“Protective Pile”

Dear Teacher,

On my honeymoon eighteen years ago, my newlywed and I did a tourist excursion to a Tahitian bay.  There, in the shallow, teal blue waters, armed with bits of fish, we petted and played with the swarms of stings rays.  We ran our hands over their smooth backs, carefully avoiding their sharp tails and underside mouth opening.  

Stingrays, it turns out, are carefully avoided by soft shelled crabs, as well.  With a propensity to eat up to fifty a day, the rays hoover up any crustaceans who have lost their shell.  Vulnerable to these hunters, the crabs without protective defensives are forced to rely on their fellow crab-mates to create a protective defense with their own shells.  Running for cover, the unshelled crab is buried in a pile of shelled teammates, all working together to ward off the enemy ray.

And you, teacher, there in your classroom, carefully avoid the Enemy every day.  With a propensity to attack the weak and vulnerable, He preys on those without a defense mechanism, those without trauma protective factors.  He often uses tactics of poor homelife, anxiety, and depression to suck up his victims.  

Nevertheless, there you are, a shelter to which students can figuratively and literally run, offering security and safety in your classroom environment.  You fight off attacks with veracity, working together with administrators, parents, and fellow teachers to protect their hearts and minds from succumbing.  You "keep awake" and "watch at all times, [because you know] the devil is working against you.  He is walking around...with his mouth open.  He is looking for someone to eat" (I Peter 5:8, NLV).

Thank you for piling with me on behalf of students,
Mindy Salyers
Christian School Counselor