An old Russian proverb says that God writes straight with crooked lines. Anyone who has taught in Catholic schools knows the truth of this. You can spend hours and hours on a lesson, only to have it fall apart in front of you in the classroom. And then the next day, after a lesson which you quickly pulled together with string and baling wire, a student will come up to you and say, “That was a great class. I never really thought about God like that before.”
It’s like trying to bowl a strike, but ending up doing what this guy did on his third throw:
You just never know what you’re going to hit. It may not be what you were aiming for, but with God’s grace, you’re going to hit something.
I like the idea of being a “crazy” bowler as a teacher, especially looking at this as a metaphor for how we, as teachers, need to change our teaching methods to adapt to the changes that are taking place in education today.
We can keep on going down the same narrow lane we have always followed, and keep bowling in the same way we are most comfortable with. We will still get some strikes and spares with our students. Or we can try an approach that for us may seem to be unconventional, different or “crazy”, as this guy did. It may not be the easiest or most comfortable way for us at first. However, as with everything in life, with God’s help we will get those strikes and spares that will provide more “wow” and unforgettable educational experiences for our students.
“You just never know what you’re going to hit. It may not be what you were aiming for, but with God’s grace, you’re going to hit something.” This comment makes me think of what happens when we listen to Scripture readings. Whatever we might be worrying about, or something may be weighing heavy on hearts we hear hear bits of inspiration in the readings. Sometimes we might not hear the whole story, but just one thing might pop out and hit home. In the same sense, our lessons are sometimes taken in deifferent ways. What you might be teaching, the students could be getting out of the lesson something different. It might be something we did not plan for. It could be something totally different, like how we show our kindness to someone needing assistance.
The crazy bowler reminds me of life in general. We plan and prepare and expect things to happen in a certain pattern. The same is true of our efforts in the classroom. We work hard,plan,organize, and present our lesson. It is imortant to remind ourselves to be open to change. Some things we are not able to control. Our students each respond in a different way at different times. I pray to God each day for the right words and actions. I know that my day will be guided.