{"id":16803,"date":"2026-03-10T13:23:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/a-first-year-teacher-learns-an-important-lesson\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:02:23","slug":"a-first-year-teacher-learns-an-important-lesson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/a-first-year-teacher-learns-an-important-lesson\/","title":{"rendered":"A First-Year Teacher Learns an Important Lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With my degree in education and an internship in a high school under my belt, I felt ready for my first real job teaching fourth graders. I prepared clear lesson objectives and plans for how to meet them. I broke down complicated ideas into concepts kids at this level could understand. Then I got into the classroom, and it all fell apart. <em>Why isn\u2019t this working?<\/em> I thought at the end of <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/how-to-make-encouragement-a-habit\/\">another discouraging day<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Many of my students were living in poverty, which could make every aspect of their lives more difficult. I knew that going in, but I thought I had the tools to reach any child. I didn\u2019t. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/life-advice\/finding-life-purpose\/what-failure-can-teach-us\/\">I failed<\/a> to keep the class focused. Students ran around, sometimes got into fights, then flew out the door the second the bell rang.<\/p>\n<p>One child in particular really concerned me. I pushed in the chair at his empty desk. He barely paid attention and sometimes fell asleep on his books. I suspected he wasn\u2019t getting enough to eat at home. Other children made fun of his dirty clothes. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/people-helping-people\/make-a-difference-in-a-teens-life\/\">How could I begin to make a difference?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It was tempting to think my job was impossible, but I knew that wasn\u2019t true. I had proof right across the hall, in Marcia\u2019s classroom. Marcia taught third grade. She was a bundle of energy, <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/people-helping-people\/someone-cares-a-bag-of-sunshine\/\">a ray of sunshine<\/a> in her kids\u2019 lives. The children ran up to her in the hall, gave her hugs. <em>My kids don\u2019t even like me,<\/em> I thought, turning out the lights in my room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSee you tomorrow!\u201d Marcia called as I passed her door.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/daily-devotions\/devotions-for-inspiration\/a-prayer-for-a-better-tomorrow\/\"><em>Tomorrow<\/em>, I thought.<\/a> <em>Is there something I could do differently?<\/em> I\u2019d already tried every prompt and technique I\u2019d learned in school. Maybe I had more to learn from the best teacher I knew: Marcia.<\/p>\n<p>The next day, while my children were at gym class, I asked Marcia if I could observe her for a while. What a contrast. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/how-to-wash-your-hands-with-prayer-and-song\/\">\u201cHow about a song,\u201d<\/a> she said, taking out a guitar. \u201cA song about verbs!\u201d The children cheered.<\/p>\n<p>Who had time for singing? How would Marcia ever get through her lessons? I spent my whole day watching the clock, watching the minutes slip away without progress. Marcia seemed to have all the time in the world\u2014not just for singing, but for each child. When one even looked a bit lost, she walked over to the student\u2019s desk and dropped to her knees to give up-close attention. And that was just the beginning. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/her-new-teaching-partner-taught-her-to-be-open-to-change\/\">Her students were engaged, always interested in the lesson.<\/a> The only difference between our classrooms was Marcia herself.<\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t wait to put some of the things I\u2019d learned into practice. It wasn\u2019t easy at first, ignoring my lesson plans. But I discovered I enjoyed walking from desk to desk, talking to my students one-on-one, getting to know them as individuals. They responded in kind. Following Marcia\u2019s lead, I broke them into small groups to work together, and moved desks around in clusters for <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/angels-and-miracles\/angels\/a-sunflower-project-helped-her-student-thrive\/\">special projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Marcia liked what she saw when she came to my room at the end of the week. But even with all <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/the-positive-power-of-trying-something-new\/\">my new skills<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t enough to reach the student I was most worried about. \u201cHe just can\u2019t focus, won\u2019t do his homework,\u201d I told her in private.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFriend,\u201d Marcia said seriously, \u201cthis might not be easy for you to hear. But if he\u2019s not learning, you\u2019re not teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat more can I do? <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/faith-prayer-devotions\/when-facing-fear-turn-to-god-first\/\">I fear<\/a> he won\u2019t pass the state test at the end of the year. I don\u2019t know how to make the lessons any simpler\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not teaching a lesson,\u201d said Marcia, cutting me off. \u201cYou\u2019re teaching a child. The child comes first, every time. He\u2019s more important than reading or writing or any state test. You have to give him whatever he needs to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut how?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe start with his physical needs,\u201d Marcia said. \u201cThen we get to know him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have his records from last year\u2026\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t bother with that. He needs <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/life-advice\/how-to-pray-for-a-fresh-start-after-a-setback\/\">a fresh start<\/a>. On Monday, I want you to come to school with a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly. Set up a special place for him\u2014that closet is a good spot, if you move your supplies. Bring a bar of soap and a washcloth for him to use at the sink. Collect some clean clothes for him.\u201d Marcia gave me a wink. \u201cThat\u2019s <em>your<\/em> homework.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/life-advice\/managing-life-changes\/be-prepared-for-lifes-storms\/\">I was prepared<\/a> on Monday. At recess, I asked the young man to stay inside with me. \u201cI have a surprise,\u201d I said. I led him to the sink and offered him the washcloth for his hands and face. Then came the difficult part. \u201cYour momma needs your help,\u201d I told him. \u201cI\u2019m going to help you help her by teaching you how to stay clean and make a sandwich. Do you think you can do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded. I showed him where I\u2019d set up a desk, a place where he could go if he wanted to take a break or even a nap, or to change into the fresh clothes I\u2019d brought. \u201cThis is your spot whenever you need it,\u201d I explained to him.<\/p>\n<p>The other children noticed him in his special place when they returned, but they understood he wasn\u2019t in trouble. Later on, I sent him to the office with a note so I could talk to the class about how bad it feels to be made fun of. Once the children imagined how they would feel in his place, they didn\u2019t want to tease him anymore. There would be <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/no-gifts-please-just-compassion\/\">no state test on compassion<\/a>, but I couldn\u2019t think of a more important lesson for anyone.<\/p>\n<p>Marcia\u2019s advice wasn\u2019t just for students in dire circumstances. Every student had things going on in their life that affected their progress. I started paying attention to expressions and body language. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/parenting\/teenagers\/how-to-handle-frustration\/\">If I saw frustration<\/a>, we\u2019d all gather on the floor for a story or a snack. Most times, the kids returned to their lesson rejuvenated.<\/p>\n<p>I began to look forward to work each day. I arrived early, but never before Marcia. One morning, I noticed her standing by one of her students\u2019 desks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery morning I stop by each desk to <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/prayer\/inspirational-prayers\/prayers-for-a-new-kind-of-school-year\/\">pray for the student<\/a> who sits there,\u201d she said. Leave it to Marcia to have one more lesson to teach me, perhaps the most important one of all.<\/p>\n<p>Marcia left our school at the end of the year, but her legacy lived on in the students she prepared for the world, and also in me. She inspired me every day of my 40-year career, as <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/giving-thanks-to-god\/\">I thanked God<\/a> for giving me the chance to teach each child, and for sending Marcia to teach me.<\/p>\n<p><em>For more angelic stories, subscribe to <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopguideposts.org\/angels-on-earth-magazine.html?_gl=1*1rrvow6*_ga*ODI4NjUyNC4xNjA2NzUxNjE0*_ga_GNQ31K0F2R*MTY3NjQyMjU2NC45NzQuMS4xNjc2NDIyOTc1LjAuMC4w&amp;_ga=2.241471682.1914865567.1676422580-8286524.1606751614\"><strong>Angels on Earth<\/strong><\/a><em> magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With my degree in education and an internship in a high school under my belt, I felt ready for my first real job teaching fourth graders. I prepared clear lesson objectives and plans for how to meet them. I broke down complicated ideas into concepts kids at this level could understand. Then I got into [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":27093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[19,34,50,51],"ppma_author":[1908],"class_list":["post-16803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-stories","tag-angels-on-earth","tag-child","tag-compassion","tag-inspirational-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A First-Year Teacher Learns an Important Lesson - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A First-Year Teacher Learns an Important Lesson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With my degree in education and an internship in a high school under my belt, I felt ready for my first real job teaching fourth graders. 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