Digging Out and Pouring In

Dear Teacher,  

A doorbell camera recently captured a heartwarming incident.  Directly outside their home, a little boy was intently watching a construction crew with total fascination.  As they dug, smoothed, and repaired the street, he played alongside them with his own toy Tonka, content to just observe they were doing.  It was what happened next that made his day.

Seeing the little guy's eagerness, the crew invited him to be part of their work.  With exact precision, the excavator operator carefully picked up just the right amount of dirt to fill his tiny truck.  The entire crew stopped what they were doing just see the look on his face! 

And you, Teacher, have been a part of the repair crew all year long.  You've dug into the trenches to unearth classroom management strategies that work.  You've smoothed frazzled co-workers, emotions of board members, and perceptions of stakeholders.  You've repaired reputations and hurt feelings.  And you've done it all with children alongside you watching every move.

But then, you've done the most miraculous thing of all!  You've invited students into the process!  You've taught them how to scoop knowledge.  You've mentored them in smoothing their own emotions and self-regulating.  And you've discipled them in how to apologize and bring repair to relationships.

With exact precision, you've dug deep and poured into every student, all the while, pointing to the True Excavator.
  
Digging and pouring with you,
Mindy
Christian Educator & School Counselor