Seeing Through His Glasses

This week at school, I greeted a young boy with whom I am very familiar. He has been in my office more than once. I've gone into his classroom to check on the progress of some behavior goals we set together. During the second week of school when I entered his room (for a reason unrelated to him), he scrambled behind his desk, concerned that he was the reason I was coming in. He's absolutely adorable and has no idea how to manage his behavior in a school setting yet. So, we are working with him. He has good days, and he has bad days. But maybe, just maybe, we are seeing the good days more and more. 

So, one day this week, as I walked down the hall to greet students in the morning, I spotted him. He looked up at me through dirty glasses. His little frames had fingerprint smears, dried on food, and even what looked to be a booger. I clean my own glasses every morning, sometimes more than that. I like clean glasses! So I asked the little guy, "Would you like me to clean your glasses?" He nodded. I took the spectacles into the restroom, gave them a good squirt of soap (one pump, we teach the kids), and got them transparent again. When I returned them to him, he immediately put them on, then looked into my eyes and paused. I told him that his eyes are beautiful, and I can see them even better now. Jesus prompted me to do this, of course. All of the good ideas are His. But since that encounter, I have begun to receive smiles and backward glances as he has walked by me in the hallway. He has greeted me of his own accord more. Friday morning he hopped out of his car, waved, and yelled "Hey Mrs. Campbell!" 

Each and every one of these little people put into our care for their educational minutes, hours, days, and years are made in the image of God. They don't always please Him; nor do we. But as we think about how to connect and to tie heart strings, even with the students who struggle to obey, we must interact with love. Interacting with love takes time. And as educators we have precious little time. 

It reminded me of a strategy I read about while doing some research work in the ASCD website this past summer. The plan is called the 2x10 Strategy. In summary, teachers identify students who would be considered at risk, particularly for behavior concerns. They commit to spend 2 minutes per day interacting with the child, not about behavior or academics...but just life. To read in depth more, go here. Time is a constraint, no doubt. But carving out time to show our students that they are loved and prioritized might just save us a lot more time during regular instruction. 

As Christians, our mandate goes deeper. We are to love others because we are loved by God. Have you ever tried the 2x10 Strategy or something similar? What did this look like in your setting?  What results have you found? What ideas do you have to share about your experience as a Christian educator and the challenge of connecting with students who can be difficult at times? 

For me, cleaning his glasses was an act prompted by the Lord. But the reward for me has been great. I'm planning to look into his eyes again on Monday, and if his glasses need cleaning, I'll do it again.