I have been working on another book for about a year. Hopefully I will finish it someday soon. I share the following excerpt because it is how I feel about all children and even adults. We have something to offer everyone in our classroom.
Then comes the moment we have all been waiting for, the first day of school. I have on my new outfit that I hope looks professional, yet relaxed and fun. One-by-one 15 little personalities come into my classroom. Some are shy and stand behind their mommas. Some are bold and race through the classroom checking out the toys. And some of them, well, they check me out wondering what I will be like. Why do I have “white” hair? And why can’t they have the same teacher they had last year?
On that special day one, though, as the kids enter my classroom I have one thought in mind, “What do they need from me?” I will not treat them all the same because they will all need something different from me. There will be the little boy that is afraid to speak in front of people. There will be the little girl whose parents are going through tough financial times. There will be the shy little boy that just needs someone to “get him,” and the little girl that needs someone to tell her on a daily basis that she is as smart as anyone else in the classroom. They will all need something different.
I like to think of myself as having a bag full of gifts and I have something special in my bag for each student in my class. My job is to figure out which gift they need from the bag in order to grow, gain confidence, and become all that God has designed them to be.
Whether you are in an educational classroom or a ministry classroom, the "gift exchange" can be life-changing for the teacher and the student.
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