The Case for Compassion

George Collins, M.A.

Many items compete for the Christian teacher's time: lesson preparations, parent-teacher conferences, lunch-money collection, student records, church responsibilities, and so forth. Education, after all, involves weighty concepts such as classroom management and curriculum implementation.

In the commendable drive for efficiency and professionalism, there is a danger that the real focus of the educational process may be lost. The student represents a classroom loading factor, a grade-point average, and many other statistical factors. But underneath those numbers breathes a living soul.

Christian teachers must be concerned about each student as a person. The point is obvious but is also often lost sight of under the pressure of daily responsibilities. Each child represents an individual mixture of abilities and fears, weaknesses and aptitudes. The child was created by God as an individual and will ultimately be held accountable as an individual. But we as teachers will also be held accountable for how we helped that child live up to his potential.

We sometimes have the idea that most children in Christian schools come from the stereotype "ideal" home (two parents, two kids, two cars, two mortgages). Certainly this is not the case. Many children come from poor home situations. Many hurt inside. The only love - or discernment - they see may come from the Christian schoolteacher.

Do not fool the child into believing that his grades are more important than he is. Try to understand his motivations and anxieties. Let the child know that you love him. Let the child see Christ's love in you.

We refer to Christ as the Master Teacher, and certainly He was. It is interesting that Christ, as teacher, did not promulgate a tidy educational "system" to further His cause. Granted He used many educational techniques, but He never lost sight of the people. We cannot let systems - which should help us be more effective - draw us away from the students who are our ministries. "And of some have compassion, making a difference." Jude 22

Reprinted from Balance, a publication of the School of Education, Bob Jones University. Used with permission of Bob Jones University. Please write BJU Press, for permission to reproduce this article.