Thinking of Teachers

I've been thinking about teachers this morning. My First Grade teacher was Mrs. Dorothy Campbell, a wonderfully patient, nurturing woman . . . whose retirement from the teaching profession probably had much to do with having taught my class. Similarly, Mrs. Stewart, my Second Grade teacher and Mrs. Church, my Third Grade teacher, both retired not long after having had me in class. My Fourth Grade ...teacher, Mrs. Stephens, new to the teaching profession the year my class came through, left the profession after that one year, and our Fifth Grade teacher, Mr. Ruester, retired not long after we came through. Is there a reoccuring theme here? I think so . . . my class of students was the product of an aging teaching staff! God love them all, the Class of 1975 was just enough to make nearly all of them see the viability of retirement as preferrable to staying in the classroom!
Yet, what got me to thinking about teachers this morning was not the list of sainted folk who endured my class, but rather, two very special teachers whose lives and journey have blessed my life these last few years. Rob and Amy Nunn are incredible Elementary teachers in the Edwardsville School District and their relationship with students and staff alike speaks volumes as to their effectiveness, both academically and professionally. They are, in the words of their colleagues and many of the parents of their students, "Wonderful Educators".
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have never spent a moment in either of their classes, but I have been blessed to be an observer of the many lessons they teach at home. You see, Rob and Amy's daughter, Savannah, was born with a very rare disorder, so unusual in fact, that the medical community is still studying Savannah's progress, growth and development to assist them in working with others who have similar challenges. Savannah is a bright, articulate, strong-willed little girl who is too much aware of medical communities and routines and too little accustomed to just being a little girl. Therein is the point: Rob and Amy are teachers. They teach life lessons to Savannah and are, themselves, adept students of life wonders from Savannah, thereby deepening by volumes the skill-sets they each have to share with others. The most treasured and challenging teachers among us are, first and foremost, committed students themselves. The world is their classroom and never would they assume to teach that which they hadn't spent time learning . . . and Savannah is both student and instructor for them. The rest of us around them are blessed observers, humbly receiving the faith and joy Amy and Rob share each day.
Savannah went into the hospital yesterday and, at the time I visited with them, was in Pediatric ICU being treated for a bacterial infection. It is hard to be courageous when you are little, tired, being poked and proded, and just flat out don't feel well, yet, there was Savannah, laying in Amy's lap, occasionally calling for her Daddy to hold her hand and taking in all that the doctors and nurses were trying to do for her . . . Rob and Amy explaining each procedure, each new test along the way. The connection between parent and child for most families is an amazing bond, yet for Savannah, Rob and Amy, that connection has the feel of a womb-like experience, whose umbilically-bonded existence pumps the lifeblood of family back and forth between them, even at the mere touch of their hands. Rob and Amy are parents who are becoming master teachers of life, not only for their daughter, but for all who dare to pause and watch. Like the Christ of their faith, the Master Teacher among us all, there is no going back, no doing over, no other way than forward in faith, trusting each step, each lesson learned, each moment to be taught, to the God who is all Wisdom.
Maybe that is why I have been thinking of teachers today: Rob and Amy remind me of those who are among the best at answering the call to their vocation. After all, did you notice? I can name all of my teachers, such was the impact they had on me. Amy and Rob, much like the students you teach at school, I doubt your names ever leave the depths of my soul for the lessons you teach me each day. Thank you for continuing to teach that which you are still learning in faith, hope and love.