Things Retired Teachers Could Do
For the Left Behind Children
You, yes you! You have a wealth of experiences and wisdom that others need. We’ve all invested time and energy on the downtrodden child. We tried to make a difference, but can we simply walk away and leave our first loves?
In the book of Revelation, John writes to the seven churches regarding where they lack maturity. In Chapter 2:3-4 he says, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
I know John is talking about churches, but what if our first loves were the children we taught? What if we were still needed by one or two or knew a homeschool mother or daycare worker who could benefit from some help in their roles?
“But I’m retired,” you say.
I get it. It’s your time. You’ve earned it. You deserve time to pursue hobbies, travel, or just relax. But I recently came across an article in Education Week entitled “Will Sally go to Yale or to Jail?”
It cited what I have heard many times before. Children with low third-grade reading scores are often used to predict the number of jail cells needed in the future. Most simply don’t have successful lives.
It got me thinking about how done with teaching I was when I retired—not with the children, but with some of the parents and the politics. I was over being told I had to use scripted teaching texts when I knew they didn’t fit the needs of the children I taught.
While my grandchildren are all nearly grown, I still have little ones in my life. They are to children at my church, and I am so into making sure they know they are loved each Sunday as they help me make coffee and tell me about their week.
Still, I felt God calling me to do more. So, I whipped up a 25-minute talk about Early Childhood Literacy and presented it to a local Kiwanis club. Part of their mission is to help children in the areas of need.
I shared research and ways to get children involved in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, the components of literacy. I read parts of my favorite storybooks, which focused on building vocabulary in humorous text. I also shared how certain picture books could be used as models for children to write their own stories.
Most importantly, I shared author David Elkind’s list of the most important things children need to be ready for school. They are:
The ability to listen and attend.
To initiate and complete
And to work cooperatively with others.
None of these skills had anything to do with knowing numbers, letters, or other isolated skills. These were the skills they would need to be successful adults. They were job skills, skills that could be taught.
I mentioned Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist, who pointed out that what children could do today with support would soon be doing independently. It’s just that bit of support children require to be successful in little things, and then bigger things.
My audience insisted they learned many new things about literacy.
“Daycare teachers need to know this information,” someone said.
At one time, I considered doing a talk like this at the library or home-school parents.
I knew God called me to a ministry of Christian Motivational speaking, but I had such a fun time telling stories of student successes, picture books, and teaching students how to learn.
Yes, I like retirement. But I refuse to waste away my remaining years on this Earth. Retirement allows me to choose my busy. It allows me to prayerfully, look at the needs around me carefully, and do something that makes a difference in the lives of others. I often speak to encourage women, but I can no longer ignore thefact that my life with children doesn’t have to end.
Yale or jail? And if not Yale, any career where a child can feel they are making a difference in the lives of others is key to finding their purpose in life.
What could you be doing to make sure no child is left behind?
What will you do today, in some small way, to love and support a child?
I’m listening.