It seems appropriate that this post falls on Labor Day,
because it’s about teachers – in my view, one of the most important and noble professions
of all. More than work, it’s a calling.
The new school year is either underway or, depending on where
you live, about to start. In either case, young minds are gearing up for
another year of learning. There’s an ongoing debate about whether teachers
should concentrate on imparting information and knowledge necessary for their
students to excel on standardized tests. I don’t think so.
I understand the value of formalized testing to gauge an
overall student population’s grasp of content within particular fields of
study. But preparing students to produce the right answers on standardized
tests isn’t the only measure of effective teaching. In fact, they may have
succeeded in accumulating information without truly learning much at all.
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| Teachers can impart vision, passion and the joy of learning. |
As I reflect on my own educational career, I’m reminded
about how influential certain teachers were in my life and how pivotal their
skills – and wise comments – were in shaping my career. There was my fourth
grade teacher who told my mother I was “college material,” implanting an
educational vision in the mind of a young boy from a family where no one had
ever attended college.
Then there was my freshman English instructor in college who
identified my writing potential and encouraged me in various ways to pursue the
craft. And there was the journalism professor in my first news reporting class
that taught not only the methodology, but also the joy of taking on challenging
interviews or news events and writing in ways that capture the reader’s
attention.
Sadly, the value and potential impact of skilled and dedicated
teachers is often overlooked or underestimated by society. And it’s equally sad
not all teachers recognize what a special stewardship role they’ve been given
in shaping young minds and motivating young thinkers.
In reality, a teacher can have as much – or more – impact on
the life of a young person than some parents, especially for those that get to
spend little time with their parents. Such an opportunity, and
responsibility, should be regarded with awe, fear and trembling. But also with
honor and pride.
The notion that teaching is only providing academic material,
to be regurgitated on an exam or standardized testing instrument, is a
travesty. Information and knowledge are part of it, without question, but the
best teachers communicate a passion, a contagious love for their subjects that can
infect their students.
I like what the Bible says about teaching – and the role of
teachers. For instance, in 2 Timothy 2:2 the apostle Paul wrote to his “student,”
Timothy, “And the things you have heard
me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be
qualified to teach others.” While Paul was writing about spiritual truth – eternal
verities – the principle applies regardless of the type of teaching.
Elsewhere the apostle wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me –
put it into practice…” (Philippians 4:8). He understood the importance of
not only imparting knowledge and truth, but also serving as a good example,
modeling what he was teaching. Modern-day teachers aspiring to have a
long-lasting, positive impact on their students would be wise to take that to
heart.
But this doesn’t take parents off the hook. Ideally, parents
regard seriously their God-given responsibility to teach their children in every
way, not only through verbal instruction but also by demonstrating the way to
live successfully through their own lives. As Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states, “These commandments that I give you today are
to be upon your hearts. Impress these on your children. Talk about them when
you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when
you get up.”
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