SWENSDAY STUFF
The Teacher’s September Prayer

I’ve always been interested in “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” something that explains people are not ready to learn until the prerequisite needs are met. Meeting those basic needs is often out of a teacher’s control. But there is a way a teacher can increase the odds: Prayer. 

I know. I know. There is no prayer in school. But, I guarantee you, there are teachers that pray. For those who do (and those who may feel the need to), here’s a prayer.

The Teacher’s September Prayer
Swen Nater

Dear sovereign loving God, I beg Thee, please;
September sends me to my humble knees.
I love my students and I gravely plead, 
That this year, Thou wouldst meet their every need.  

I pray that in the homes where they belong,
They get the nourishment to make them strong,
And proper garments made from woven wool,
So they can come in warmth and bellies full.

Oh gracious, kind, and caring God above,
Make every home a place of living love. 
And may that love cause them to weigh their worth,
And know they have a right to be on earth. 

And then, my God, I beg Thee and beseech,
Empow’r me with the proper skill to teach.
And let them learn success is not a grade;
It’s in the try and if the price was paid.  

And when that joyous June bell finally rings,
I pray, I woke their wills to spread their wings,
And spawned a spark to know, inside each heart,
So what they learned from me was just the start.