Journal thought from 2/17/2013
Obedience.
As I was standing in front of a classroom of children who merely spoke any English I thought to myself "Where in the world is the obedience? How in the world do these teachers get these kids to behave?"
I had to opportunity to teach at a christian boarding school in the Dhading District in Nepal for three days. We were literally thrown into class rooms of children and told we could teach anything we wanted to. So, with the knowledge that I could remember from school I taught on ABCS, English, CPR, geometry and we made Valentines cards to parents and God!! The children were of all ages. I chose to take the lower kindergarden to second graders. Even in these classes depending on their level of knowledge, that based what class they were in. In my lower kindergarden class I had four years to 9 years old. It was a huge difference between the Nepali and American education system. Children here are not forced to go to school and some of them do not go until they reach 8 or 9 years old.
There were times I stood at the board at the front of the class room or sat down in front of the class and was speechless. The screaming, hitting, biting and running around was a lot for me. Now granted I have babysat since I was 12 and had several encounters who some unruly kids at daycares, but never did I encounter 20-30 kids misbehaving all at once. Then a teacher came in and gave me a stick. I thought the stick was for pointing to things on the board. Nope. The teacher wanted me to smack the children on the hands or the head with the stick. There was no way I was doing that. I was not going to put myself in that position as having a teaching position and smacking a kids hand with a stick. Now, I have never been a teacher in a school system before and I'm sure some teachers want to smack kids on the hand or head sometimes but I just couldn't do it. I denied the stick and the teacher left.
"What was I going to have to do to get these children to pay attention?"
Then I started laughing at myself and thinking to myself how rowdy would I be in I was in a third world country at school, had an American teacher teach me something random, I don't speak English and she is doing crazy dance moves to teach me a song or get me to listen. I probably would not be paying very close attention either.
This reminds me of God and us. How far do we go sometimes to push God in our obedience. Do we push him to the extreme like some kids in my class room or do we play it safe like some and sit back and watch others while they react to things.
A verse that comes to mind is Galatians 5:13-14 "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
These children had a lot more freedom then they normally do with their regular teacher in their school setting. Some pushed the word "obedience" a little farther than some. I think we have been in every situation I experienced on these three days. God is our teacher and sometimes I wander if he stares at us and laughs because of the some of the shenanigans we pull when we think he is not looking. Funny thing is he is always looking. I bet sometimes he wants to smack us with the stick, but he teaches us life lessons through our obedience. If the kids who have just listened they could have learned something. At times if we would just listen and obey we would learn something without the minor consequences.
Romans 2:6-8 He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
