Keep Calm and Shoot Straight

A Blog for Teachers
by Mary Jean Powers

To be seen. Isn’t that the cry of everyone’s heart? “Would somebody please see me?” Our students mask this cry, each in his own way. I used to ask my 9th-grade students, “How many of you would love to spend more time just being with your parents … not necessarily doing anything amazing, but just spending time together?” The hands of every student would immediately shoot into the air … excepting one or two. They would slump in their chairs, arms folded, and glare. Some eyes would brim with hurt; others were stiff with hardness. They had already suffered so much rejection and neglect; they had become hopeless. They did not feel seen; they were not noticed. They had not been shown their immeasurable value.

And then … they walk into our classrooms. Weary, afraid, insecure. “Will my teacher see me? Will she look through my mask and see me?”

This is the weight we carry. We understand the importance of being seen, heard, valued. We want our students to know that we know how precious they are, that their perspective is unique and worthy of our attention. Too often, our class becomes a conglomerate mass and our students become projects. Day-to-day, we sometimes forget to see that each one is a living, feeling person who is grappling with their ever-present history. They’re just trying to make sense of life. Oh, how desperately they want and need to be seen.

But we can’t give away what we don’t have, can we? I want to be seen, don’t you? Who sees you? By whom do you allow yourself to be seen? What about them makes you comfortable enough to risk trusting them?

About Keep Calm and Shoot Straight

I am a teacher. You, too? I hope you love the profession as much as I do! I was 16 when I got my first teaching gigs – I had 20 private piano students and a Sunday School class of 4 and 5-year olds! At that point in my “career,” my definition of teacher was very limited. But now – after 45+ years of experience – I have come to realize that teacher can mean many different things. I’d like to share some of those insights with you! My posts will range from quotes to prayers, from cartoons to words of wisdom. Much of my teaching experience has been international, so you'll get to watch some video stories from around the globe. Jesus is the best Teacher I know, so I will be including Him in this blog, as well. I hope my thoughts and my story will encourage, provoke, and inspire you to become the teacher you’ve been created to be!

For comments, email maryjean@getthewordout.cc
 

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