“Never tire of opportunities to do something good." ~ Galatians 6:9
Like millions of students across
the planet, Simone’s frustration was building; she felt like pounding her fists
on the table like a toddler. Her
12-year-old brain seemed to be spinning its gears without any notable progress.
She was coping with remote
instruction, but just barely. The
sixth-grader was having difficulty controlling her temper; saying cruel things and
constantly having to apologize for her outbursts.
She took another deep breath.
When Simone struggled with her algebra homework, she didn't
have a ton of options. She couldn't
raise her hand and ask the teacher to look over her shoulder, she couldn't ask
her classmate for help, and she couldn't rely on her parents to explain it either.
Her Dad had gotten all the answers
wrong when he helped her last time.
But it wasn’t just the frustration from the pandemic’s in-home
learning that bothered her most. It was
that distance learning had affected her relationships with classmates and
teachers. “The excitement of seeing colleagues,
doing an experiment, learning hands-on, sharing lunch – it just wasn’t there
anymore,” she thought. “That made school seem like a burden rather than
a joyful adventure that they could reminisce about in the future.”
Simone had emailed her math teacher, Mr. Weber, for help to
explain the latest algebra lesson on graphing.
Then waited for his reply.
Simone waited impatiently for him to email her some tips
when the doorbell rang.
Standing on her front porch in casual attire and a baseball
cap, Mr. Weber held a large whiteboard from school and a dry-erase marker. He proceeded to explain the equation
graphically as the sixth-grader listed intently from inside her home, taking
notes while both adhered to social-distancing mandates.
Simone was shocked to see her teacher outside. Her Dad wasn't surprised; they’d known Weber
as a teacher and longtime friend.
Weber, who'd taught at the middle school for 27 years, said that helping Simone grasp the topic was equally special to him. “That’s the joy every teacher joins
the profession for,” he explained.
“Whether it’s F2F, online, or in a classroom full of 30 kids,
that’s why we do what we do.”
Responding to all the accolades he received, Weber insisted,
“Kindness matters! Millions of teachers in
this country go above and beyond every day for their students during this extraordinary
time, I’m certainly not alone.”
Education is the road to success. God bless those who teach!
Father God, thank You for the teachers who
do what’s right for our kids; who make sure they believe in themselves and
don’t ever quit. Use this story as a
reminder of the power of going the extra mile in being kind. Amen
