Even The Darkness Will Not be Dark to You

“Are you okay?” I asked with concern. “Do I look okay to you?” she retorted with vexation. Even though this student is often disengaged from the lessons, I realized something was different about her this particular day and eventually asked if she would like to see a school counselor. The school counselor spoke to her. Though I cannot reveal all that transpired, the next week the student gestured wanting a hug from me. This is a student who is usually disrespectful and defiant to me, but despite my surprise, I hugged her. In typical fashion, a few weeks later, I tried to show her how to log into one of the learning platforms and she repeatedly screamed “Leave me alone!” I stayed steady, did not respond to her yelling, and focused on giving her clear instructions. She eventually followed my directions, got into the system, and completed her assignment. 

It can be frustrating dealing with students who struggle emotionally and academically. We as educators need to stay calm regardless of what our students throw our way. In the past two years, we have experienced worldwide, national, and personal crises. Emotionally many of us are fragile and our students are particularly vulnerable to emotional pain. 

Though the struggles we and our students experience can feel like heavy darkness, God reassures us of his continuous presence. Darkness blinds us to the reality of what is going on and more importantly, it blinds us to the truth of God. Though we are fazed by the struggles we face, the darkness in our world and our personal lives, Psalm 139: 11-12 reminds us that, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” This scripture is telling us that though we are surrounded by darkness, God is undaunted, his vision is not clouded or diminished because of the pain and suffering that we face. Amid trouble, God gives us hope and shows us the way out.

God not only gives us hope but because God lives in us, we outshine the darkness. He gives us clarity. When our students are shrouded in grief, pain, hurt and cannot find their way out, we are their source of light. We are not their source of light in our own strength, but God has given us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us to say and do the right thing for our students despite how they treat us. The Holy Spirit helps us respond to the root of the issues our students face instead of the outward behaviors they display. When we are attentive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and teaching we represent God to our students. We are the light in our schools because the light of the world lives in us and shines through us in the darkness. 

In the instance above, I kept talking to the student even though she was yelling. This is not always prudent, so we have to use wisdom in each situation. There are times when I will leave a student alone if he or she is fuming; this is especially if I know that I am getting emotional about the situation. Unfortunately, there are times when I have let my emotions dictate my reaction. We are humans too, at times, we get upset with our students when we experience continuous disrespect and insolence, so being self-aware and curbing our own emotions is extremely important. If I can keep calm and use a very gentle tone when a student is irate, often he or she  will calm down in a few moments. The reasons for students’ outbursts are, most often, far beyond what is happening in the classroom. 

The scripture reminds us that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). When we respond in gentleness to our students we are showing them the light—the way out of the darkness. Though we are not God, He has entrusted us with His light to shine in the lives of our students.