Perceived Value - Deep Thoughts

My faith definitely affected how I taught. I tried to always remember that each student is a child of God and is loved and valued just because of that….

To teach is to show love and commitment to spread God’s love to all you interact with.

A necessary part of being a teacher is how we use God’s gift to connect with our students on a daily basis. I started my day with “Good Morning my friends”. I wanted them to know that I cared for them and wished for them to succeed. I tried to model the behavior I wished from my students by using a soft voice, being kind, finding fun in learning, having a good attitude and being passionate about learning.

I taught kindergarten and first grade during my years of teaching. I had many students that this would be their first experience in a classroom. So…..some of my first lessons were from Robert Fulghum’s best-selling book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. That book was first published in 1986 – 30 years ago – but its core message is as relevant today as ever.

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don’t hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
• Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
• And, Wonder.

Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Teaching is more than just a job. You can make a difference in lives. There is nothing more rewarding than to see a child learn something new…….It’s incredibly fulfilling and humbling all at the same time.

I had a student 25 years ago that called me recently to share that she interviewed for a job at the school she attended and I taught her as a 5 year old. Then she said, “Ms Medling, I got the job and am in the same classroom where we met 25 years ago”. We both believe it was a GOD thing.

I am so grateful that God called me to be a teacher.

So…when Kelly Olsen introduced volunteering at Harper, I was so excited to be a part of it!

Nancy Medling

Retired Teacher