Following God by setting an example

Leading a classroom of 3-year-olds is a blessing and a responsibility

By Deb Jones - Special to the Herald-Leader

I am grateful every day for the calling God placed in me to be a teacher.

It is such a source of delight and teaches me daily about our God and how much he loves us. I believe God has a plan for each of us, and when we walk in his plans our work becomes a sacred duty and it flows with his blessing. As a teacher there is something to celebrate and laugh about every single day.

The hugs and trust I receive as a teacher of young children are things I never take for granted.

These are her values. What are yours?
This year, we'd like you to help us write A Year of Living Our Values. We are looking for essays that show how you live your values — from compassion to thrift to courage to discipline — and how you hope to pass those values on to future generations.
Your essay must be true and well-written, preferably told in the first person, and it should be a maximum of 600 words. Prose and poetry will be considered. Previously published works will not be accepted.
We'll publish the best submissions in the Herald-Leader print edition and online.
E-mail your submissions to sshive@herald-leader.com with the subject line "Values essay."
To submit by mail, send entries to Values Essay, Lexington Herald-Leader, c/o Features Department, 100 Midland Avenue, Lexington, Ky. 40508.
You must include your name, age, address and a daytime telephone number. This is not a contest, and no prizes will be awarded. No payment will be given.

When a child holds my face in her hands and says, "You're my teacher," with such love in her voice, it feels like a benediction. Later this same child tells me, "Teachers don't whip children," which gives me a chance to reassure her of the trust and love we have for each other.

Along with these great gifts comes great responsibility. Teachers work long hours with few breaks, even for the bathroom.

I have to be in top form physically, mentally and emotionally to meet the deep needs of so many personalities. This requires good self-care and mental health and vast amounts of patience. It also requires an openness to learning many new things each day.

To be a good teacher I must remain teachable.

I am responsible for the safety, nurture and education of 16 3-year-olds per class. They look to me as an example of how to live a good and decent life, and so do their parents.

The only way I can do this is to look at the example God has given me in his word and his son, the master teacher, and go in his strength and power. He is the only teacher who is all-wise, all-good and all-powerful.

As I have matured as a teacher, God has given me more opportunities to teach adults as well as children. The rewards are different, but the responsibilities remain the same. God wants me to be an example of his amazing love and try to see each person as he sees them.

When we connect in love and truth, I sense God's smile, and that means everything to me.