What Does it Actually Look Like to Depend on God?

In the Bible, many verses point towards this idea of depending on God instead of ourselves. For example, you may have heard or read this famous verse, “Do not lean on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3 (ESV). Or when Jesus gets frustrated at his disciples for not seeing that the simplicity of a child-like faith is essential to following Jesus (Matthew 18:2-4). In these verses, these different Biblical authors are leading to a point; we, as humans, are very dependent creatures. For example, if we don’t have water for three days, we die. We need shelter and food to continue functioning correctly, and lack of sleep starts to deteriorate our bodies, and the list goes on; That is not even counting emotional or spiritual needs! In the opening verses of  Psalm 23,  you find a beautiful picture of this need:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He refreshes my soul,

He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.”

Do you notice a pattern? It’s a whole lot of “He” and only one “I.” Jesus is depicted as a shepherd and we as his sheep. I learned more about this particular image from one of my pastors recently. I learned that sheep depend on their shepherd for everything: food, safety, comfort and guidance. You could say that sheep do not lean on their own understanding but in all their ways acknowledge their shepherd, who makes their paths straight. So like sheep, as humans we find ourselves in a very dependent position; hence the sayings, “Depend on God” or “Trust in God.” Despite having heard this idea of needing to rely on God, a lingering question would creep up in my mind. “How?” After racking my brain for an answer, I asked God to teach me what this looked like as I felt my life was not reflecting this clear Biblical idea for the life of someone following Jesus. Little did I know that his answer would come in the most unexpected way. 

On a Friday morning, I was heading to a meeting at work. Like any other day, before I head down, I had a choice: elevator or stairs. Feeling rather motivated to be healthy, I chose the stairs over the elevator. Halfway down the stairs. I tripped and found myself freefalling down the set of stairs. With a sudden crash, I found myself hanging on the railing–recovering from the fact that all my body weight had just landed on one foot. Thankfully, no other part of my body was  injured. Upon recalling the sheer pressure and twist my foot experienced a moment ago, I knew it could not be good news for my foot. I hobbled over to the school nurse for some immediate treatment and the next day I found myself with a cast on my foot and a pair of crutches. For the first time in my life I would have to adapt to a very different pace of living for a while. In other terms, I became dependent. 

As I began to navigate this new normal I found myself often faced with a rather unpleasant reality. Each normal activity like going to the shower, getting food, going to work, etc., became filled with this question of, “How?” How was I going to take a shower with a cast on? How was I going to pick up my food with crutches? How long would it take me to walk to work now that I am significantly slower than my usual pace? It felt as if I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do but no real clue about how to accomplish it under these new circumstances. This process, rather frustratingly, required me to take a step back and think intentionally about habits in my life that had been so automatic, they had become like breathing. With my new injury, these automatic habits began to involve more dependency on others as I became less capable with my mobility and energy –like having people carry my things for me, take over responsibilities I could not do anymore and even have to cry out to Jesus for the simple energy to make it to work without falling over - as it turns out, being on crutches is no easy work! Much like sheep, I suddenly found myself quite dependent on others for the basic activities of my life.

As you learn to follow Jesus you are learning about who you are, who He is, and what your role is in the world. And on top of that, trying to live according to the virtues and values that seem increasingly at odds with those around you. All of these new ways to live that come from following Jesus, can leave you knowing what you are supposed to do, yet also finding yourself lacking the clarity on how to get there. In a way, it is much like my crutches situation. It is in this place of complete dependency for the next steps to accomplishing that seemingly automatic habit. When those new realities  about how to live as a follower of Jesus come to mind (whatever they may be for you as you read this) and the uncertainty of how to live it out; it is in this moment that you can ask for His help instead of trusting in your own thinking. We can always bring our questions, worries, confusions, anxieties, dreams and goals to God and ask for His help in how to navigate through them. So, next time you find yourself in such a situation, instead of running out of patience and coming up with your own plan, why don’t you try being like a kid. A kid that goes to their parents with their needs and (in a healthy setting) has a full expectation that their parents will help them. As an example, think of a kid asking for food because they are hungry. Does a young 2-3 year old actually know how to get food and provide for themselves? No. They simply go to the one they know loves them and can trust that they have provided for them in the past and will continue to do so. This is how we depend on God. 

As a final note of encouragement and challenge for you, is this: in your life, as you find yourself in situations in which you do not have a clear answer, invite God into them to help and get his perspective. Let Him guide you beyond what you are capable of understanding or imagining. You may find that the answer to your big questions or simple struggles of life may be simpler and more obvious than you thought. Or, it may be something you had never even considered; yet upon hearing it, you find that it makes perfect sense and find yourself with a great joy and desire to act on it. Let Him lead you into straight paths that will lead to abundant life. Believe me from experience, when we actually ask Him first, it always seems to end up much more beautiful and grander than you could ever imagine in the first place; I believe it will be the same for you. So, what does it look like to actually depend on God? Well it’s like being on crutches.

Seeing Kingdom Principles as Cultural Habits

I’ve recently moved to a new country and that naturally comes with the challenge of adapting to a new culture. In this new Asian culture, life is based on a hierarchy system. This means that depending on things like social status or money, a person may have different ways of acting in the culture. For example, if there is a person of higher status they do not have to greet those of a lower status than them, while those of lower status have to greet them with respect. Another example is that in this culture it is rude to show the bottoms of your feet. So when a person goes to sit down they have to be thoughtful about where their feet are pointing too. These cultural norms are neither right nor wrong inherently, but simply a standardized way of living in a country that has developed these practices over the years. To live in this culture requires following these cultural norms because a failure to do so would be seen as strange or in some cases even rude.

This got me thinking. After a rather embarrassing moment whenI insisted that a corner store had a certain payment option when they did not. I felt/believed that it was only right for me to apologize to the employees who had been the victims of my frustration. Seems normal right? When you do something wrong like wrongfully getting mad at someone, you should go say sorry. These are the basic life lessons one learns in kindergarten, right? Yet, in this culture, what I was about to do went in direct opposition to the cultural norms. Remember the hierarchy system mentioned before? Teachers are considered to be of high social standing in many Asian cultures. So as a teacher, my attempt to apologize was certainly seen as outside the norm.But according to the teachings of King Jesus, you could say it was a “cultural norm” for me to go and apologize. He taught that if there is a conflict between you and another it is the right practice to go and resolve this conflict in order to be at peace with them. Unity matters a lot to King Jesus (go read Matthew 5:23-24 if you are interested in learning more on this). This created quite the dilemma. Which cultural norm do I then follow? As a newcomer to this culture, should I respect the system they have in place and not seek reconciliation in order to follow their hierarchy structure? Or do I follow King Jesus’ expectations and go in direct opposition to the cultural norms around me by going to apologize for my outburst?

Jesus calls us to live life against the stream of the world around us. As you can see from my example above, it’s so different that it forces us to pause and think on how we are truly meant to live in the world. Do we live to simply respect cultures or represent the Kingdom of Heaven? A Kingdom that commands forgiveness, even for those who hurt you the most (Matthew 6:14, Matthew 5:43-44). A Kingdom that calls you to give up your own desires and seek to live a life fully devoted to the King (Matthew 16:24-26, Matthew 6:33, 1 Peter 1:14-16) A Kingdom that boldly claims that your sense of worth should not come from your social status, wealth, physical belongings, degrees, connections, intellect, things you are good at or accomplishments (Phillipians 3:1-12). So, if not from any of these, then what does it say we should gain our sense of worth from? The simple fact that we know Jesus and our relationship with him. That’s it. In almost every way it offers a radically different way to live than the way the world tells us to live.

The challenge to you then is this: are you willing to live no longer according to the cultural norms of the world around you (whatever they may be) but instead live according to the cultural norms of the Kingdom of Heaven? In doing so, in saying yes, becoming a person that on a daily basis lives life in their thoughts, words, and actions in such a way that it will catch the eyes of people around you. And hopefully invite them to see and think upon a radically different way to live life then they could have ever imagined. Are you willing to take up the challenge?  

Some Encouragement for a First Year Teacher

Breathe.

No really, take a deep breath or a few if you need. :) 

The first year is hard. Why? Because, most likely you feel unequipped or even worse, imposter syndrome. You have this feeling of dread that you may not be qualified for this job since your classroom has become such a disorganized place where students seem to be in charge over you. It feels almost impossible to go through a lesson without disruptions or power struggles. Then, on top of that you probably come home from school feeling burned out only to spend the evening stressed thinking about the next day. You thought you would teach these amazing lessons and live out this idealistic dream of you teaching a classroom full of 100% excited and engaged students. Yet it seems that most of your days in the classroom are filled with managing the chaotic and disrespectful behavior of your students rather than actually teaching them. You might have worries about being fired and end up failing at something you had dreamed of pursuing. This reality of being a teacher is not what you were expecting. So what’s going on? 

Let's return for a second to the word unequipped. Most teacher preparation programs are structured with classes oriented towards providing a good foundation of theory on how to teach. However, it's just a theory. What you as a first year teacher lack is practice. You might say (if we were having a conversation) I did field observations and student teaching! I have plenty of practice. Yes, you are right and you may have even taught a few lessons here and there. Let me ask you this, when did you do your student teaching? In the spring or the fall? My guess is that you will reply in the spring. In fact, most student teachers conduct their student teaching observations and practice in spring. However, having a new teacher such as yourself do these observations and lessons during the spring places you at a disadvantage. See, the second semester is when a teacher (typically) has their class systems and culture all set up and functioning. I’m guessing it was in those spring observations and lessons where you got most of your ideas on how to run your classroom initially. However, when you tried to implement them it did not work and so in a moment of panic you threw out what seemed to be great ideas in pursuit of finding the “perfect” system or answer that would help fix the chaos and dysfunction you are facing. Sound familiar? You are not alone. I did the exact same thing and felt like quitting too. I had that thought of throwing in the towel many times my first year. It’s not you, it is a lack of proper training.

As mentioned before, most student teaching opportunities occur in the spring and not the fall.This is a crucial mistake in the preparation of new teachers. It is in the first couple weeks of school that a good teacher begins laying the groundwork for what will soon be a well-functioning classroom come springtime. Setting up this classroom takes time. It requires the teacher to consistently model and repeat their expectations over and over again until their students are able to follow the expectations of the classroom. It takes quite an effort. But if done properly, the rhythms of the classroom are set and it only takes small adjustments here and there to make sure it stays in shape and does not become chaotic. Having a well structured classroom gives you back the energy to focus on actually teaching, not just managing behavior! Which results in more often than not having truly joyful, laughter-filled times with students and even parents! Yes you read that correctly. The reason why all those wonderful tools and tips you gained during your spring time observations did not work is because you never saw them being established in the fall. It's as if someone handed you the right tools to fix a tire but never taught you how to actually use them. The problem was not in the tools but your lack in knowledge with how to use them.

So take another deep breath. Reflect. Take some time to evaluate where you are at and what to do next. Start small, make a list of a few expectations and how you want to teach them, then implement it tomorrow and be ruthlessly consistent with it or it will never stick. Make sure to resist the urge to change expectations just because it's not working. Remember it takes time and there is no perfect system. It's all about finding a handful of expectations you like and sticking with them. It’s not the end. You can do this. Teaching is as beautiful as you always imagined it is also hard too. That’s important to acknowledge as well, teaching is not always easy. There are good days and bad days no matter how good of a teacher you are. And yes, having a 100% focus from your students is not realistic of an expectation and that is okay. Teaching is a messy business, it's not always straightforward. Students come from all sorts of backgrounds and bring with them different gifts and challenges. On top of figuring out how to teach a group of very different students, people expect you to be an expert on the first day. You are given lots of responsibility while still learning the ropes! As hard as that tension is, the struggle and strain of the first year is worth it once you make it through. So make it through. As I was once told by my mom when I was crying and overwhelmed on my first day of university: “Elie, just take it one day at a time and you will make it.” So now I say to you Mr. or Mrs. teacher, “take it one day at a time and you will make it.”

Now go out there, take some deep breaths and go enjoy this profession you know deep down you still love and say good morning with a big smile to those students waiting for you.

Rooting for you first year teacher!

“When will I ever use this?!” A Plea to Make High School Actually Useful

“When will I ever use this?!” “Why can’t high school teach me more practical things like how to do taxes and get a mortgage?” Have you ever heard of these types of comments from your students? Me too. High school is the last step before entering college, the trades, or the general workforce, yet it fails to properly prepare students for life after high school. In North America, the content in schools typically follows this structure.  In early elementary you learn the foundations for various subjects and skills. Then, in upper elementary through middle school you dive deeper into the classic subjects such as math, science, history, and so on while still working on skills (writing, reading, etc).  Lastly comes high school, where the questions that opened the article stem from. Students in high school dive deep into subjects that they have been exposed to for years and yet they leave with a lack of real sense on how to successfully tackle life's next steps.

Instead of structuring the 4 years of high school towards a more practical end, students are exposed to a greater depth of subjects they have been in for years. Now, it is important to note that the greater depth of subjects is not inherently the issue, rather issue is the lack of application. The reason that comments like the ones listed above are made is that not every high school student is going to pursue advanced Mathematics or English, and a deeper dive into these subjects no longer seems beneficial to them. I have a different vision of high school to better prepare our future generations of students for “real life” outside of High School.  The vision that I will discuss in this article is one that came out of a conversation with my instructional coach and I want to give credit where credit is due. So, shout out to my instructional coach for the bulk of this idea.

Instead of spending all 4 years taking a deeper dive into the classic subjects mentioned above, what if we structured high school to focus just as heavily on the practical aspect? High school would become two years of deep-dive into core subjects so that students still get the exposure and benefit of diving deep into Math, English, Science, History and so forth (I mean, who did not enjoy dissecting frogs and blowing things up?). And then the remaining two years would purely focus on building essential life skills such as the ability to file taxes, apply for a mortgage, driver safety, budgeting, and internships. In this way, students would get the practical knowledge they are so desperately needing in order to be able to then make an informed and confident decision at the end of the 4 years on what they want to pursue upon graduating. A basic structure for those two years might look  like this:

(5 classes -such as:  groceries/budgeting/driving safety)  and 1 internship. 

The classes could be a set core that each student takes or student choice for their two years to provide flexibility for those seeking general exposure, or depth for those with a plan in place. Then, with the internships, students could either decide to stay on as interns each year at their first internship if they truly found something they enjoy or change out every year. The beautiful part of this vision is that the internships could be at a varied amount of spaces such as universities, large companies, small businesses, etc. Therefore, the students would gain two years of practical experience in a field of interest during their last two years of high school. You may be reading this and wonder that it is a good structure or you may be disagreeing with it. However, before you form your opinion fully on the idea, let me finish by explaining the core “why” behind this idea. 

At its core, this vision would have the potential to solve a fundamental issue amongst the younger generations today; insecurity. Having 2 years of strong experience in practical matters for both the personal and professional spheres of adulthood before graduating. We could have strong chances of reducing major switches in university degrees (or even unused degrees). And maybe less job hopping as students may find it easier to commit on a longer scale towards their chosen fields after graduating, due to having been better equipped to make those decisions in the first place. This would reap long term benefits both for the students and their future employers. Therefore, if this idea could produce more stability and confidence for our future generations, then it is a worthy effort to pursue. 

As a final note, I want to make clear that this proposed model does not need to be the final version. The point is to get the ball rolling towards change in order to ensure our high school students leave with confidence and competence to enter the “real world.”

Leadership in Education

High tables and chairs, blank walls, factory like environment, clean and proper learning environment. This was to be the classroom of the future. Any sense of personality had to be removed in order to create this sterile environment. On paper this type of classroom may have an appeal to some readers; however to the educators currently teaching day in and day out in their classrooms this was the opposite of ideal.

It was during my field observations that I was front-row witness to this exchange between educators and upper-level leadership. The idea to create these sterile learning environments had come from the districts leadership but the teachers were fighting the decisions fiercely. When I inquired as to why they were so adamant about fighting this decision they explained to me their heart behind their classrooms. They explained that each teacher worked tirelessly to create a unique atmosphere in which each student would recognize and enjoy. The classrooms I observed were each sprinkled with each teacher’s personal style, making it indistinguishable from the others. In this way, each student would get to experience the atmosphere their teacher was establishing in their classroom. So, to have classrooms sterile and the same across the school would remove the personal touch and spark that each teacher aimed at building in their classroom. This point of contention with the educational leadership was just scratching the surface of the real frustration underneath the decision. So, I inquired further.

I asked one of the teachers why such a decision could be made if teachers were clearly frustrated with it. Their response introduced me to a significant problem in the sphere of education. Un-qualified decision makers. I was explained that in educational leadership there are two sorts of people that fill the role. A. an individual that has pursued educational degree after another without any tangible and long-term experience in the classroom. B. An educator that had served in the classroom for a significant period of time but had done so years ago and were therefore distanced from the realities of the classroom. Therefore the decisions that are made on a district wide level come from a disenfranchised and impractical sense. Why? Because the decisions makers are separated from the realties that their decisions will have on the classroom. They are decisions that are made in a vacuum without any practical input from the teachers. Therefore, teachers are simply expected to adapt to the whims of these decisions whether or not they hold tangible benefits to the learning environment. For example, its as if I went to an Olympic athlete and began telling him how he should compete in his upcoming event simply because I thought my idea might work well for him.  As ridiculous as that example seems, that is what is occurring in classrooms continually due to the leadership structure we have put in place. To point to the problem is all fine and well but is there a solution?

Certainly many solutions could be made to this problem, therefore I will focus on a simple and tangible solution to get the ball rolling. Instead of hiring key decision makers that are out of touch from the classroom, each school district would elect active master teachers from each of the key fields in education to meet once a month. During these monthly meetings, these master teachers would come prepared with issues and ideas to bring up that would lead to the betterment of the district. Then, from these monthly meeting in which administration would be present as well, key decisions would be made to keep improving the school environment for teachers, staff, and student alike. The only difference this time is that because these decisions would come from current and active members of the learning community they would be relevant, practical, and last longer which in turn would foster a more effective and positive environment as these decisions would produce a more meaningful impact. Afterall, does it not make more sense for changes in education to be made by those who live in it day in and day out?