The clear-cut basics of prayer
To be honest, I had first-time jitters about participating in the faculty blog, but it’s hard to say no to Father Sidney. So after accepting, I reviewed the assigned reading. The Lord’s Prayer. No pressure there. Only the most well-known prayer in the western world, perhaps because of Christ’s admonition right before it. He literally says, "This is how you are to pray.” Seriously, could He have been any clearer?
As a freshman English teacher, I too start with the clear-cut basics - like a sentence - and build from there. I make it as simple and straightforward as I can. Why? Because I know my audience, and sometimes teaching freshmen has more in common with trying to herd two dozen hamsters spazzed out on Skittles through the Minotaur’s Labyrinth than it does with Robin William’s carpe diem experience in the movie, Dead Poets Society. Just ask any freshman teacher the week before Spring Break. Added to that, have I ever had an essay turned in that was perfect (or even close to it)? That needed no more work, no revision, no editing, no polishing? No. Never. In over thirty years of teaching. Not one.
To some, that might seem depressing, but as a teacher, I don’t care much about where they start. If I have twenty students in a class, I have twenty different starting places. But—and this is the important part—regardless of where they start, I know that every one of them can walk out of my class writing better than when they started. Each one can move on to write well about what truly matters. The significance is not where they begin, but that they do begin. Yes, it takes effort, attention to instructions, learning from mistakes, and practice. Lots of practice.
And so it is, I believe, with the Lord‘s Prayer. Is it a difficult prayer? Not really. It’s fairly short and fairly simple. Even easily memorized. So why would the God of all creation, the Crafter of all language, give us something so simple to pray? Perhaps it’s because He knew (and knows) the type of students He’s working with. Knows we are all starting at different places. Knows that sometimes we’d rather fill the void with “many words” that take little thought and even less effort. Knows we all have our spazzed-out-on-Skittles days. Yet, He also knows that if we pay attention, put some effort into it, learn from our mistakes, and practice, we can get it right. Maybe that’s the point. I know it is with my English students. With practice, they will continue to gain ground far beyond a simple Of Mice and Men English essay. They will go on to write papers, responses, blog posts, poems, articles, and stories that will impact a world. So, maybe it’s time to practice The Lord’s Prayer. Practice until we, too, get it right—in word, in deed, in life. Until we too impact the world.
Author: Valerie Souders, English Department
To some, that might seem depressing, but as a teacher, I don’t care much about where they start. If I have twenty students in a class, I have twenty different starting places. But—and this is the important part—regardless of where they start, I know that every one of them can walk out of my class writing better than when they started. Each one can move on to write well about what truly matters. The significance is not where they begin, but that they do begin. Yes, it takes effort, attention to instructions, learning from mistakes, and practice. Lots of practice.
And so it is, I believe, with the Lord‘s Prayer. Is it a difficult prayer? Not really. It’s fairly short and fairly simple. Even easily memorized. So why would the God of all creation, the Crafter of all language, give us something so simple to pray? Perhaps it’s because He knew (and knows) the type of students He’s working with. Knows we are all starting at different places. Knows that sometimes we’d rather fill the void with “many words” that take little thought and even less effort. Knows we all have our spazzed-out-on-Skittles days. Yet, He also knows that if we pay attention, put some effort into it, learn from our mistakes, and practice, we can get it right. Maybe that’s the point. I know it is with my English students. With practice, they will continue to gain ground far beyond a simple Of Mice and Men English essay. They will go on to write papers, responses, blog posts, poems, articles, and stories that will impact a world. So, maybe it’s time to practice The Lord’s Prayer. Practice until we, too, get it right—in word, in deed, in life. Until we too impact the world.
Author: Valerie Souders, English Department
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