Living with a Living Hope
Robert Dawson
1 Peter 1:3-9
Before Zoom and online classes, one school system developed a program to help children with prolonged illness and hospital stays keep up with their schoolwork. Teachers and tutors would go to the student’s home or the hospital and spend time one on one helping them stay current on their lessons.
One day a teacher who assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child in the hospital. She took the child’s name and room number and conferred briefly with the child’s regular teacher who told her, ‘‘We’re studying nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs,’’ the regular teacher said, ‘‘and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them, so he doesn’t fall too far behind.’’
When she entered the hospital room, she was shocked at what she saw. No one mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in a great deal of pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she introduced herself and said, ‘‘I’ve been sent to help you with your schoolwork, to teach you the parts of speech.’’ When she left, she felt as if she had failed miserably.
The next day a nurse asked what she had said to the young boy. The teacher immediately began to apologize thinking she must have done something wrong. Then the nurse explained that she had done nothing wrong but something right. They had been very worried because the boy had not been responding to treatment or hopeful about his recovery process but ever since the teacher’s visit his attitude had changed. Now he is responding to treatment and is more upbeat. She said, ‘‘He’s fighting back. It’s as though he has decided he’s going to fully recover.’’
A few days later someone asked the young man what changed. He explained that he was discouraged and had given up hope until the teacher arrived. Asked why that made such a difference he said, ‘‘They wouldn’t have sent a teacher to help with schoolwork unless the ...
Robert Dawson
1 Peter 1:3-9
Before Zoom and online classes, one school system developed a program to help children with prolonged illness and hospital stays keep up with their schoolwork. Teachers and tutors would go to the student’s home or the hospital and spend time one on one helping them stay current on their lessons.
One day a teacher who assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child in the hospital. She took the child’s name and room number and conferred briefly with the child’s regular teacher who told her, ‘‘We’re studying nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs,’’ the regular teacher said, ‘‘and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them, so he doesn’t fall too far behind.’’
When she entered the hospital room, she was shocked at what she saw. No one mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in a great deal of pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she introduced herself and said, ‘‘I’ve been sent to help you with your schoolwork, to teach you the parts of speech.’’ When she left, she felt as if she had failed miserably.
The next day a nurse asked what she had said to the young boy. The teacher immediately began to apologize thinking she must have done something wrong. Then the nurse explained that she had done nothing wrong but something right. They had been very worried because the boy had not been responding to treatment or hopeful about his recovery process but ever since the teacher’s visit his attitude had changed. Now he is responding to treatment and is more upbeat. She said, ‘‘He’s fighting back. It’s as though he has decided he’s going to fully recover.’’
A few days later someone asked the young man what changed. He explained that he was discouraged and had given up hope until the teacher arrived. Asked why that made such a difference he said, ‘‘They wouldn’t have sent a teacher to help with schoolwork unless the ...
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