Planning, Needs, and Peace

My friend, Jennifer, is a dental hygienist. To do her job well, she has to plan well. To plan well, she has to know her patients well. Before her patients arrive, she cleans her equipment and lays it out neatly. She washes her hands. If her patient is a child, she pulls out the flavored toothpaste. If her patient hasn't been to a dentist in 10 years, she allots extra time to clean his teeth. If her patient has allergies, she checks and re-checks the products she is using. If her patient is pregnant, she does not give x-rays. This takes thoughtful planning and she's a planner. Thank goodness. Good planning, based on the needs of her patients, results in a productive, peaceful environment.

Effective teachers do the same thing. They plan well based on the needs of the learners in their care. They provide a peaceful and loving learning environment with predictability and organization. Their days with students are filled learning, talking, and thinking together. Each day is purposeful and meaningful. And to do that, effective teachers have to know the students and their families very well. It takes hard work, careful planning and meticulous analysis of their needs.

In this season of life, I am a stay-at-home mother of 3 young children and a wife to a busy husband. Although I am not currently a full-time teacher, my role is very much the same. I am working hard to provide a peaceful and loving environment in my home. I am a purposeful planner. I know my kids and my husband very well. Our days are filled learning, talking, and thinking together. And that takes careful planning. It's hard work. But it produces peace and goodness.

Just as being an effective dental hygienist or teacher doesn't just "happen", neither does being an effective wife and mother. Over the next several days I will spend some time sharing with you very practical ways I plan so that our little family grows together and experiences peace in our home.