Hebrew Scripture Reading–Lamentations 3:17-24
What follows is a play featuring Pastor Brooks as a first year middle school teacher and Linda Wear as his wise mother. The two are having a phone conversation.
The Night before the First Day of School
Teacher: Mom, I am absolutely terrified. Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I don’t think I can handle all those kids. What I am going to do if I have any troublemakers? What if I can’t even make it through roll-call because they keep making jokes about how I am dressed or something? They could start snickering behind my back, or, even worse, they could moon me.
Mom: Oh, Bobby, you’ll be just fine. Think of all the preparation you’ve done. Think of all those hours of observation and student teaching you did. You learned from one of the best. Mrs. Zong taught you all of the tricks she has used over the last thirty years. You will know how to handle those kids.
Teacher: But what if I get nervous? What if I don’t know what to do when some kid throws a spitball at my face?
Mom: Bobby, at a certain point, you are going to have to remember why you’re doing this. You are doing this out of love for those kids, and, as I always say, where there’s love, there’s hope. You just need to love those kids regardless of how they come to you. They might come to school with all sorts of problems that you don’t have any control over, but those are the kids who really need you. They need you to add some structure to their lives, give them some positive attention, care about them. Don’t let your own self-confidence keep you from giving the children your best. God put some love in your heart, so use it.
A Month Later
Teacher: Mom, it’s hopeless. These kids are too much for me. First, I’ve got Cindy and Darlene who started off the year as BFFs, Best Friends for Forever. Yeah, that lasted about a week. Now, they have to sit on opposite sides of the classroom so they don’t get into fight. The real problem in our classroom, however, is Chad. It is no mistake his name rhymes with bad. I can’t tell you the things he says in class. He also happens to be the one the other kids look to as their leader. Today, he announced to the entire class that he is not going to do any of our stupid homework because he has two basketball games this weekend. Great! I tell you I feel sorry for some of the kids in our class. First, there’s Suzy, who Chad likes to pick on and call butterball because of her weight. Then, there’s Cleo who is so quiet and shy that she has no friends and no one even seems to realize she exists. What can I do? I am busy enough trying to handle the 24 extroverts in my class.
Mom: Sounds like you first need to do something about Chad. You can’t allow him to ruin class for everyone else.
Teacher: Mrs. Zong used to tell the kids a story about how she was picked on when she was their age. She thought that if she told them how bad she felt back then the kids might realize how their actions affect others. I kind of thought that telling the kids a story like that might be a little risky. You might just be adding to their ammunition, but she said it actually worked. Afterwards, the kids made more of an effort to be nice to each other. I suppose I could try that.
Mom: That sounds like a good idea, but if Chad is as bad as you say he is, he might need more than that.
Teacher: Yeah, Chad isn’t just insensitive. He’s also an attention seeker, and he doesn’t care if it is positive or negative attention.
Mom: Maybe you will have to find a way to give him some more positive attention for the things he does right.
Teacher: The problem is that he doesn’t seem to do anything right.
Mom: Oh, nonsense. Go to his basketball game. Cheer for him even if he all he does is dribble three times.
Teacher: Okay, okay, mom. I will see what I can do. I was planning a hot date for this weekend with a social worker at the school, but I will try to go to the game.
A Month Later
Teacher: You won’t believe this but Bad Ol’ Chad has become one of the best kids in the class. He not only does his homework, but he encourages his basketball teammates to do their homework as well so they won’t be ruled ineligible. I still need to figure out what to do with some of the other kids in the class. You know I have been so busy trying to keep us on top of the lesson plans that I haven’t done what I should to foster better relationships. Not just between me and the kids, but the between the kids themselves.
Mom: When you were a teaching assistant, you used to tell me that Mrs. Zong always told you relationships were the key to everything.
Teacher: Yeah, yeah, yeah…I guess I need to work on that one.
Mom: Well, what are you going to do?
Teacher: Now is the time when we start focusing on our big goal: the Science Fair in December. I think I will have the kids work in pairs. I will sit down with Cindy and Darlene and tell them they don’t need to be Best Friends for Forever, but they do need to figure out how to get along and work on this project. Maybe we will have to clear the air a bit first. I’ll have them talk about why they don’t like each other, how their actions have made each other feel, and then we’ll talk about what they can do to make things better. Ah, boy, and then I need to figure out something for Poor Ol’ Picked On Suzy. I will match her with Chad. Chad won’t pick on her now that he’s reformed. Moreover, no one will make fun of their project because no one will want to make fun of Chad. Now, let’s see who else could use a good match? Oh, yeah, I need to figure out what to do with shy, lil’ Cleo. I think she needs a friend. I will match her with Becky, who is also a bit of an introvert. They are both good students, so hopefully they will be able to unite on this project. As for me, I will just have to make sure that I spend some time with each pair and give them as much encouragement as I can.
December
Teacher: Mom, you won’t believe it. My kids are getting along great. Cindy and Darlene are Best Friends for Forever, once again. Cindy apparently didn’t realize she had upset Darlene with some of her comments on MySpace about Cindy having a crush on Chad, but now Chad and Cindy are an item, and Cindy seems to have forgotten all about what Darlene said. Meanwhile, Cleo and Becky are becoming Best Friends for Forever as well. They’re building a voice controlled robot. They get together every weekend to work on it. And, then there is poor ol’, picked on Suzy, who Chad now finds indispensable, because she coaches Chad on how to date Cindy. Soon, I will probably need to hire Suzy myself to get some advice for dating the social worker.
Mom: It sounds like your kids aren’t so hopeless after all.
Teacher: You know it is amazing. The kids have actually become my source of hope. I wake up everyday eager to see how things will unfold. Each day my relationships with the kids evolve, and I learn new things about them and about myself. I never thought I would be able to do what I have done.
Mom: It all started with a little love. You care about those students, and I bet they care about you. Let that keep your spirits up this holiday season.
Teacher: I will, Mom, and I couldn’t have done it without you.
Amen
