Ultimate hallway rebellion and Psalm 103

Majority of my class came in this morning in a bad mood. I could sense it from the time the first few walked in the door. I thought to myself that this was going to be quite the day. 7:45am is EARLY... and VERY far away from 3:45pm (dismissal). 

Tantrum after tantrum. Fit after fit. Rude words. Tears. Pushing. Feet stomping. Arms crossed. Eyes rolled. That’s the kind of day my kids had. One student told me she doesn’t like 1st grade anymore and doesn’t like being in my class. She went on and on for about an hour telling me how she wanted to be back in Kindergarten. Apparently Kindergarten is fun and 1st grade is not!

Another student, “K”, had a very tough day too. She didn’t want to do anything I asked her to do. In fact, she did the opposite. I spent most of the morning ignoring her behavior. For some reason I wasn’t that frustrated. I spoke kindly and encouraged her to “make better choices”. It didn’t really work, but I’m glad I didn’t flip out. 

I need to explain hallway procedures at my school. The students are to walk without talking, hands behind their backs and make frequent stops at posted “stop” signs. They are not to touch the walls- ever. So, of course, when one of my lovely children is mad at me, they walk down the hallway, sliding their entire body across the wall. It’s the ultimate form of hallway rebellion. 

K was mad and showed me by doing this. But today I chose a different tactic. I walked beside her in the hall, softly rubbed her back and kept my hand on her shoulder. I couldn’t stop thinking about Psalm 103:8-10.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.

Today, K needed me to be compassionate. And God needed me to show her the kind of grace that He shows me every single day. I found her beside me time after time today hugging my leg and kissing my cheeks. For whatever reason, she had a rough day and had trouble obeying, but what she needed most was to know that I unconditionally loved her. 

Isn’t that what we all want? Unconditional love, forgiveness, grace and compassion. I pray that I can continue to reflect the character of God to my students. I also pray that you are reminded of His great and abounding love for you too.