8.28-One of the most amazing teachers I have met

8.28-

Teachers and Coaches, Have a Good Year!

1 Samuel 17

⁴² He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. ⁴³ He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” ⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

David and Goliath,

Goliath challenges are a part of all of our lives. David loves his wife, children and grandchildren with a big heart. He invests his time to move his mother from the family home where memories have been collected for over thirty years. He prepares to teach over 150 students per day in a modern, urban school district. He leads his family and friends to know that he approaches his work that is massive with humility, brokenness and confidence. He is humble though he has been an accomplished high school basketball player and he made the university basketball team. He is a sinner saved by grace, but he comes at his work in the name of the Lord of Hosts, Almighty God.

He has wrestled a "bear" or two in his day. He was a military kid that moved all over the world. He stood up for his young black friend in a southern state regardless of who thought he shouldn't. In his classroom he tries to stand for the love that God has for all people. Half or more of his students do not live with their biological mom or dad. He has to teach in a special manner with special tests for some special needs students in his class. If his class is normal, there will be girls in there dealing with their abusive dads while their moms don't protect them. There will be boys leading the family because mom and dad aren’t there. Some will be coping with their own addictions to drugs, alcohol, weed, cutting, social media or materialism.

At graduation as he stands at the exit looking at the graduates who walk out, many of his students want to give him a big hug. When you give David a big hug, it is always big.  You see, in this case, it isn't little David and big Goliath. David is 7 feet tall, but his heart is even bigger.

I met him in Bible class at church when we broke up into small groups. Each group partook of the Lord Supper and shared what Jesus meant to each of us. I had noticed how tall David was, but I had never heard his big, booming, baritone voice in the six months we had been in that class. David is humble and is learning to wait on God to carry him through his battles.

Last week, as he prepared to start the school year battle for the minds and souls of over 150 students, he added a couple of things to his schedule. He called together three men who agreed to hold him and his students up in prayer all year. He called them to bless him as he tries to care for the students’ bodies, hearts, minds and souls. 

He also encouraged a bunch of the guys in his men's small group to join him and his son for dinner on Saturday evening. Did I tell you that he gets up on Saturday at 6:30 am or earlier to meet and encourage our Saturday men's group? He prepares materials, videos and his heart to challenge us to be men of integrity. He and his friend, Wayne, co-lead our group. A diesel mechanic, a couple of IT types, an arborist (tree trimmer) another computer guy transitioning to teaching and I are usually present. We fellowship and share our victories and burdens. We try to learn from Jesus how to be men of integrity in this world.

On Sunday, David gets up to attend an 8:30 A.M. worship service with his daughter and granddaughter and then the Bible class where I first met him. 

He will do all this in humility and quietness until he speaks and when David speaks everyone listens because he is named for someone who knew how to come at a problem in the name of the Lord.

Then I hear people say that public school teachers are taking the easy way out. It makes me want to fight. I hear people say that good teachers and good coaches have misplaced priorities. I totally disagree.

Jesus, thank you for David and all the teachers, coaches and staff. God bless the administrators, teaching assistants, cooks, mechanics, bus drivers and crossing guards and all those who make our public school systems in our nation powerful influences for good.

Have a good year.

Larry Wishard

8-26-2017