Teaching is a Work of Heart!

I was thinking of how many people in our church are actively teaching in the course of a normal week.  We have a good number of Sunday School teachers, many are teaching on Wednesday evenings, several are teaching in our RU program on Friday night, some of you are discipling someone, various folks are teaching music lessons, some serve as instructors at their places of employment, we have homeschooling parents… and if you are a parent or a grandparent, you are a teacher. 

I have a question for all of you teachers; what is the main objective of your teaching? 

I suppose a number of you would take inventory of the subjects you are covering and then tell me how important it is for your students to learn the information you are sharing.

That’s good, but allow me to propose an even greater objective – far more important than imparting information, you are influencing people!  

Someone has said: the influence of a good teacher can never be erased.  Teaching is a work of heart.  It has the potential to go far beyond the transfer of knowledge, it can inspire the heart, and it can transform the individual.   Teachers who teach at this level have learned the value of developing an influential relationship with their students.  Their primary concern is the difference they can make in the lives of the people they teach.

I had a pretty tough year in second grade.  My teacher was not very personable and I came down with several of the childhood diseases that year, so I missed a lot of school and my grades reflected the whole scenario.  Consequently, I had to attend summer school, and that was something I never wanted to happen again.  When I got to third grade, I was struggling.  But Mrs. Seaman made all the difference in the world.  She took a real interest in me and helped get me back on course.  I cannot tell you anything she taught me academically, but I can tell you she touched my life personally. She inspired me and changed my entire attitude about learning. From that time on I became an honor roll student.         

Theodore Roosevelt said: “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  Sure, teachers need to be prepared, know their subjects well, and use all the learning devices necessary to aptly communicate their knowledge and information.  But know this for sure – the greatest transfer of all is the transfer of life and godliness.  That, dear teacher, is a work of HEART!

James 5:19-20