The best part of teaching?

Several times people have asked me, "So how do you like teaching, Mary Ellen?" A few months ago that wouldn't have seemed silly to me, but since I've started teaching, this almost seems like the wrong question.

It's true, some people are better at teaching than others. Some people don't enjoy the preparation or others the presentation. Some people might not have the patience, others might love the opportunity to have a captive audience. In that way, the question is completely valid.

But now that I've met my students, it's the wrong question. Here at our school we teach almost one to one. My largest class has four students in it. We also teach a lot of classes, so we have the opportunity to meet many different kinds of people. The time with my students has shown me that teaching is really all about your relationship with your students. And that is my favorite thing about teaching.

Sometimes that relationship is challenging, like my first encounter with my teenage classes. Time has shown me that my teenagers really enjoy my approval. When I set class up so that they could succeed, they proved that they were not only intelligent but that they are willing to make English class a blast. I've never laughed so hard during a game of charades! Their creativity suprises me everytime! The other week I taught them how to make eggrolls and they, in turn, tried to teach me a Japanese dance routine. I'm afraid I was the poor student that night!

Sometimes the relationship is stunning. If you asked me how I liked teaching Mariko, I might answer "She's a quick learner, but the class takes so much energy it tires me out." Again it would be the wrong question. At first glance I didn't think we had much in common. Our age was the only similiar feature. She listens to American R&B, drives a car full of toys and belly dances as a hobby. Fashion and boys seemed to be the dominating theme in our broken conversations.

Driven by the desire to be understood, Mariko has advanced dramatically in the few months we have studied together. It almost seemed like the prospect of our friendship was enough motivation to make her fluent! As our conversation improved, I realized that we had a lot more in common than I had first thought.

Mariko took me to an art museum the other day. Near the end of the day she pulled me excitedly to her "favorite" exhibit. It was in an outside garden of sculptures and looked to be a metal hallway in the middle of nowhere. She begged me to walk into it alone. It was dark and the only sound I could hear was the banging of my feet on the metal floor. At the end of the tunnel was a doorway and the misty light at the end made it feel like I was waking from a dream. I was suprised at my own excitement, but I was glad to enjoy an experience that meant so much to her. Nearing the end of the tunnel, strips of light came in, making it feel as if I was racing towards the opening. Then the glass confronted me and beyond it was a breathtaking view of the mountain range covered in fall colors. Amazing!

But even better were the words written in the glass in front of me. In both English and Japanese it said: In the Beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth. Mariko opened her heart to me that afternoon and explained that she believed in the One true God and she prayed to Him--and heard answers--for every area of her life. She said he was healing her from depression. Then she asked me if I "knew" the Bible.

I didn't stop right then and have a Bible study, but I'm thinking maybe she'll start studying with me if I ask. I feel confident because she believes that God sent me to be her friend. It's humbling to see what small efforts do in the greater scheme of life. So you can pray for my teaching, but most of all, pray for my students and my relationship with them. Many of them are excited to get to know God and that's the greatest teaching responsiblity I could ever have.