Triumph: students for whom the next learning challenge seemed doable
Heartbreak: students for whom the next learning challenge was more of their private hell of hopelessness.The same holds true for today's classrooms, and I have always been fascinated by great teachers who delve into this heartbreak.
Great teachers embrace lost learners for whom each learning challenge is this private hell. They walk into their hell and come alongside, taking their hand and offering hope of a way out.
These teachers never give up looking for the path out of each lost learner's dilemma.
Though great teachers often operate in the prism of the testing world and other artificial realities, they orchestrate breakthrough for all of their students, assisting in particular the least hopeful, that they would risk the hard work of discovery that learning is fresh, exciting and attainable.
If we consider life as the classroom--each of us a student--it seems at least a large part, perhaps the hardest part, of our curriculum is suffering. Skilled learning is required to navigate this reality that we are all sufferers.
It seems no accident that Jesus is considered the Great Teacher. We are His students with triumph and heartbreak:
Triumph: those for whom the next life challenge seems doable
Heartbreak: those for whom the next life challenge is more of their private hell of hopelessness.Jesus embraces lost sufferers for whom each life challenge is a private hell. He walks into our hell and comes alongside, offering His hand and the hope of His way out.
He never gives up showing the path out of each lost person's dilemma.
He operates in the prism of Jesus-rejection and all of our man-made artificial misunderstandings, orchestrating breakthrough for everyone, assisting in particular the least hopeful, that they would risk the hard work of discovery that life with Jesus is fresh, exciting and attainable.
Students apply their learning skills to the mountain of knowledge before them; all of us as students of life apply hope to the mountain of suffering before us.
Thank you, great teachers, for venturing into the private hell of student hopelessness with your heart of rescue.
Thank you, Jesus, for venturing into our private hell of hopelessness with Your Heart of Rescue.
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