Teachers greet students with hope
OPINION —
Our students enter the classroom this week to begin the 2024-2025 school year. As teachers, when we see hope in a child we work to ignite it.
Deuteronomy 28:6 — You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
I know we can all remember those special teachers who made a real difference in our lives for the better. Their classrooms were a home of academic, social and emotional learning. Their classrooms were a place where students learned, discovered, created, questioned and grew. These teachers always remembered our names and they took time with us. And that is the way our wonderful teaching staffs are in our community today.
Whether early childhood, elementary, middle school or high school, teachers have a mission of believing the best, hoping for the best and encouraging their students. In order to do this, teachers have the goal of being knowledgeable and up-to-date on the subjects they are teaching. We are so blessed to have wonderful teachers in our city and county schools.
I have shared this teacher acrostic in earlier articles, but each year it is worth repeating. It is from an anonymous author that I have used to encourage myself and fellow teachers.
T — Time. Teaching does take time in planning and application.
E — Energy. Teaching takes energy in reaching our students.
A — Attention is paid to our children and students.
C — Children: teaching them is our top priority.
H — Helping our students to learn.
E — Encouraging children and students to learn.
R — Reaching out to all students.
S — Special is a label for all students. Each child is so unique.
This week as teachers call each name on their roll on the first day of school, we connect a name to a student and we quickly acknowledge that we will need understanding as we instruct our students. The same is true with parents as they listen and spend time with their children to learn what is the best way to teach their children and encourage them to work toward their potential. As teachers and parents, we want our children and students to know that we respect and value them. What a blessing it is for teachers and parents to share knowledge and light the lives of our students with the love of learning.
Patience is truly a quality of an educator who loves to teach. Students have different ways of learning, whether it be visual, auditory, physical or reflective. The pace of learning also has to be assessed, because each student is different.
Happiness and a good personality are important to make learning attractive to students. Teachers are called to do more than just teach academics — they are called to make a genuine impact on the lives of their students as they grow in character, wisdom and persistence.
Flexibility is a necessary ingredient in teaching. As educators, we prompt and require students to learn. Students will ask different questions which teachers must address. Because classrooms are made up of many different personalities, a variety of situations may arise. Because different learning needs of students arise, creativity and spontaneity of presentation are incorporated by the teacher.
Passion for teaching requires multi-tasking and energy more than any profession I know. Each day teachers have a captive audience in our classrooms who are ready to learn. A teacher is meeting the ongoing learning needs of people. Teachers have so much to do in a day in covering lessons, curriculum and students’ needs. The organization of teaching aids, materials and forms is a focused quality teachers must have in meeting the learning needs of children.
On this first week of school, classroom policies and rules have to be set in place for learning to be an ongoing process. In the business of the classroom, a teacher has to be a good listener and communicator. This is truly an “art” which requires patience and flexibility.
Teaching is truly a challenge! But the lives a teacher touches with the love, hugs, tears and joy of students and their families make teaching so well worth it!
Students and families, the greatest gift you can give your teachers and staff this year are PRAYERS for their strength, patience and love for their students. I see the school buses on the road, and the school bells are a’ringing… We are off to a good school year!
Beth Pinyerd has taught in the early childhood classroom for many years. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.
