Impacting the Lives of Children

Dedicated to two friends who are retiring from the field of education this month.

I wonder –

How quickly does time go by? Sometimes does it seem like you just started on this journey of working with students? Or does it seem like you’ve done this “school stuff” for a long time. After all, there have been quite a few changes that have taken place in the field of education since you began your career.

Consider:

• You started out using chalkboards, eventually moved to whiteboards, and now we have document cameras and projectors in the classroom.
• When you began your teaching career, you used workbooks or typed worksheets on dittos with a typewriter, and got purple ink all over your hands while making copies on the ditto machine. Do you ever miss that? Or do you appreciate the professional-looking computer-printed activity sheets you can make now?
• In the 70s, you utilized filmstrips and movie projectors as a way to share information with your students. Now you can use video clips, record the students, and make your own videos. (No more tangled movie reels!)
• The primary means for finding information back then was going to the library and looking it up in an encyclopedia. Now, finding answers to questions is quick and easy with online discovery and “google.”
• Communicating with parents has turned to email rather than the evening phone call or note sent home.
• Instead of decorating the classroom/hall displays with homemade pictures enlarged and traced with an opaque projector, now we’re able to purchase things online or make “cutesy” things with the aid of pinterest.
• Although we still have fire drills, we’ve moved from the “Duck and Cover” drills of the 70s to lockdown drills – and occasionally a real lockdown.
• And, possibly the biggest change, instead of using only paper and pencils, we now use the ipad for creating and practice as well.

After all, you’ve experienced a number of changing trends in the past almost-40 years:

• phonics – look say – whole language – balanced literacy – zoo phonics
• traditional math – new math – math their way – new new math – investigations – back to traditional math … ?
• month-long integrated themes, compartmentalized subjects
• workshop way - centers – daily five
• lesson objectives – outcomes-based - learning targets & standards based
• whole group – small groups – flexible groups – individual instruction

But, although there have been a lot of changes in the field of education; there are some things that have stayed the same in these many years.

• meetings – grade level, building, district, curriculum. etc.
• making lesson plans
• standardized tests (names may change, but tests remain)

And, most important –

The love you each have for kids. Showing them you care, praying with them, meeting their needs (academic, emotional, and spiritual), and sharing the love of God with them. This has never changed. From different grades and courses taught, states lived in (California, Iowa, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan), and even different clothes/hair styles through the years (I wish I had pictures!) – you have each lived out God’s calling in your lives to teach and share God’s love with students. Through all the changes in education that have come and that will come in the future, this remains a worthy goal in Christian education:

            to nurture the hearts of children,

                                                to equip their minds

                                                                 and show them how to transform the world

                                                                                                                          for Jesus Christ!

From one educator to another - Thanks for your work and thanks for loving kids. I wish both of you God’s continued blessings.