No substitute for teachers

My mom recently retired from nearly 40 years as an educator. She taught in both public and private schools and was both a teacher and a principal. My brother and sister in-law are both teachers as well. I guess you could say it's kind of that family business.

So it really bothers me the lack of respect teachers often receive today. They're viewed as little more than glorified babysitters and are to blame for their student's problems. In some cultures the title Teacher carries as much prestige as do the monikers Doctor or Lawyer. I often wonder if we attached such distinction to our teachers what effect that would have on the education system.

In our churches though this is even more true. Our Sunday school or small-group teachers are often only those who are willing, not necessarily by those who are qualified. How often are those teaching God's Word only regurgitating what they read in the teacher's manual the night before?

There are certainly many excellent teachers in our churches, I have have some myself. But how much better would our church education systems be if  we placed the highest of honors on those who were called to teach God's Word? They would not be simply the "worker bees" of the church who are willing to do the "dirty work" of the church. Rather they would be esteemed leaders sharing vital knowledge of our Lord to their fellow believers.