More Than They Bargained For

Teachers, I am smiling. It's not because I have two successful days of teaching from home under my belt, although that's something to celebrate. It's because of a book title.

Lessons on Love

I knew about this book before, but its title struck me as apropos today. Lessons on Love: 4 Schoolteachers Find More Than They Bargained for in Their Contracts.

Can't we all relate?

Teachers in America and beyond are on a steep learning curve right now, taking what once came from a textbook or the convenient workroom photocopier and scanning it, emailing it, posting it online. . .or finding an outside-the-box solution. We're learning Flipgrid, Zoom, Google Classroom, and dozens of other applications we might never have heard of two weeks ago.

And there's the emotional learning curve. We've always been there to support students in their learning, but now we can't be there face to face. There are screens between us, and sometimes our students don't have the tech they need to succeed. We're overwhelming parents with too much communication, even as we wonder if some of our students have dropped off the face of the earth. We want to pray for our students, but find ourselves crying out desperately in prayer for ourselves and our own families instead. How will we stock the fridge when the store shelves are empty? How will we keep our families safe?

We've all found more than we bargained for in our contracts this year.

And maybe it will prove, in the end, to be a lesson on love.

We've always loved our families. Now many of us have them close to us at all times. Can we still speak lovingly? Can we allay our children's fears?

We've always loved our students. Can we pray for their physical and spiritual needs now more than ever? Can we show up for each day ready to reassure our students that they can do distance learning?

Of course, to serve others, we have to first refresh ourselves.

The verse I have posted in my workspace is John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

If I can make this verse my true belief, I'll rely on God to keep me safe, to settle my heart in this most unsettling time, to fill my cup. Then I can pour out for others.


Have you found "more than you bargained for" in your teaching contract this year? Tell us about it!