Baptists attending the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting in Birmingham on June 11 will have the opportunity to thank a teacher.
Messengers and guests who attend the Tuesday morning meeting will be given a card and SBC President J.D. Greear plans to encourage everyone present to write a note of thanks.
The thank-you notes are for teachers in the Birmingham City Schools to know Southern Baptists appreciate how they are investing in children.
Ushers will collect the cards by the end of session and they will be distributed throughout the Birmingham city school system at a later date.
If everyone present fills out a card there should be thousands of cards saturating the schools.
Granted the messages will be from strangers but words of encouragement are always a positive, especially for teachers who are experiencing burnout and exhaustion.
When burnout hits
Think about the school teachers who made a difference in your life.
Also think about those who had lost their joy for teaching by the time you were in their class. How many opportunities to change the life of a child for the good did they miss? Did their lack of energy and enthusiasm for the role end up holding students back in life at some point down the road?
I’ve known several people who truly wanted to make a career out of teaching. They love kids, enjoy teaching and embrace the milestones that come with watching a child learn and grow.
But the overwhelming administrative requirements, overcrowded classrooms and the volume of difficult life issues impacting so many around them finally beat them down.
While the school boards and governmental leaders debate the structural and financial details of how to improve schools and teachers’ salaries, church groups and community members can continue helping in small ways such as sending notes, volunteering and donating.
After all teachers are molding the minds and lives of our children as much as anyone.
Shouldn’t we want teachers at their best?
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