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Jeff Adams

Tribute to Teachers

March 28, 2010

Getting the church out of the building is a formidable task. This is something that has been on my heart for quite some time, and you have been hearing me say repeatedly that church is not something we attend in a building; we ARE the church. The test is not how many we get to attend on Sundays, but how many engage the world on Monday that makes the difference.

Few vocations offer more possibility to influence lives than education. I have great admiration for teachers. An official of a local school system visited our church this morning, and I had a great time speaking with her and her husband. One of our new church members in my home for a reception tonight is a teacher. We have been blessed with so many wonderful educators in our church and I love you one and all.

We are often too limited in our understanding of the gift of teaching, relegating that to a church Bible study, Sunday School class or a pastor’s role. God gifts certain people to be teachers and nowhere are they more desperately needed than in our schools. Please don’t think that one has to be specifically teaching a Bible course to exercise the gift of teaching. Good teachers can constantly teach biblical truth with their lives as they simultaneously teach math, English or history.

I came across this three minute video that I thought teachers could appreciate. Be forewarned that there is a raw gesture and word at the end of the video, but if you can’t handle it, you’re probably not ready for active duty in the world.

  • http://www.tinalewisrowe.com Tina Lewis Rowe

    Hola Jeff! One of the things I do in my classes for supervisors and managers (most often in government or law enforcement) is to have people in small groups name one or two teachers and very specific positive moments they remember with them. Often I have one per table contribute their memories to the class.

    Many, many times, the participants are in the middle of sharing some memorable moment from thirty years earlier and they have to pause for a second to deal with a bit of emotion. We discuss how and why the memory of feeling nurtured, encouraged or understood sticks with us. Supervisors and managers can provide teaching moments and memorably positive moments as well.

    I’ll bet most people can remember some really special moment with a teacher. I remember Ms. Bowen telling me I had a unique way of thinking. (That WAS a compliment wasn’t it?)

    • http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

      Wasn’t it? Well, Tina, unique is a word that would fit for just about anything and everything that has to do with you. :-)

  • June

    Yeah! He pretty much summarizes teaching and the attitudes surrounding teaching in a very short monologue.

    • http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

      He says a lot in a short time. Thanks, June!

  • Bab

    Yes that is good. This last week when I found out that our salaries are frozen for two years, that I might lose Career Ladder, National Board and summer school money, I thought to myself about what I “make” just like this video.it is sad that a baseball player works a deal for $270,000,000 salary and mine will not excell beyond it’s current amount. But… I will make many students rich in knowledge by honoring my Fathers plan for my life.

    • http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

      Good to have your input, Bab! I can surely imagine that many teachers struggle with your same thought process – a person makes a fortune by playing a game while teachers often are under-compensated while making students rich. Just know that there are many of us out here who look at teachers as heroes. Thanks for all you do.

  • June

    Thanks.

    • http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

      Pretty good, huh?

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