School Lessons

In just a couple of weeks, kids in my part of the world, Peach County, Georgia, will celebrate the second best day of the year. Christmas is the best, of course, but the last day of school gives it a run for its money.

I remember longing for that last day to arrive. In fact, once I understood that the state of Georgia mandated that the school year last 180 days, I started counting them down. One down, 179 to go. 178, 177, 176 . . . you get the picture. Day 81 meant we had less than 100 left. Nine days later we reached the halfway mark, which should have at least merited a state hoiliday.

In spite of my antipathy toward compulsory education, I actually did learn a little something. A lot, in fact. Here are ten truths I picked up along the way.

1. The basics are essential. Those early years of reading, writing, and arithmetic laid the foundation for everything I've learned since. You don't get far in Algebra, Trigonometry, or Calculus without plain old addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. I hated fractions but I use them all the time. Mr. Canady couldn't have taught me Shakespeare in 9th grade if Mrs. Hiestand hadn't introduced me to "See Mark run" in first grade. College composition courses would have been impossible without the ABCs, grammar, and early writing lessons. It all builds on what came before. Now you know why I think Sunday School for children is so vitally important.

2. Just because I don't remember it doesn't mean it was a waste. They packed a whole lot of information in those 12 years, much of it I digested only long enough to pass the tests. But learning it required a degree of discipline and a bit of perseverance, both of which have come in handy. I learned to organize my thoughts, to express myself, to think in new ways. While I don't use Calculus or Physics in my life, I deeply appreciate the logic they instilled in me. About all I remember of Shakespeare is that Romeo and Juliet had it really bad for each other. But I also know that Literature stuff has helped me read and interpret Scripture and it's challenged me in my own writing. Even if I don't recall the specifics.

3. I'm really grateful that it wasn't all fun. OK, I really appreciate teachers, speakers, professors who are able to make things interesting. But life isn't one big trip to Disney Land. Sometimes you have to stay focused and grit through, and hopefully you learn something in the process. I hope people remember that during some of my sermons!

4. Typing was the most practical class I took. I know, now they call it something cool like keyboarding. I took it twice, once in Junior High and then again in High School. My first class was with a massive manual with keys you had to bang hard. We used erasure tape to get rid of mistakes - I went through about a half mile of that stuff! But I learned where to put my fingers. That was a start. In High School, we graduated to electric machines that still required the tape but were much faster. I use typing every single day. In fact, I'm using it right now. Boy, am I grateful for those two classes!

5. Every teacher taught me something valuable. Some were better than others. Some, in fact, were fantastic. A few, honestly, should have been doing something else. Some were fun, others grouchy, a couple came across as people I wouldn't want for neighbors. Some were demanding and picky, others were easy to please. A bunch were inspiring or challenging and I had one or two who offended me and discouraged me. Forget the subject matter or the material they taught, I got a tremendous takeaway - Every one of us will experience that same cross-section of humanity our entire lives. Deal with it.

6. 8th Grade Woodshop was a lifechanger. We took an entire quarter to make a lamp, first cutting, sanding, and staining a piece of wood to which we would affix the arm of the lamp which would hold the bulb. Said arm had to be cut with a gently curved edge, sanded, and stained. We drilled a hole the length of the arm and then turned a right angle upward. The electric cord was inserted in this tunnel and the housing for the bulb was screwed to the top of the arm. We would scrounge up bulbs at home. Mr. Cone, my teacher, gave me a B- for my lamp. This was grade inflation at its best. My mother, upon seeing my handiwork, held it in her hands, turning it this way and that, studied it some more, and then asked, "Is this supposed to be a shark's fin?" I knew then that I would not spend my life working with tools. The takeway is that it's just as important to learn what you're not good at as it is to learn your talents.

7. 12th Grade Calculus was also a lifechanger. My plan was to study some sort of Engineering at Georgia Tech with three of my buddies - Mike Sanders, Ken D'Amico, and Russ Creecy. This seemed a logical path as my mother had been a high school Math teacher and my father studied Civil Engineering and was a general contractor. Then, Mrs. Wiley returned one of our tests in Calculus class. My three buddies all made in the 90s. I made a 43. That's not a typo. 43. Out of 100. Part of the reason I wasn't good in Calculus was that I absolutely hated it. Why, then, would I ever think I'd enjoy Georgia Tech's heavy Math curriculum? Or that I'd even make it through Georgia Tech? Or that I'd enjoy working the rest of my life in a field that used Math all the time? The line from Calculus class to ordained ministry wasn't a straight one, but Romans 8:28 definitely connected the two. It says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." (English Standard Version) All things - even 43s on Calculus tests!

8. Every kid should ride the school bus, at least for a while. I actually enjoyed riding the bus, once I got over the trauma of having students from all 12 grades packed into the same rolling metal tube. And I do mean packed. Every seat had at least three riders. We crammed the aisle with the bus patrol ordering us, "Squeeze together and move to the back!" That was my introduction to the bus; thankfully, the central office shuffled things up and reduced the houses on our route. I ultimately learned two great lessons on the bus. First, a major part of education isn't what's in the textbooks or taught in the classroom. It's the whole "socialization" process, the getting to know folks and learning how to simply be a friend. School buses are a great place to learn that. So are school cafeterias, lockerrooms, the hallways. Second, the bus gave me a broader and deeper perspective of my classmates. Seeing their houses gave me a glimpse into their lives, one I might have never seen. I wish I could say it made me a kinder, more gracious person back during my school days. It didn't . Sure, I was a slow learner, but those bus rides eventuallly gave me a greater empathy for others. Eventually.

9. Every great accomplishment comes with a price. I often tell people that I "graduated in the top 10% of the bottom 50% of my class." Just about as average as you can be, but one moment from sixth grade stands out. My buddy Mark Hearn was in another class, which meant he sat at a different lunchroom table. His friends put him up to seeing how many cartons of milk he could drink during one lunch period. He polished off five and a half of the 8 ounce containers. Indignant that Mark's class held the record, my classmates dared me (the smallest boy in the class) to meet the challenge. In order to maximize my stomach capacity, I ate only a serving of green beans while chugging chocolate milk. Six cartons (approximately 3 pints) later, I held the Milk Drinking title. My teacher, Mrs. Friedman, was not impressed, particularly when all that milk and those green beans came back up in the Main Hall lobby. The next day, our principal instituted the "Three Milk Rule," which means I remain the undisputed milk drinking champion of Fayette County Elementary School. Getting sick was a small price for such a heady honor, I think. But it reminds me that all things come with associated costs. Wisdom comes in determining those costs and weighing them against the benefits (See Luke 14:25-33 for Jesus's perspective on this).

10. This, too, shall pass. I told you I counted down the days each year. I counted down the years as well. Sometimes it seemed that Summer, sweet Summer, would never come. Graduation Day seemed like a mirage in the far off distance. Then, before I knew it, I was a senior at Fayette County High School and only 180 days stood between me and that diploma. They called my name and I walked across that stage and into a new realm of life, taking a powerful lesson with me - This, too, shall pass. That truth reminded me to cherish the days when our sons were boys. It whispered reassurance when things got tough. It got me through challenges, heartaches, and headaches. It made me slow down and appreciate the wonders and the joys. Nothing lasts forever, at least not on this earth. We just have to stay faithful and keep going.

    
    

See, my teachers didn't labor in vain. In fact, they had a huge impact on my life and every single day, I'm grateful for the incredible gift of education.

And, one other lesson I picked up from my parents and my Sunday School teachers, my preacher and my youth leaders and the good folks at church - I was never alone, not for a single second. God was with me through it all, even when I was counting down the days until Summer. He had me in the palm of His hand - no matter what, no matter where.