We are all teachers...

So everybody had a favorite teacher in school. You cannot tell me that you spent 12 years in the school system (or longer) and never encountered a teacher that made a difference in your life. Even if it was just one, there is one when I made this very statement sprang to mind. They challenged you. They pushed you. They accepted you. They loved you. They made you feel like you mattered.

I have had SEVERAL teachers make a critical impact on my life. Even if you have amazing parents, you were impacted by teachers in some form or fashion. And teachers, make sure you realize that. Even the good kids are watching and learning more from you than just your knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem and comma splices. Children, be it 3 or 13 or even 18, are watching a learning. If we are to be honest with ourselves, if we are living a life that is thriving and productive, we are ALL learning until we take our last breath.

But even during college, when I left the career track of licensed counselor to return to the classroom teacher assignment, I was unaware of all that God was doing. I did know that I had some obstacles to overcome in order to be good at what I was assigned to do. That is part of my make-up though. I am not satisfied with just getting by, so I wanted to be well qualified for the job. The other catch was my subject matter was somewhat of a hindrance for the hiring process. I love learning, but I am stronger in one subject field than I am in the others. I LOVE HISTORY. Therefore, it was a no brainer when I chose to pursue secondary education social science for my bachelor’s degree.

How many of you just got it? Did you just connect the dots? I, Jodi Powell, a female, in the state of Alabama, was choosing to teach social studies. Hmmmmm, let me be more stereotypically clear. I was a girl trying to get a job in a “man’s world.” Did you go to school in a small Southern area? I reserve this cliché for just this region as I have not seen it as strong in other regions of the United States. This subject matter in the South was reserved for teachers who could – cough, cough – coach. Not just coach though; coach a boy’s sport. Yep, I was a lady trying to get a job on the frontlines.

So I had to prove myself. I not only had to know my material, I had to make it relevant to my students so that it was not just another class of repetitious memorization. I pray that each of you reading this had a teacher that made the information applicable. Whether you are a mechanic or a brain surgeon, social studies is vital. It carries you into your career as history provides you with awareness of what methods for your work are effective and ineffective. It carries you into your social interaction with colleagues and clients. It carries you into your pocketbook with economic principle and survival.

I can’t help it though. My love for history is beyond nerdy.

I want to know why Adolph Hitler hated the Jews, not simply that he did. I want to know why the United States was sucked into World War I when they professed a desire to remain uninvolved. I want to know why China remained a closed country for so long and has now exploded with power so quickly and how that affects the future of my country, because it does. I want to know how early pioneers combated water shortage or why certain tribes in Africa live so far away from water. I want to know why the exact same crowd that worshiped and celebrated Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem turned on him in less than a week. All of this and more is essential for helping us to understand the state of our world today. The same factors that were present for the cause of many of these situations are the same factors present today. Why? Because the earth is still inhabited by sinful people. Because every part of this earth is still ruled and ruined by humans.
Hitler hated Jews because of his past. Do you know people who judge others or hold a grudge because of their past?

The US was thrown into World War I because they chose to assist and involve themselves in the war secretly long before they were attacked. Do you know people who are masters of deceit and manipulation and live a life portraying their innocence? A lie?

China’s refusal to be an open country for centuries was simply an effort to prevent their empire from being influenced by any outsider that thinks or acts unlike how they desire for their people to think or act. China acted as parents seeking to prevent their children from being thwarted by the world and in so doing created a greater loyalty and stronger power. This strong and ENORMOUS loyalty patiently waited until the bonds of their “family” was tight enough that exposure to the outside world would not alter its unity and therefore allow it to grow into an economic GIANT almost overnight. This strength and unified front is almost too powerful to combat. Do you know people who are strong in their faith and are difficult to sway?

Early pioneers wanted a better life, but with that came hard work including trial and error on discovering water sources – the most critical necessity for survival. Do you know people who are determined and committed?

African tribes operate under territorial dominance and ancestral pride. When their predecessors establish themselves in a region, it is their duty to continue the protection of their tribal name by sustaining the dominance of the region despite the deterioration of the usability of the area. Do you know people who are stuck in a bad situation simply because they are afraid they might hurt someone’s feelings, or because that is the way it has always been done, so they are afraid to try anything new?

The Jews heard of Jesus and his miraculous works and his bold questioning of the authorities and their teaching, so his celebrity status among the rumor mill was rebellious powerhouse. However, when the authorities presented a different rumor about Jesus – one stating he was guilty of self-promotion and blaspheme according to law – they turned on him quicker than toddler bated by candy. Do you know people who are easily swayed by what they hear and the latest and greatest new thing?

It is SOOOOO important that we see that the patterns of our society today are critically aligned with human emotion, knowledge and lack-there-of, ability to survive, and awareness of actions affecting the present and the future. You see, I get paid to explain all of this for a living, but really, you are all explaining it every day to your sphere of influence.

When you choose to eat out every day for lunch, you are either stating that you are willing to budget part of your income for the luxury of subway fixing your sandwich versus yourself because you can financially afford it or because you are too lazy to do your own meal preparation or because you find the fellowship with the people worth the sacrifice in finances or because you have not sat down and realized that $5/day, $25/week, $100/month adds up.

When you choose to harbor ill will towards your parents for their failures in your upbringing, you are creating a cycle as your children with which you have been entrusted are listening, watching, and experiencing your bitterness. They in turn will take that into their families and continue the cycle of abuse, neglect, and bitterness which will then spill over into their social groups as it has with you. This bitterness leads to jealousy in society and jealousy sparks negative feelings and actions that are often acted upon…leading to conflict, leading to harm, leading to destruction of individuals and of entire civilizations.

When you choose to sacrifice and give up personal desires so that someone dear to you can have better provisions or better access or better opportunity, you are modeling for those watching what it is like to be radically committed to the advancement and well-being of someone else. The joy that you silently experience watching your child get that scholarship after the hours you spent reviewing with them for every assessment they had over a 12 year period is not going unnoticed. The jalopy you drove until it had 300k miles on it so that you could afford for your spouse to drive a car that is conducive to their needs is not going unnoticed. The frustration you experience at family gatherings as that one cousin gets on your nerves is rewarded as your children are raised seeing the importance of family.

When you choose to get up and go to work and do your job in such a way that earns recognition and accolades by coworkers and employers, you are modeling for your family, AND also the coworkers and employers the value of hard work and commitment leads to excellence in production and survival of the greater good. You are tired and you are drained, but others are greatly benefited by your endurance.

You are teaching not just your family, but your friends, your coworkers, your fellow citizens, your fellow inhabitants of this earth every day. When you leave this world, what do you want to be remembered about you? Do you want people to remember how bitter and critical and selfish you were? Do you want the world to see you as passive and an enabler of the weak? Do you want your insecurities to beam? Do you want entitlement to be the theme of your generation?

Or do you want to be the person that helps restore and/or sustain your family’s name and heritage? Do you want to be remembered as strong and courageous and selfless? Do you want to be remembered as a leader in your actions and beliefs? Do you want to be remembered as someone who is tolerant and yet unwavering in your conviction? Do you want to be someone who was encouraging and adventurous and respectful? Do you want to be someone who models absence of envy and greed through generosity of money and time? Are you enduring with dignity?

What are you teaching your “class” today? They are ready and waiting to learn. Perhaps today you need to work on your lesson plans. Your time with them is short.