A Well-deserved Day Off

It's officially Mid-Winter Break here and I am thankful to have a day off. I used to think Valentine's Day was exciting enough with school aged children, but if you want to experience hormones in the air, come hang out with me at my middle school for an hour on the last afternoon at school before Valentine's Day.

For the last couple of years, we have allowed students to send candy-grams to their friends as a fundraiser for ASB. They are all sold at lunch and are delivered all at once to the 7th period classes for the teachers to pass out just before the end of the day. Last year, it was pretty typical. The teens with money to spare and the most popular ones happily bought suckers for each other. Our principal who worried about how the ones who did not get a sucker, send some other candy out for all of the kids. (Just think about buying candy for 1000!)

This year, everything seemed to be heading in the same direction. There was lots of giggling about who was buying them for whom. The girls all bought them the first two days and on the last day, the boys were all gathered around the table. (How funny is that for a true picture of the female and male shopping strategies!) However, this year something changed. Quite a few of our teachers decided to order suckers for all of our 7th period kids. Additionally, in the 7th grade several of us chose to order suckers for all of the students we see throughout the day.

When I decided to buy suckers for all of my kids, I did not realize what this actually meant. Writing the check was easy, but then I had to address the 60 cards in my spare time. Then I realized that in addition to the writing on the front, I really needed to add a note on the inside for each one, sign them, and then fold them all. After wrestling with what was appropriate to say, I went with putting each of their names with some variant of have a great break and then Mrs. S.

When 7th period arrived, the ASB messenger arrived with a box containing four large manila envelopes stuffed with suckers and cards. My students were busy working on their geography as I began dumping out the envelopes and passing out the cards. As usual there were a few kids getting 8 or 9 suckers and most kids receiving none. Although they kept working,I could see on their faces that they were not happy they did not have a sucker.

Then I opened the envelope that had the cards I prepared. I started calling out names and the whole atmosphere of the room changed. Smiles and giggles broke out as they realized that they all were included. Many said thanks as they ripped off the cellophane to their suckers. Now they were all important. Now each one was remembered. Some were pretty shocked that their seemingly-tough teacher had actually bought them each a Valentine's sucker.

Soon the bell rang dismissing them for the long weekend. When I reached the hall, my morning kids clambered around me--grinning and saying thank you for their suckers. Hugs came from the girls but the ones that touched my heart were my boys. In particular were my 13 year olds who often did not have all of their assignments in. One said to me that when he opened the card he expected to see a message to do his work. Surprisingly instead he found a wish for a great break. Who would have thought? He definitely was thinking about my actions...

I had to turn away because all I could think about was how much these precious young teens needed to know that someone cared about them and actually liked them. But it was more than that. How much more they needed to know how precious they are to their Heavenly Father who most of them don't know. They need to know that He loves each one unconditionally, just like He loves each of us.

As I public school teacher, I can't just come out and tell them that I was being Christ's hands this week as I bought and wrote those cards. I can't tell them that there is a God who wants to have a personal relationship with them. But I can continue caring about each one of them even as I teach them. Helping them to each realize that no matter how their behavior is, or whether or not all of their work is done, I do care about them and want the best for each one of them.

Some kids just can't wrap their head around the fact that even if they do not do well academically in the rigorous courses I teach these 7th graders that I do have hope that their lives will change for good. Hope that because of their time with me, the lessons they learned here would impact their lives. One of my not-so-successful students from last year with a particularly unstable home life looked at me this week and asked why did I have so much hope that they would succeed in 8th grade--why didn't I just give up on them? I smiled at him and said that I have hope, great hope for each of them; hope that was new every morning; hope that each would succeed not only in 8th grade but in high school. He looked at me with a bemused expression and I left him thinking about it. They just can't even imagine that my bottomless fount of hope comes from someone other thatn myself.

When I have a long week at school and wonder why I do this job, I think about just Who it is that I work for. Colossians 3:23-24 is a good reminder--Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that your will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Amen to that. He is the reason I go every day into the world of adolescents. This is where He has placed me and this is my work right now.

Days off are good. They give us a chance to reflect, to stop and recharge our batteries, to get powered up to take on the next adventure. Just don't forget that the rest is to prepare us for what is coming next. Enjoy your weekend but don't forget Who is sending you back into the routines of daily life next week.