Before the Class Comes Marching In

Thanks to my good friend for sharing this prayer from Elspeth Campbell Murphy, who taught first grade in the low country of South Carolina a number of years ago.  This piece, entitled “Before the Class Comes Marching In,” can be found in her refreshing little book Recess: Prayer Meditations for Teachers.  I hope it encourages you as it has me.

Well, Father, what do you think?
The room looks nice, doesn’t it?
Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Relax.  Relax.
Today is the first day of school.
And—depending on the class I get--
today could seem
Like the first day of the rest of my life.
That’s the funny thing about classes,
isn’t it, Lord?
I mean, the Class
seems to have a personality all its own,
in addition to all the personalities in it.
The whole being greater
than the sum of its parts, and all that.
What do you think--
the room looks nice, doesn’t it?
I’ve been thinking about it a lot, Lord,
and there are two messages
I want to get across right from the start:
   “Welcome, child!
   I believe in you!
   Together we can have
    a delightful year
    of learning and growth!”
And:
    “Nobody messes with me, kid!”
I think that just about covers it, Lord!
Breathe in.  Br—
Oh!  That’s the bell.
Just one more thing, Lord.
You’re not going anyplace, are you?