Nadya Popov,
Department of History,
University of West Georgia
[April 1, 2013]—
In Matthew 9:9-13, Jesus is described as habitually keeping company with tax-collectors and sinners, to the point of calling one of them (Matthew himself) as a disciple. When the Pharisees questioned this practice, Jesus famously responded that the sick need the doctor more than the healthy.
The above passage is not, perhaps, one that most readily comes to mind when considering a teaching philosophy based on the Bible and the example of Jesus, but as a professor teaching in a second-tier state university, I am struck by its applicability for me, and its value in examining my attitude toward my students.
Many students who attend my institution, the University of West Georgia, are not as prepared for college as I wish they were. In fact, some are woefully under-prepared by any standard. But while it might be tempting to wish for better students (after all, as professors with hard-earned PhDs, surely we deserve much better students than these!), I have increasingly come to view my job as a God-given ministry.
I can honestly say that my students need me, which might not be the case at another college, where most of the students already have the necessary background, possibly even private school education that has prepared them for college success. In addition to needing me to help them learn, my students also need my emotional support, and often need to know of my confidence in their ability to succeed. So many are working full time, caring for children or ailing parents, and are taking fifteen credits per semester nevertheless.
One of my students habitually does his Greek homework while working night shifts at a gas station. Another student just returned to school after a hiatus of twenty years. Through all of this, I can provide support by being flexible with deadlines when an individual student’s circumstances merit it.
Meeting individually with students outside of class to explain difficult concepts, and giving that much-needed compliment at times, will make a difference between a student’s decision to drop my class, or their choosing to persevere and complete it with a decent grade.
And, ultimately, was this not Jesus’ point? — that we should help those who need us most, rather than those who need us least. In the process, I am reminded that my students actually help me also, because they force me to relinquish the selfish attitudes to which I am prone. This makes me put on Christ in my distinctly secular university workplace.
(c) Nadya Popov 2013