Obviously, teaching is a huge part of my ministry, but I feel God’s calling (for me, essentially, God’s calling and ministry are synonymous) in all aspects of my life. Essentially, God’s ministry for me is to be, as the great philosopher Barney Stinson put it, awesome.
Too often I have thought of God’s calling for me as something big to be done, and usually down the road. As a high school student, my calling was to be a teacher. Now that I have achieved that position, I constantly wonder if I am being called to also coach, or to pursue more advanced degrees, etc. I struggle to remind myself that I am being called to do something awesome each and every day.
In high school, yes, maybe my calling was to be a teacher down the road, but I was missing out on what I was being called to day-in and day-out. Teaching was my burning bush, but was I missing a burning twig or burning blade of grass every day?
Where are these twigs and blades of grass today? As a teacher, I am blessed with the opportunity to interact with hundreds of wonderful souls each and every day. If I think too far ahead, I miss God’s daily ministry for me in the lives of all these people. It sounds like a cliché, but I firmly feel like my ministry is to make each moment better because I was there. To infuse awesome and God into each breath.
My students are always stressed. Many teachers would say the same. Some of it is definitely caused by their drama-filled selves (“Bae, why did you like her Instagram picture?! This is the worst day ever!), though so much of it is totally legit and caused by their environment (SAT-pressure, mass amounts of homework, their Netflix not working for 6 hours). My ministry is to do my best to make the brief time I have with them a time that they will grow in faith, and do so through learning and just enjoying life.
I’m not smart enough to think of anything groundbreaking, so I end up living out this ministry in small ways like:
- Calling a student up to the front of the room and taking 2-5 minutes at the beginning of classes to get to know a different students’ interests (favorite video game, ice cream flavor, favorite Crayola Crayon name, etc.) to get them to get to know each other.
- Having “Will Smith Music Appreciation” at the end of the day
- Notes are essential at times, yet they are not the most exciting time, so giving notes while wearing an Optimus Prime voice-changing helmet to make it more interesting
- Opening their eyes to all of the amazing forms of prayer (music videos, comic books, etc.) that few ever seem to encounter until much later in life
I’m still a newbie teacher of only three years, so I am never confident that I am teaching them in the best way possible. What I am confident in, however, is that I can take all of these little moments that may be mundane and make them full of joy and love. And the beauty of this is I know so many teachers who have the same ministry, and do it far better than I could ever hope to do.
Now, this is not to argue the idea of “just make class fun and exciting, kids will love it!” If you try that as a teacher (as I did my first few weeks) you will come home, cry into your Curious George stuffed animal, and eat an entire box of Oreos (that can’t be just a “me” thing right?).
What this is trying to argue is that my day is filled with hundreds of small interactions with people, mainly students, and it is my ministry to make each moment special in some way. That may be pointing out the connections between sin and (maybe) the worst movie ever made, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. That may be taking the time to pray for a sick parent. It may be making syllabus day (remember that day as a student? That stuff was fun) as entertaining as possible.
In our end of the year evaluations, one student wrote this in response to the question, “What was your favorite part of class?”:
“Your substitute teacher policy. The first day of class that showed me that class would be taken seriously, but we would also be able to find the joy and humor in our daily lives.”
Said substitute teacher policy:
When I am gone, you will be on your BEST behavior for the sub. BEST. When the sub is standing in front of the room, remove him/her from what you see. Instead, imagine that the sub has been replaced by Mother Teresa, who has resurrected from the dead. And she has a sword. That is on fire. And she will decide, right then and there, based on that class alone, whether or not you will get into heaven or hell.
Be on your BEST behavior.
Love you guys!
Tom Kostielney somehow tricked the University of Notre Dame into giving him a BA in Theology and History in 2012, and managed the same feat again in the form of a Masters of Education from Loyola Chicago. His has received the annual “Most Likely to be President” Award 9 years running, as voted on by Tom and his dog, Halsey. He won the “Perfect Attendance” award as a 5th grade student. A native of South Bend, IN, he now lives with his wonderful wife in... South Bend, IN where he is a Theology teacher at Saint Joseph High School. Tom can be contacted at tkostiel@alumni.nd.edu. You could also contact him at his home at any time, just make sure you bring him some cookies. Preferably peanut butter. But he will eat any of them.
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