Tip #26: Pass the Test (The First Time)!
Never did I imagine that I would become a teacher. I never considered teaching as a profession but one day my cousin told me, "JJ (my nickname), you would make a good teacher." I thought, "uh, yeah right" but the fact that she was a principal made me consider it (and also the fact that I was a recent college graduate looking for a job). I started the paperwork, then landed a subbing job. After that, I applied for a job as a teacher and 10 years later, I'm still loving it like day 1. So why the mumbo jumbo above? Well, I don't know. I just thought it was something good to share. Now to the point of this post! I really hate it when my kids fail tests/quizzes. It makes me feel like all my teaching was in vain. I had a student ask me the other day if I like it when students fail. I said "heck no!" What teacher in their right mind likes to see kids fail? Uh, none. If my students fail, that means I have to reteach the lesson, go over the same concepts again, and quite frankly, waste more time. In the words of Sweet Brown, "ain't nobody got time for dat!". But when you're tested and you pass, you prove you have the knowledge & skills to move to the next chapter or next grade level. As you guessed, life is the same way. We go through problems, trials, tests, and all kinds of troubles. If you're anything like my students, you hate problems and tests! But guess what? That doesn't change anything. You'll still have them. They come to teach you lessons about life. James 1:2-4 says it this way "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." So, learn life's lessons and pass the test the first time, that way you won't have to keep repeating the same lessons over and over again, wasting time, energy, and effort!
Written 9/29/2013 by John Weaver