The Role of Role Models

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Joshua 22-24)

“Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” Joshua 24: 31

I was ten years old and I was dreading 4^th grade. Older, wiser students had warned me about the austere woman who would be my teacher. As I entered the classroom, my eyes focused on the cursive letters above the blackboard. I was scared to even glance in her direction. But, happy chatter forced me to look around the room - what was so exciting?

There she was! Or I could say, there she wasn’t! I stared incredulously at the young woman smiling at me. There was no sign of the teacher that I had feared. But, who was this? She walked up to me extending her hand. “I’m Miss Jones and I am your 4^th grade exchange teacher from England!”

“And what is your name?” she asked, her direct gaze sizing me up quickly. I was so dumbstruck that I just stood there and stared at her. She was so beautiful and I had never heard a British accent before.

“You must use good manners and reply when I ask you a question,” she stated with a fleck of humor in her eyes. “Now, I’ll ask you again, dear, what is your name?”

I replied, “My name is Betsy.” I could have added, “Did you hang the moon?” I was already that dazzled by this new teacher.

Fourth grade with Miss Jones proved to be a highlight of my life. She was a wonderful teacher who loved us and regaled us with songs and stories of her country. She taught us about the changing of the guard and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Her descriptions of Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey made them real places we wanted to visit. Everyone tried to please her – even the behavior of the “awful” boys in the class went up a notch and they learned “God Save the Queen.”

One night she came to our house for dinner. I sat next to her and gazed enthralled while she entered into “grown up” conversation with my parents. The next day I reported every bite that she ate to my enrapt classmates. It’s a wonder that she didn’t waddle back to England; everyone wanted Miss Jones to come and eat a meal in their home.

That year I understood what it means to have a year fly by. In June 4^th grade was over and Miss Jones returned to the British Isles. A light had gone out of my life and my heart hurt. I spent the summer climbing the tree in front of my house trying to go high enough to see England. That fall, our fifth grade teacher had the unenviable job of trying to educate “Miss Jones’ students.” We spent many hours at our desks daydreaming about things that our beloved English teacher had taught us.

But she wasn’t really gone. We didn’t forget her and she never forgot us. Letters were sent across the sea. If we wrote her, she wrote us back. We were spellbound over tales of her marriage to the handsome John. My parents visited Miss Jones when they went to Europe, reporting on the beauty of her village, Henley-On-Thames. They brought back pictures of children - her English students.

Our letters continued over the years. I married prince Charlie and had children and grandchildren. A long time later, when her beloved John died, she wrote me about her broken heart and across the ocean I cried tears with her. After his death, she sent me her favorite poetry book filled with comments written in her smooth cursive handwriting. Two Christmases ago, I opened a package containing a hat and a scarf knitted by my dear teacher - now in her eighties. This Christmas there was a message on my answering machine – her British accent assuring me that she was thinking of me.

Joshua was a wonderful role model for the Israelites. The people loved him and respected him. It is recorded in today’s Scripture that “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. (Josh. 24:31)

Who can measure the influence in our lives of the people we admire? They spur us on to be like them. They give us incentives to be all that God made us to be. We never forget them or the things they taught us. The elders who outlived Joshua remembered his leadership so clearly that they served the Lord all the days of their lives. I think about Miss Jones who has been in my life almost sixty years and I tell my grandchildren – “Be a teacher like she was, be a teacher who changes lives!”

How are you doing with the people God puts in your life? Are you a positive person who offers hope and encouragement for them, one who spurs them on to be all that God wants them to be? I know you are. After all, that’s the role of role models!

Bonny Doon

“Ye banks and braes o’ Bonny Doon, How can ye bloom so fresh and fair?How can ye chant, ye little birds, when I am so weary full of care?Ye’ll break my heart, ye warbling birds that warble on the flowery tree,For my false lover stole the rose, and left and left, the thorn with me.”

(One of the many songs that Miss Jones taught us. I sang it to my children and grandchildren when they asked, “Sing ’Bonny Doon’, Grandma!”)