By Dr. Jon Eckert
The four-year-old boy was recovering from a seizure on a pad on the floor of the pre-kindergarten classroom. He had braces on both legs, looked like he weighed about 30 pounds, and had a tiny wheel chair parked next to him. He was making a small noise and making eye contact with his teacher. She walked to him, scooped him up, held him close as she told me, “Sometimes he just needs some snuggles.” While he could not verbally communicate, the smile that lit his face was more than enough confirmation that she was right.
I write a lot about academic strategies or tips about how we can support our children in school. The visit to this classroom in rural South Carolina was a great reminder that what we do as teachers and parents is not always that complicated. If we unpack the brief interaction above, we see the essence of what God calls us to as parents and teachers.
See others
The teacher saw the boy making eye contact with her while she was working with another student on a matching exercise. While continuing that work, she still saw the needs of another student who might have been marginalized in another classroom.
Serve others
The teacher went to the boy on the floor because he could not come to her. She picked him up so gently, lovingly, and skillfully that it was clear that this was a regular occurrence. While she met his need for connection, she continued to connect with other students in the class.
Love out of abundance
The teacher did not have to say anything about why she was doing what she was doing. Clearly, she loved her students out of the abundance of the love she experienced from her Creator. I was able to see this immediately, and more importantly, her students knew this as well. I have no idea what the prospects were for each of the students in the class, but she was helping them become more who God made them to be through His transforming love that flowed through her.
I Corinthians 13:13 reminds us, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.” Teaching is embodied optimism that flows from the love of our Creator—what a gift.
Jon Eckert, Ed.D., is a professor of Educational Leadership, the Lynda and Robert Copple Endowed Chair in Christian School Leadership, and Co-Executive Director of the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Dr. Eckert came to Baylor in 2019 with more than two decades of experience in education. He provides academic leadership for the Center and is program director for Baylor’s MA in School Leadership. He began his career as a teacher and coach of intermediate and middle school students outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years. After completing his doctorate at Vanderbilt University in 2008, he was selected as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked in both the Bush and Obama administrations on teaching quality issues. For ten years, he prepared teachers at Wheaton College.