Fisher, Cooper, and Jason

Here I sit across from Fisher, Cooper, and Jason.

These are three of the biggest troublemakers from Class 1, which was Class 15 last semester. Class 15 used to give me stomachaches because nearly the entire male population in that classroom was against me.

And if you’ve ever been to China, you know that the male population is most of the class.

This semester I’ve figured out how the class works, have a co-teacher who’s involved in my lessons, and I see them less as a crazy mass of Chinese children and more as a group of individuals.

These three boys are currently sitting across from me in the office, practicing their English with my co-teacher, because they aren’t doing well enough in class. I wonder how it makes them feel, to know they are behind. Is that why they are so crazy in class?
Is it because there is a lot of pressure for them to do well and they are frustrated? Or does it have to do with the fact that they are probably their parents’ only child, spoiled by all the adults in their families?

It’s probably both.

Sometimes I want to judge these students against the students I had during student teaching. Those students, for the most part, came from homes without much money and families who didn’t care much for their education. My current students are given the best life and schooling their parents can provide.

Does that mean that my former students are more worthy of love?

No.

Does it mean that the groups of students have different needs?

Yes.

Does it mean that I should care for one group over the other?

No.

Because, in the end, they all need the same thing: the Father’s love.

The squirming trio sitting across from me, bickering and rolling their eyes, need His love just as much anyone else on the planet.