At the McKay School of Education, we firmly believe that every person is a child of God with a divine nature and destiny. This influences how we approach education and our interactions with everyone around us. We try to follow the example of the only perfect teacher who has ever lived, Jesus Christ.
It is so valuable for us to view others as children of God because that better allows us to nurture the true potential of others, further benefiting the world. Here we will cover what it means to teach all of God’s children, especially our students, people we interact with outside of the classroom, and most importantly, ourselves.
Our Students
Starting off with our students, it is easier to view children as children. As teachers, we want our students to not just succeed, but excel. We believe they have so much untapped potential. We want them to not only achieve that potential, but even exceed our expectations.
Our students have been given to us for a reason. Sometimes, we are able to teach them in a way that will help them to reach their full potential. Other times, it is for us to learn how to adapt and be a better teacher. To teach our students, viewing them as God’s children helps us to understand these differences better and have a greater desire for our students to reach their potential.
That’s why we set goals with our students so they know our expectations for them, and they know that you believe in them. Reviewing those goals frequently with your students will help them to see their strengths, their weaknesses and their growth. Likewise, God does the same for us. He knows our potential, encourages us to set goals, and asks us to reflect our goals as well. Following that example will help us to teach our students as He would have us teach them.
People We Interact with Outside of the Classroom
There are so many opportunities to teach others not in our classrooms. We frequently are teaching someone else and don’t even realize that we are doing it. Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” This principle applies to teaching others as well.
It may not necessarily be in the same way as sitting down with students and teaching them in a classroom, but it is done through your actions. How do you carry yourself? How is your poise? What do you do when life is hard? These are valuable lessons people can learn by watching you.
You can teach God’s children through your interactions with others. The lessons you teach people outside of the classroom won’t be the same lessons you teach in the classroom, but they are still valuable nonetheless. There are few good public role models in the world, and you can be one of them by how you live. People are always watching, even if you don’t think they are. You are constantly teaching by example.
Ourselves
Finally, it is important to recognize that you are in fact a child of God as well. It is vital that we, as teachers, look for opportunities to learn. We can teach ourselves many different lessons through study, observation, and pondering.
It is easy to get frustrated with yourself as you make the same mistake multiple times. However, mistakes are part of the learning process. For example, it has been said that it takes 10,000 mistakes to learn a language. In the case of English, that’s probably closer to 100,000 mistakes.
In conclusion, teaching God’s children, including our students, others around us, and ourselves, is vital in the progression of each person we interact with. We can teach through direct instruction, being a good example, reflection, and giving others opportunities to learn. Everyone is a child of God, and has a divine nature and destiny with a right to learn and grow.
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