The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:29-31, NIV
Have you ever stood beside one of your students during a writing conference and found yourself digging through the bottom of your strategy toolbox only to realize you’ve run out of tools to help them? What about sitting down at a table with a small group of students who have so much potential—they just require a little bit more hands-on instruction—but your hands are tied because you have no clue what to use for the manipulative work?
If you can relate, I encourage you to put today’s verses at your desk and revisit them regularly. The Holy Spirit led Philip to the student and had the whole lesson planned. Philip just needed to be willing to be the receptacle and the conveyor of divine instruction.
As a middle school ELA teacher, I’ve been at the end of my instructional rope many times. I have a little corner in my room where I’ll go, bow my head, and say to Jesus, “Lord, I don’t know how else to help this student, please work through me to work with him.”
I’ll then walk over to the student’s desk with a mustard seed of faith that Jesus will use to work with him…
One time, I used a soccer metaphor to help a student (I’m a music guy; I’ve never played a game of soccer in my life). Another time, Jesus showed me how to use pop cubes to teach the event development of a text (I still keep pop cubes at my desk for this). Still another time, I stood at the board with my coveted purple Expo in hand, waiting for the Holy Spirit to move my hand to draw a picture to explain text structure; He did it—and I didn’t recognize what I drew—but I knew that it worked when I saw a few light bulbs go off over students’ heads.
Teaching, at its best, is you, the student, and Jesus working in a small group. It simply requires humility to receive divine instructional coaching—just like Philip did many years ago.
Lord, be my tag team partner today. You know my students better than I ever will. You know what they need spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. Use me and my gifts for Your purpose in this classroom that You gave me. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Copyright Jaysen Gold.
Jaysen Gold is a middle school English teacher in Tennessee.
