Tidbits for Teachers are regular SHORT inspirations and tips to bring hope and encouragement to teachers in all settings. I hope to give you a shot in the arm and remind you why you chose this career in the first place.
Entertaining Strangers
Hospitality is not something I typically associate with teachers…not in the sense of my usual definition anyway. I was raised in the South where hospitality means food, conversation, and laughter. It is sitting around the table and connecting with guests before tucking them into clean sheets and a warm comforter at night. It means taking care of your guests needs before they know they have them. The word derives from the Latin word hospes meaning –host, guest, stranger. The ity at the end means -the condition of being. Hospitality is the condition of being a host to a guest or stranger. Typically, I think of it as something I show at home, not at work. However, I think there is such a thing as an attitude of hospitality, therefore it is something you can take with you.
As teachers we invite children and their parents into our spaces. We work so very hard to make those spaces pleasant places to be for that very reason, so they feel comfortable. We make every effort to meet their needs before they know they have them. We want them to feel welcomed and cared for. At the beginning of the year we are welcoming strangers. They are our guests. It is a completely different skill set than teaching lessons, and we are good at it…even if we weren’t raised in the South. 🙂
Continue in brotherly love. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2
P.S. Teachers already know that those strangers who show up in our spaces are angels.