Sunday, March 11, 2012

Sub Merge

"Be Quiet" & "Stay in your seats" are my two most repeated phrases on a daily basis. I'm a substitute teacher in Louisiana Public Schools. Teacher is probably not the best term for my job. The schools are horrible, by and large. They just suck. There is a toxic environment which is tolerated, and often causes the interactions between teachers and students to be more like a prison than a school. The no-child-left-behind style testing leaves little room for creativity or flexibility in curriculum, and the culture tolerates places that reject the freedom of education in favor of the mandatory schooling.

While I have met many respected teachers, I am constantly an outsider, and at odds with students. Even the "good" classes attempt to break every rule under my watch, and there is no interest in learning. I am paid less than a barista, babysitter, or grocery stocker, and my hours are less consistent.

But I believe there is a purpose for my presence here in schools. I believe that if I can make a connection with one student, or improve one persons outlook, then it is worth the trouble. If I can make it through an entire class period without having to shout, that is a victory, and if I can model respect in these twisted cross-cultural settings, it may be less of a purgatory for one day. God's love was intended for the lowest common denominator of humanity. In him there is no division like the divisions of race and class and cool, that mankind has created; the divisions that mark the students in these schools. If Jesus can heal lepers, maybe I can influence these lost men and women in some small way: To give hope rather than stealing it away, and to bring peace into utter chaos. This is my daily prayer.