We can be trusted
I just finished my student teaching in a fifth grade class on Friday. It was an amazing experience full of highs and lows. One of the highlights occurred toward the end. I had been asked to cover lunch playground duty for an entire week. The students are on a staggered lunch schedule. The fifth graders go first and the kindgergartners don't finish their recess until 30 minutes after the fifth graders have gone inside. My mentor teacher and I worked out a plan so that she would teach while I was still outside.
On the very last day of the week, I noticed the students were still outside 10 minutes after their bell had rung. I let them in the classroom on my way out front to watch the kindergartners. I didn't know what to do. I was obligated to tend to the kindergartners. Their playground is in the front of the school with the greatest potential for harm. I couldn't be late, but I didn't want to leave my class unattended. I considered asking a teacher across the hall to step in until my mentor returned but realized that all their classes were in from recess already.
Scared, I left my fifth graders with instruction and delegated responsibility to the class president to ensure that my instructions were followed. I don't know why I was so overcome with fear. The students in the class were usually very well behaved. However, I had seen some individuals misbehave even when I was in the classroom; I had no idea what they might do if they were left unsupervised. Despite my fear, I left the room trusting the students.
When I returned, I was surprised and relieved to find every single student doing just as they had been asked to do.
My heart was filled with joy. It was one of the greatest feelings I had ever experienced. I knew that I had helped prepare them for this moment in time.
As I reflected on this experience, I recognized that this must be similar to the experience of our Father in Heaven sending us to Earth. In order for us to reach our greatest potential, Heavenly Father had to place us in a situation where we could prove that we would make the right decisions and live His plan even when He wasn't where we could see Him. We are placed on this Earth to prove to our Heavenly Father that we will do all things that He commands us to do (Abraham 3:25). As part of this experience, we must endure trial, temptation, and hardship to prove that we can be trusted. We must face challenging times where the easiest way seems to be where we do nothing. However, to achieve our great potential, we must go against what seems easiest and natural and endure the hardship, rise up to the challenge, demonstrate that we can be trusted, and do as we are commanded. We must prove that we can be trusted. We want Jesus Christ to return to this Earth and find us doing exactly as we have been taught and exactly as we have been commanded. This would be the greatest reward for our loving Father in Heaven to find us doing what we should do. This reminds Him that He has prepared us well for this mortal experience.
On the very last day of the week, I noticed the students were still outside 10 minutes after their bell had rung. I let them in the classroom on my way out front to watch the kindergartners. I didn't know what to do. I was obligated to tend to the kindergartners. Their playground is in the front of the school with the greatest potential for harm. I couldn't be late, but I didn't want to leave my class unattended. I considered asking a teacher across the hall to step in until my mentor returned but realized that all their classes were in from recess already.
Scared, I left my fifth graders with instruction and delegated responsibility to the class president to ensure that my instructions were followed. I don't know why I was so overcome with fear. The students in the class were usually very well behaved. However, I had seen some individuals misbehave even when I was in the classroom; I had no idea what they might do if they were left unsupervised. Despite my fear, I left the room trusting the students.
When I returned, I was surprised and relieved to find every single student doing just as they had been asked to do.
My heart was filled with joy. It was one of the greatest feelings I had ever experienced. I knew that I had helped prepare them for this moment in time.
As I reflected on this experience, I recognized that this must be similar to the experience of our Father in Heaven sending us to Earth. In order for us to reach our greatest potential, Heavenly Father had to place us in a situation where we could prove that we would make the right decisions and live His plan even when He wasn't where we could see Him. We are placed on this Earth to prove to our Heavenly Father that we will do all things that He commands us to do (Abraham 3:25). As part of this experience, we must endure trial, temptation, and hardship to prove that we can be trusted. We must face challenging times where the easiest way seems to be where we do nothing. However, to achieve our great potential, we must go against what seems easiest and natural and endure the hardship, rise up to the challenge, demonstrate that we can be trusted, and do as we are commanded. We must prove that we can be trusted. We want Jesus Christ to return to this Earth and find us doing exactly as we have been taught and exactly as we have been commanded. This would be the greatest reward for our loving Father in Heaven to find us doing what we should do. This reminds Him that He has prepared us well for this mortal experience.
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