Spirituality in the Classroom

Spirituality in the Classroom
By Julie Trevor-Roberts

Have you ever wondered if keeping your thought attuned to spiritual thinking affected those around you? My experience teaching high school remedial math clearly proved our though can definitely effect others.

When I accepted a job teaching high school remedial math, I knew I needed to be prepared for the year ahead. The school was so crowded that over 16 trailers were outside the school to be used as classrooms. But even with the additional space, half a dozen teachers were left without a classroom. I was one of the “floating teachers.” I ended up teaching math in a Spanish, Science, History, and Math rooms.

My classes consisted of all the remedial math students in the school. I was excited about this because I know I had the opportunity to improve lives. The students seemed to come from broken homes and many seemed to have unsupportive parents.

During the school year I was faced with death threats, knives, and even broke up a student fight while I was seven months pregnant. During the school year, my only choice was to daily turn to God and see theses students as the pure, perfect, intelligent children of God. This proved extremely effective.

One day I was called to a special meeting with the Principal and several other teachers. They needed me to explain how a certain student ended up with an “A” in my math class when he had failed every single other class. I told them the student did all his homework, studied and had good test scores. This was a shock to the other teachers who said this student never did homework or studied or passed tests in their class. They asked why he did it for me. I replied “well, I love the students.” They said “oh, we never thought of trying that!”

What? How could teachers go about teaching students and without loving them. You see, these students were all labeled “remedial.” The other teachers expected very little out of them and that’s what they got. It was harmful to the students for the teachers to maintain this line of thinking. However, students in my class were loved unconditionally. They were seen for who they really were – the children of God. God does not label us. He just loves us and knows He created us complete – not lacking intelligence or a stable family or anything else.

One student in my class ended up receiving a math award at the end of the year. Many students ended up with very high grades in math for the first time. A few still refused to do any work and didn’t pass. But overall, it was a huge learning experience for me. I learned the importance of seeing people the way God sees them. It’s crucial to take labels off people. We are not “mother”, “sister”, “brother”, “teacher”, “student”, “remedial”, “lazy”, “intelligent”, “rich” or “poor.” Our only true label is “child of God.” That includes every wonderful, pure, loving quality of God. That leaves no room for anything else.

After the school year was over, I was blessed with a baby boy and chose not to return as a teacher. However, several students were upset by my not coming back to school. I ended up tutoring a few students the following school year at my house. One student who had a 100 average in my class ended up failing math the next year. She was told she would never be able to go to college. That student and three other students ended up leaving public school and home schooled with me.

Our English lessons during home-school consisted of studying the Bible, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Christian Science Monitor, Sentinel and Journal. The students were able to learn more about their true identity as a beloved child of God.

One student ended up quitting drugs. The student who was told she would never be able to go to college, ended up not only going to college, but receiving awards in math while at college. Her teachers even asked her to switch her major to math!

If you ever start to believe your thinking doesn’t affect anyone else, think again. We must constantly check our thoughts. Are we being tricked into labeling ourselves and others? Are we going to truly love our neighbor by seeing them as the complete reflection of divine Love, or are we going to injure our neighbors by labeling them and making a reality out of the flaws that appear to be there?

Does it really hurt people if we don’t take the time to see their true identity? My answer would have to be “Yes!” Just take a look at how the students performed in their other classes where the teachers didn’t love them, nor expect anything from them versus how they performed in a class where the teacher saw their true worth. If all teachers took the time to see students properly, the students (and teachers) would have no choice but to have better lives.

For more information on spirituality and healing visit www.GodDoesHeal.com