being sent to the principal’s office; in fact, prior to being assigned to my class, he had been suspended several times. No wonder his fifth grade teacher had encouraged him to sleep during class!
That year I considered “Street” as my assignment from God. I often called his name in prayer. Strangely enough, he was just my kind of student. I liked “Street,” and he knew it. Liking him did not mean I’d allow him to tease or belittle his classmates. Rather, it meant I would not let him get by with conduct that would distract him or others. It meant I expected him to work hard and not use his reading disability as an excuse for not turning in his homework since after school help was available to him.
As the school year progressed, his classmates and I were amazed at his progress. Even “Street” was surprised at his performance. His suspensions became a thing of the past. His grateful parents sent a note to me at the end of the year thanking me for working with their son. Occasionally, I still refer back to the note when I come across a child that is difficult to teach, touch, or love.
Do you have a troubled child in your class who comes to you with a reputation? One who appears unteachable and bound for trouble? Perhaps that student is your assignment. God, your Creator, knows that something in you (despite the grumbling and denials) will serve as an impetus for growth in someone else. How wonderful that He gives us the opportunity to grow as we represent Him in the workplace. For that, we are grateful.
Copyright Clara Ruffin. To connect with the author, email [email protected]
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Thank you for this devotion today. Appreciate the prayers for those of us who have challenging students this year. Perfect timing heading into the new year and second half of the school year.