Someone said for work to be enjoyable, it must be fulfilling,
adequately compensated and not too much of it. So, one wonders why anyone
works as a school teacher. Certainly there must be such an abundance of “fulfilling”
because the lack of adequate compensation and abundance of overwork surely do
not meet the “enjoyable” criteria.
Someone said for work to be enjoyable, it must be fulfilling,
adequately compensated and not too much of it. So, one wonders why anyone
works as a school teacher. Certainly there must be such an abundance of “fulfilling”
because the lack of adequate compensation and abundance of overwork surely do
not meet the “enjoyable” criteria.
Maggie matriculates at Tech to one day teach children.
For her, it is a calling.
A friend provides Maggie the opportunity to spend
two days observing a first grade classroom in a Christian academy. It is the
boost the university junior needs to keep her inspired toward her profession
of call.
At the end of the day in the classroom, she calls
her mother to share her exuberance for the experience.
“Mother, it was great. The little kids were
precious, and they learn so much their first year. When they entered school
this year, they couldnt read, and now they can.
“One of the little boys daddy is a well-known
Baptist in the area, and during prayer time, he asked for prayer for his father
because he spilled beer all over his new pickup. “
“How did the children relate to you?” Mother
asks.
“They are so sweet. One little girl really took
up with me. She stayed by my side all day. It was Miss Maggie this,
and Miss Maggie that. Everything she did, she wanted me there.
“During the day she said, Miss Maggie,
you know what? I said what and she said, Tomorrow is my last day
in school. Im going to miss school. And Im going to miss my teacher,
Miss Billie. I love Miss Billie. And I love you, too. You are my best friend,
Miss Maggie. Im going to miss you, too.
“That was so sweet. It is amazing how much they
love you. It really makes me want to go ahead and get my degree and start teaching.”
After the next day observing, Maggie talks with Mother
again. She recounts the day, then laughs. “Mother, you know that little
girl I talked with you about, who said I was her best friend and everything?”
Mother says she does.
“Well, she walked into the room this morning
and went around checking on everything. When she saw me, she walked over to
me and I thought she would tell me how happy she was to see me and everything.
“Instead, she looked up at me and said real
grownup like, Whats your name?”
Fame is fleeting, and so can be love and friendship.
Most of us crave the love and approval of our fellow humans, but they can be
two-edged swords that take away as well as give.
As Maggie discovered, doing right and good often
takes motivation beyond what the recipient returns in kind. “And if you
love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6:32 NAS)
Within a few minutes, Miss Maggie is the little girls
best friend again, and she remembers her name.