A Prayer of Blessing for Teachers (by Keith Herron)

As one who has nurtured all of us on the journey of being and as one who has brought loving, influential teachers into our lives, bless the teachers this day, O God.

Bless the teachers who love and teach as though their work was holy enough to be a calling from God. It is holy work they do because God has created every child, making them in God’s image so they might grow to maturity and wholeness.

When the day seems long and the sounds of the classroom cause the mind to throb, give our teachers the stamina to “walk the second mile” so every child knows they are loved as persons of worth. Children are created as persons who express their deepest feelings, both in their noise and in their silence. God, help our teachers to listen to both the sounds and the silences and to respect both as the language children use in describing their inner world.

When the children appear as “sheep without a shepherd,” help the teachers love each child as Jesus did. When a child lives in a home of chaos and neglect, help them understand they are loved at school because they are the focus of a teacher who recognizes in them a person of value.

When a child’s parents are difficult to enlist as co-laborers in the shared task of education, bless the teacher with persistence. Bless the teacher who labors on in the work of education even when parents are too busy to pay attention to their child.

Even when some in the church seem to oppose the value of the teacher by questioning their skills and commitment, help each teacher understand that while others may not value what they do and question the merit of their work it is work that is important in the eyes of God.

Bless and keep our teachers this day, O LORD. Bless them with awareness of your abiding presence because they partner with the Eternal God of all children. Amen.
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Keith D. Herron is a fellow-traveler who lives in Kansas City and pastors Holmeswood Baptist Church; he’s married to Wanda and the dad to two 20-somethings. Follow Keith at www.kdherron.com.