Prayer for Open House, teachers

I was going to talk about our brush with the IRS last week, but that will have to wait. Our house is abuzz with Open House--that rite of passage that marks the end of summer and the onset of school.

Ah, the air is full of expectation, hope and excitement. Momentum hums in the air like fireflies. The mounds of school supplies beckon, call the children to dig deeper and go farther than they ever have before. The satisfaction of preparation has settled on the house. But tonight is THE NIGHT. The first big step toward their brave new world. OPEN HOUSE.

Tonight they will see old friends and new faces. The children will study their new teachers with interest in search of any clues to the fate these men and women hold in their hands. These adults have the power to deliver learning with a side dish of fun and delight, or administer it like dreaded, foul-tasting medicine. Which one will it be? Will the environment be fair and precise, predictable in order and structure? Or will it breed anxiety in its unpredictability of moods and rules?
Will friendships grow in this room, with notes passed and giggles exchanged? Will the assignments be rote or creative monuments, projects that yield ownership of the subject matter?

I am as nervous and excited as the children. I place these four precious kiddos and their love of learning in the hands of others. I work hard to cultivate a love of learning at home, and I know teachers have the ability to take that and run with it. But they also have the power to squash it.

Please, God, inspire these teachers, fire them up. Help them to love the children enough to delight in the process of knowledge. Remind teachers of their own love of learning, kindle that love into such a mighty flame that it would spread far and wide. A love of learning changes family trees and improves our society as a whole. Feed the hearts and souls of these dear teachers who have taken on this noble cause of education. Let not one morsel of learning go unnoticed because these morsels will encourage, motivate and inspire these great leaders. Remind the teachers that they hold the future in their hands. We are entrusting them with our most prized possessions that they might grow and flourish under the care of these educators. Show me how to support these teachers, to love and encourage them, to bring them what they need, so their hearts and minds may be fully focused on the nurturing of knowledge. Help me, and all parents, to send our children to school well loved, well rested and well fed, so that they are hungry only for knowledge. Protect teachers from danger and guard their hearts from the potential heartbreak of loving and pouring their hearts into these vulnerable creatures. In Your holy name, Amen.