Devotion

In class we start each morning with "devotions."  We are following along with the book Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, which I recommend for children (and big kids too!)

The other day during this time, we asked the question, "What is love?"  The students gave some really sweet answers.  "Love is when you want to make someone smile."  "Love is when you help someone."  "Love is when you sacrifice for someone."  The devotion follows this question with a really beautiful summary of the nature of God, who is love.

Another day last week we read the following devotion entitled But God-

"Those two little words are the most important in the Bible.  They show up 3,930 times.

When everything looks like it's over.  When there's no hope- but God!

God does something.  He turns it all around.  Those words are like a fire truck rounding the corner.  Help is on the way!

Adam and Eve left the garden.  'But God whispered a promise to them.'

A flood was coming.  'But God remembered Noah.'

We were helpless.  'But God showed his great love for us by sending Jesus.'

Whatever is happening in your life today - look up!  Help is on the way!

'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart.' Psalm 76:23"

These times of "devotion" are sweet moments to talk about God and the life of faith together.  I'm recognizing though that the term devotion has very little to do with our attitude toward God and much more describes His commitment to us...

Sherdley was our "Star of the Day" on Friday!

Thursday was the first rough patch in our little fifth grade class.  I had a few students who kept teasing each other.  One started pinching and hitting others and my teacher disciplinarian mode kicked in.  I marched him down to the school director (who happens to also be a police officer and is a fairly intimidating person for a naughty kiddo to have to face). It turned out that the director was occupied elsewhere, so I worked with the student to write a letter to him explaining what he had done, why it was wrong, and what he planned to do in the future.  

Honestly, I don't know if this was the best course of action.  In my school in New Hampshire with students and families I know well and a culture I understand, I usually know what course of action to take when faced with behavior challenges in the classroom.  Here though, where I don't understand all the subtleties of the culture and miss a great deal because of language divides, I'm second guessing how I can help a wayward child.  I know that allowing children to act out in anger or to behave hurtfully toward someone else isn't helping them.  I know that turning a blind eye to these kinds of sinful heart attitudes isn't going to draw them closer to the God who is love.  There was a moment during our "processing" when I was stopped short.  I asked the child if he thought it was wrong to tease, hit, and pinch others.  He said it was.  When I asked him why, he couldn't explain why.  Finally we got to the point where he could recognize that when someone teases him it can make him cry.  "Should we hurt others?  Should we make them cry?"  

My questions were stiff and forced.  What I wanted was a moment when the heart of this little boy would recognize that his actions are marking and denting and scratching up the hearts of those he mistreats.  Instead I was met with a child who didn't junderstand what I was saying, even if he did comprehend the definition of the words I was speaking.  

In usually concerned-teacher-form, I spent the rest of Thursday night brooding and praying over this one student.  I talked with the other summer school teachers who had some good words of advice and encouragement.  I brainstormed behavior plans and classroom management tools I could try.  In the end though, I was left knowing that there is honestly little I can do to change the heart attitude behind the behaviors.  

I entered Friday morning prepared with a new seating arrangement for the class as well as some positive incentives for those who were following along with our agreed upon classroom contract.  I fear that sometimes classroom management can help to create a room full of hypocrites whole follow the rules but don't have a heart of obedience or respect.  I pushed forward hopeful but also cautious.

But God...

As the morning went on, we stopped to have a talk about respect.  I asked the students to share what respect looks like and feels like to them.  It was good to hear many different ideas represented in the classroom.  Then one of the students asked me what I thought respect looked like and felt like.  I shared honestly that I was sad and worried about a classroom where students hurt and tease each other.  I said that a classroom where there is respect will look like love- like the God we've been studying about.

It wasn't like a magic switch flipped, but I did see an increased awareness of the need to love and respect those around us in the classroom.  For the rest of the day, the kids would check in with me to see if thy were being respectful.  Even my friend with the challenges on Thursday responded well to redirection during the day.

And so, I'm reflecting on last week and planning for the coming week of summer school.  I have my lesson plans in order and know the content I want to cover in reading comprehension and vocabulary.  But I also know what I want to talk about - about God's devoted, never-giving up, always faithful, constant love for us.  I want to have more opportunities to point these kiddos back to God and remind them that He is love, He is the "but God" we can put our hope in.

Many thanks for following along with me on this summer's journey in Haiti!  Much love in Christ, Jessie