Gladly Would I Teach

Children in Turkmenistan Learn a Native American Dance

July 4 2009

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Job 36:22 NIV
"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?"

We killed Caesar today.

Once more, the bloody overthrow of a dictator was acted out before the wide eyes of my students. I haven't directly tied current events into the drama yet, but we have also been watching the news as events in Libya unfold. Tomorrow we will spend time discussing Libya and the civil strife taking place there in comparison to the events of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

To watch a revolution on a movie screen is not the same as living in the midst of one. My students sit complacently in their seats and ask, "How come no one tried to stop them from killing Caesar?"  Or "Why did he ignore all those warnings about the Ides of March?" If they were actively experiencing civil strife, they would better understand the answers to these questions. If they lived under a dictator, they would better understand the overconfidence and sense of infallibility a tyrant possesses.

My students are literal thinkers. There are only two sides to an issue for most of them.

One told me today he couldn't believe I was a teacher while possessing a masters degree in English. "You could make so much more money elsewhere, Mrs. Durham, than in teaching!"  He was astounded to consider I might not want to do anything other than teach. I tried to explain to him my love for it, but he didn't listen. He couldn't get past the money.  Finally I said, "Well, it's complicated."

I suppose I could have aspired to a career that would have garnered more respect than the one I have.  I could have rid the world of tyrants and dictators and led an exciting and daring life.

However, I enjoy teaching. On a good day, when the light bulbs come on in the eyes of my students, then I am excited. I love to see people learn a new concept.

Truth be known, Caesar didn't (and Qaddafi will never) understand the wealth and power that comes from educating and leading the young on their life's journeys.
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Lord, bless all the teachers and help them keep the needs of their students foremost in their hearts and minds.