Dear Evelyn,

Sometimes, we think teachers are being mean when they are only asking us to do what we are supposed to be doing. For example, when I am talking with a friend in class, and the teacher says “Mark, you need to pay attention and quit talking to your friend!” I might say, “My teacher is so mean!” But my teacher really isn’t being mean. My teacher is only doing his or her job, trying to teach me the best they can.

Also, we need to remember two important things –

1. Teachers are human beings, and human beings make mistakes
2. God often places certain teachers where they are because they are good teachers, and we can learn from them. We should always respect those people who are in authority.

Now, I suppose the first thing I would do, at your age, is to talk to my mom and dad about the teacher, and why you feel that the teacher is being mean. If your mom and dad agree, they can talk to the teacher about it. If the teacher is still being mean, they may choose to talk to the principal about the teacher’s behavior. Let your mom and dad handle the situation with your teacher, but you keep trying to be as nice and kind and respectful toward your teacher, just like Jesus would. Maybe the teacher needs a little more of Jesus’ love. And pray for your teacher. Maybe the teacher is having some troubles that you don’t know about. We should always try to show the love of Jesus to those around us, even our teachers J

Thanks for writing, and remember, there's never been a better time to share Jesus!

Your friend, Pastor Howard

Note: All Scripture references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated.