Dear Teacher Who Endures,
A man went out to plow a field.
His first day on the job, he surveyed the barren, empty, land. He removed his hat to wipe sweat from his brow and counted the cost, “This is a big job,” he lamented. “It will take a lot of work,” he sighed, but he did not shy away from the labor.
With a simple garden hoe, he broke up the stubborn top soil, tossed the excess aside, and dug deeper to the richest places of earth. Then he began the arduous task of carefully placing seeds in the warm dirt. With each handful, he imagined the harvest that would come in the spring if his body could endure.
With the remaining dirt he covered the seeds and watered as much as he could. Then he prayed for God to do the rest. Throughout the season, he tended the field. Once he saw a few stray weeds trying to choke the tender new shoots. He pulled the weeds immediately. Another time he saw a few pesky insects on the leaves of his cherished crops, so he sprayed. As new buds formed, he built a barrier, so predators wouldn’t eat the fruit of his labor.
In the spring, he stood at the edge of the field and marveled at the acres of ripe bounty that had sprung forth from nothing.
Once again, he removed his hat, wiped the sweat from his brow, and cradled a hand against his aching back. This time he bowed his head and offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the provision that kicked in when his hands were cracked and his knowledge had withered.
In quiet humility, he reflected on a simple truth. From planting time in early summer until now, he had been tightly focused on this singular moment: the harvest.
He now understood reaping was the reward of those who refused to give up.
Surveying the now ripe fields, he was grateful he did not sacrifice his reward for momentary physical relief, even though the temptation was great at times.
It is not a mere coincidence that a teacher’s calendar is now, and always has been, a direct parallel to a farmer’s schedule.
Our work is very similar, and I am convinced the harvest is coming for each of us if we do not give up.
But the question is, “Are you convinced too?”
-CDB