A Devotion by Liz Garrigan-Byerly
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Tenth grade was a tough year for me. I was going through a lot personally and to protect myself, I wore an armor of sarcasm and self-sufficiency (with a heavy dose of eye rolling and head on the desk, a la Claire Danes’ character in “My So Called Life”). Mrs. Snavely, my English teacher was the worst: her cheery disposition that bordered on saccharin, her eternal optimism that collided with my jaded realism, her sing-songy voice that reminded me of nursery school. It wasn’t just the rhythm; it was the actual voice. Because Mrs. Snavely was also my 4-year-old nursery school teacher and that made it all the more terrible (probably because I was embarrassed by how sullen and rude I was in her class).
10 years later, Mrs. Snavely would again become my teacher, in a less traditional way. My husband and I did a year of voluntary service at the same place her husband had 40 years prior and on a church camping trip, we swapped memories and bonded. Since then, she has continued to teach me. We are not close; I only see Mrs. Snavely (I still can’t bring myself to call her Vida Sue!) about once a year, but there is always an instant connection. And from a distance, I have come to learn a great deal from her and her life—how to live faithfully, graciously, hopefully, playfully, lovingly. I’ve even learned how to forgive my teenage self because of her; her consistent and warm embrace of me made it clear that I was loved and treasured no matter what.
Our teachers keep teaching us, whether we have them in multiple classrooms or not, whether we stay connected to them or not, whether they (or even we) know it or not. As I watch “remote learning” unfold in real time (and in my own house), I’ve come to realize and appreciate just how much learning depends on relationship and interactions. I’ve learned that from Mrs. Snavely too.
Heavenly Teacher, thank you for Mrs. Snavely and all the teachers in our lives. Amen.