He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. (Luke 6:39-40)
My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Hahn, hated children. Her goal was to diminish every child’s self-esteem. My friend and neighbor, Paul, a gentle soul, topped her hit list. She demeaned him, sending him home daily with a knotted stomach. Paul’s mother, a teacher in the same school district, was unable to get Paul out of Mrs. Hahn’s class. No one seemed to be above this mean teacher. Paul and I, deeply distressed, both had health issues that year. I missed over 30 days of school.
I was a blind child led by a blind teacher. One of my pits was my fifth-grade year. Now I realize Mrs. Hahn lived in a perpetual pit, the biggest of which would come later if she didn’t repent. At ten years old I didn’t know I could opt to have Jesus be my teacher. Now as a follower of Jesus, I joyfully opt for Him, His teachings. My goal, a lifelong process, is to be fully trained by Him. I hope Mrs. Hahn was also changed by Jesus’ love.
Father God. Help me learn from and follow Jesus every day until the Fruits of His Spirit are mine also. Let me acquire His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control and share His fruit with others. Amen.
I just went on a trip down memory lane. I got out a photo album that mom put together for me and it had all the class pictures from elementary school. I went to my 3rd grade class picture and looked at Mrs. Wotring. Did she have any idea how mean she was to me? Did she ever think that she might have been in the wrong profession because she didn’t like children? I think that she hated children. There were a lot of teachers back then that were like that. Most professional women were either nurses or teachers. I think that a lot of women who worked back then had a very slim choice of degrees. So, women who chose teaching didn’t belong there. It was a job and a paycheck. Mrs. Wotring humiliated me, made fun of me and mocked me. I too missed a lot of school and developed mental health issues. The worst part was the school and school system supported these teachers. By today’s standards they would not have had a job. They would have been fired. It was definitely the blind child being lead by a blind teacher and school. I wonder what ever happened to Mrs. Wotring and Mrs. Hahn? Did they have any redeeming qualities, did they ever ask forgiveness for treating children the way they did, did they have miserable lives, miserable marriages? Certainly they are both dead and I have to wonder what happened when they met Jesus. I wish I knew what happened to both of them. It would be closure for us. Jesus is the supreme teacher and what all teachers should aspire to. By the way, Jody, you are the best Bible teacher I know!!
Thanks, Sis! I don’t think of myself as a teacher but a student still learning God’s lessons, and sharing my feelings and some of what I’ve learned along the way. Mrs. Hahn and Mrs. Wotring were stereotypes of teachers we don’t want our children to have. Miss Roth was a peach, too. I hope to have a good laugh with them in heaven, since they will have learned God’s love. Won’t it be wonderful to hear their stories of what made them act that way.