Yay! A Time To Learn

As a celebration of a new school year starting for many of you (home-schoolers in particular!) I'm sharing this little Resolve that I wrote a number of years ago during a year of teaching in a "one-room-school-house". (Can I get any winks and grins from my former students?)

If I Were A Student…

1. I would pray for my teacher.
2. I would pay close attention when my teacher talked, so I wouldn’t miss what she had to say.
3. I would try to help my teacher laugh when something ridiculous happened so she wouldn’t get too stressed out!
4. I would study as hard as I could, so I wouldn’t waste my time or the teacher’s.
5. I would throw myself into learning all I could.
6. I would do a little extra than told to.
7. I would try to always have a good attitude and at least TRY to do what the teacher asked of me.
8. I would write the teacher little encouraging notes.
9. I would have a great time and think school was the best thing.
10. I would get to class on time or early.
11. I would ask good questions so I could learn more.
12. I would squeeze every minute like I was juicing a good orange and lick up every last drop, determined not to waste the moments God has entrusted me with.

 But Right Now I’m a Teacher. So —

1. I will pray for the teacher!
2. I will pay close attention when the students talk, so I can understand how to help them best;
3. I will try to make my students laugh when something ridiculous happens so they won’t get too stressed out!
4. I will study hard, so I can be the best possible teacher, so I don’t waste my class’ time or mine.
5. I will throw myself into teaching as wholeheartedly as I can.
6. I will teach a little extra than I need to. ッ
7. I will try to always have a good attitude and at least TRY to help my students learn and have a great day.
8. I will write my students encouraging notes.
9. I will have a great time and think that school is the best thing.
10. I will get to class on time or early.
11. I will ask good questions so I can learn more and teach better.
12. I will squeeze every minute like I was juicing a good orange and lick up every last drop, determined not to waste the moments God has entrusted me with.

I don't know if you've thought of it before; but despite how it sometimes feels, the Teacher and the Student have a lot in common. We are working towards the same sort of things: 

            learning; 

            growing; 

            deepening our understanding of life, people, and the world around us; 

            having a great attitude every day; 

            squeezing each minute of all the good it holds.

When I was a student, I need to confess that the 12 ideals described above were definitely not always personified in Yours Truly! I must also reveal that my ideal teacher was not always "me" either. However, the room got brighter the day I realized that the problems I sometimes faced in my classroom were not all my students' faults! The same things I was desiring of them were reasonable to require of myself first and foremost. Whether my reader may be feeling ambitious or overwhelmed, a third-grader or a teacher, I hope these lists can make you smile. Why not join in my resolve to give the noble sport of Learning all the energy and devotion that you've got in this new season devoted to that cause?