Appreciation

In TCE Level 2, we teach a class called, Developing the Child’s Appreciation of God. We all know how important it is in our spiritual life to show our gratitude to God for all He is and does for us. But that expression of appreciation should extend to God’s children as well. As believers, we should be quick to encourage and show gratitude to one another.

In his Tuesday Mornings newsletter, Dr. Tom Barnard shares the following story, reminding us of the power of appreciation.

Jaime Escalante, the teacher on whom the movie Stand and Deliver was based, tells an amazing story about a mistaken identity and the difference it made in a young man’s life.

This teacher had two students in his class who were both named Johnny. One Johnny was an excellent student, a happy child, and always had his homework completed on time. The other Johnny was always in trouble, never had his work finished, and generally made the teacher’s life miserable.

The night of their first PTA Open House of the year a mother stayed after the meeting to ask about her son, Johnny, and how he was getting along in the class. Assuming it was the mother of the “good” Johnny, the teacher replied, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate him. I am so glad he’s in my class.”

The next day, for the first time all year, the “problem” Johnny had all his work done, he spoke up in class, and never once caused a disruption. He even volunteered to help another student. The teacher was astounded!

At the end of the day when everyone else had left, “problem” Johnny came up to the teacher and said, “My Mom told me what you said about me last night. I haven’t ever had a teacher who wanted me in his class.”

That Johnny became one of the best students the teacher ever had – and all because of a mistaken dose of appreciation!

No matter who or how old we are, we all want and need to be appreciated. Your TCE students need it. The children in our Good News Clubs need it.

How do you express appreciation to your TCE students during and/or after the course? How do you encourage your TCE grads to show appreciation to the children they teach? Please share your ideas in the comment section by clicking the link at the end of this post. Let’s help one another in this crucial area of showing appreciation.

By the way…did we mention how much we in the department of education appreciate YOU?? We do!! You are the best, and we are so grateful for your sacrifice of time and energy to train those teachers out there. So, keep up the good work!