Mrs. Evans Blog

I saw an interesting picture that someone posted on Facebook that made me think, so I thought I would share my thoughts in writing. I don't think this blog will have anything to do with teaching, but that's okay : ) Here's the picture... My first thought was, "Would he? I really can't picture kind mild shepherd Jesus holding a gun." I realized I had this crazy picture in my head of a younger skinny white man with a beard looking apprehensively at the gun in his hand like it's going to hurt him. This is a ridiculous picture of Jesus! Jesus was kind, fair, righteous, loving, and sinless, when he walked the Earth, but He was also God. God doesn't mess around. He gives people chance after chance after chance to screw up and be forgiven. He has more patience then I can even fathom for putting up with all of us humans and waiting patiently for us to stop being so stupid and obey. There are times and circumstances, however, when God will use violence.

I occasionally have upset parents. Knock on wood, I haven't had very many, but I found this and thought it would be worth remembering! Conferences are tomorrow and while I always hope the parents will understand where I'm coming from and that I'm doing my best, different opinions, disagreements, and misunderstandings can always come up. To deal with an upset parent, the most important thing you can do is diffuse their anger as soon as possible. This is the strategy that worked for me when I was in the classroom. Once I ascertained that the parent was upset (doesn't take long), my first statement was, "I wish I had more parents like you." This stops them in their tracks since they are expecting you to disagree, defend yourself, or even question their motives. I go on to explain that I wish I had more parents like them who cared enough about their child to come to school (or call) about their concerns. It's amazing how this simple and true statement wor