Four Teachers and a Student

I meet with four of my junior high boys on Sunday evenings. These four guys each have their own challenges: time management, insecurity, selfishness, people pleasing; you know, basically just like adults. I am not only their English teacher, but also their friend, and they mine. We've been going through Experiencing God, which is difficult for junior high guys due to the commitment of time required. But we also talk about personal struggles, leadership, and hearing from God in practical ways. In truth, I think this group is more about my struggles masked through discussions of their lives. How's that for honest?

Justin is a 16 year old 9th grader. He was held back a year for academic struggles and continues to barely make the grade to move on. Yet under this "carelessly immature" exterior, Justin has wisdom and insight that fly in the face of his grades. As Justin has taken off his masks one by one, and I mine, we have found common ground: we both have come to Jesus to be transformed into who we were meant to be. Justin shared that, in part, he doesn't even try to get A's because everyone expects him to not be able to, and because the few times that he tries and does well, such a big fuss is made over him that he feels it's patronizing at best. I can't say that our growing friendship has been the sole contributing factor, but Justin didn't miss one homework assignment in my class this past quarter. I love this guy.

Vincent, or Vinnie, is Justin's younger brother. He's in the eighth grade, a real actor and patron of the stage. He's an honor role student and class favorite, yet struggles with trying to please others. He comes across as fairly mature for his age as he knows when to be serious. Student leadership is my focus with him. He's been vulnerable enough to share his people pleasing struggles, which has naturally made him a stronger leader in his class. It will be fun to watch where this relationship leads over the next couple of years.

Clayton is the cool one in our group. His tussled blond hair and lazy blue eyes make him a favorite with the girls, which often bog down his capacity to focus on the more important things at hand. His heart's desire is to know and please God, but he sometimes gets into near legalistic attempts at holiness without fully confronting the heart issue. Great intentions, just needs some time to refine his technique. It's awesome to hear him share how God speaks to him and shows him the beauty in life, and then watch him seek after that unsurpassable joy full throttle. The skater motif comes into play here.

Spencer is the youngest Goins, our adopted family here. Spencer's older brother, Mitchell, just graduated, making Spencer the heir to a vast dynasty of humor, personality, and moxie. Spencer's a natural comedian. In the annual eighth grade play, Spencer's entrance as a mermaid in the second scene halted the play for over 30 seconds as the audience raucously cat called and hooted with laughter. For eighth graders, that's an eternity to simply stand and wait in front of over 200 viewers. Spencer lives for the moment and the thrill of interaction. We share this characteristic, which makes for some uproarious games of Monopoly, improvised humor, or just being boys.

Our regular get-togethers leave me feeling encouraged, and give us some fabulous inside jokes to chew on throughout the week. Their parents frequently say "thank you" for our meetings; but the real joy comes when they face a situation that I know could be bad for them, and instead they pull through with finesse and maturity. That's when I learn from them. That's when I become the student and they the teachers.