“And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on Earth?" These were the final words from the Gospel reading on Sunday. If you recall, this was immediately after the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. In that parable, a widow refuses to accept the fact that the judge will not grant her justice against her adversary. She keeps returning to plead her case and won’t take “no” for an answer. In the end, her persistence pays off and justice is served.
A Gallup survey conducted this past February reported that 44 percent of those working in US K-12 education reported that they “always” or “very often” felt burned out at work. No one would doubt that working in education is hard work year-round (even more so during the challenging winter months). However, this survey has prompted me to wonder about practices we can implement now that will increase our resiliency as the school year unfolds.
One year, I taught religion classes to our Kindergartners. As someone who started his teaching career with high school-aged students, this afforded me the opportunity to develop skills that I had not previously used. I was nervous, but I was eager. Our school used the Godly Play curriculum with the little ones, and it helped me understand ways to engage the biblical text with some of our youngest students.
During our recent webinar on Episcopal identity for new administrators and faculty leaders, we explored the four “pillars” we use to explain what makes Episcopal schools unique—worship, spiritual formation, community, and a dedication to social justice. We had an engaging conversation specifically about the role of worship in our schools. As with so many things, there can be tension between two desired goals.
Read More » Earlier this month, The New York Times collected a digest of opinion articles that responded to the question, “What is school for?” Not surprisingly, the answers varied greatly. One author responded that school was for “everyone”—drawing upon Horace Mann’s vision of the “common school” as the foundation for public education in our country. Another opined that schools were for the “care” of young people who might not be experiencing support and love at home. A somewhat more pessimistic author responded that schools were simply for “wasting time.”
The Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, preached last Friday at Choral Evensong at St. Paul’s, London, celebrating the life of Queen Elizabeth II. She noted that “a life lived in service of others is a rare jewel.” Of the many jewels in the Queen’s crown, perhaps her service to others was the most precious.
On Labor Day in the United States, we pay tribute to the accomplishments and achievements of workers. The holiday grew out of a desire in the 19th Century to recognize the many contributions made to our collective strength and prosperity. According to the Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City when union leaders organized a festival of recreation for workers and their families.
Sometimes, we see an obituary that causes us to pause. Perhaps it is a dear friend, an old acquaintance we haven’t seen in a while, or someone whose contributions simply made the world a better place. It was the latter for me when I read the obituary of Frederick Buechner this past week. Over a course of several days, I received e-mails from people in our community who shared how Buechner’s influenced their work, their ministries, and their lives.
One of the biggest challenges in our work is staying focused on the things that truly matter. In school life, there exists no shortage of items that seem critical and urgent. Sometimes they are. Sometimes, they really aren’t. The trick is knowing the difference. Otherwise, it will be difficult to devote time and energy to the things that truly matter.
