God, you know me full well;
You see all that I do;
In your book, it is all written.
From Psalm 139:14-16
I think it’s important for us to try to understand some of the things which challenge our fellow humans. As a teacher, I taught reading to those who were having difficulty picking up this skill. I worked with many memorable students. Today, Charley comes to mind. If I had a photo of her to share, you’d immediately notice the sparkle in her eyes and the absolute joy in her smile. She was one of the happiest children I’d ever met on the playground. Sadly, when we walked down the hall to my classroom for reading, everything changed.
In mid-September, Charley announced, “I’m stupid! Stupid! Stu-!” Before she finished that third descriptor, I interrupted. “Charley, you’re not stupid! If you were, you wouldn’t be able to do the work you do in my classroom!” Though she didn’t say another word, tears streamed down Charley’s face as we walked on.
Rather than following my lesson plan that day, I grabbed the books Charley had read for me since our lessons began two weeks earlier. One by one, she read her way to a reluctant smile. When I asked her how she thought she’d done, she shyly responded, “Maybe I’m not stupid.”
Though the program I used to teach Charley to read followed a specific format, I added the textbooks from Charley’s classroom to the mix. When Charley realized that the skills she learned in my classroom were also helpful in her regular classroom, everything changed again; this time, for the better!
Today, will you join me in trying something new to help someone to find joy as only he or she can? Let’s do it!
Dear God, help us to be creative in our efforts to help one another to discover the joy in our lives.
©2024 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved
Mary Penich 
Beautiful