I will be the first to admit that I married above myself!

Last week, I went with Kim to her school’s Open House. It was an opportunity for parents and students to meet teachers and prepare for the school year ahead.

The only reason I went was to spend time with Kim. It was a two-hour event, and with the time it took us to travel to and from her school, it was well over 3 hours away from home, and I didn’t want to be away from her for that long. So, I packed my laptop, my Greek Interlinear New Testament, and spent the evening working at a table, out of Kim’s way as she met with students and parents.

But there was something else I was doing. I was watching Kim.

She never ceases to give me reasons to admire her, and the evening of her Open House was no different. The way she interacted with the students and parents made me so happy for her students this year.

When an adult brought a student into Kim’s room (and there was a long line in the hallway outside her door most of the night), Kim immediately engaged with the student, not the parent. She smiled as she reached out her hand to shake her incoming student’s hand, complimented them on their firm handshake or good eye contact, asked their name, what period they would be in her class, and any number of other questions that came to mind.

Multiple times, parents were prepared to talk to Kim about their students, but they saw what Kim was doing (valuing their child by engaging primarily with them), and the parents stepped back and let the conversation happen as many of them smiled in affirmation. They brought up their questions after Kim made their child feel comfortable and valued.

I saw one family where the dad and mom stepped back and let their daughter and son engage with Kim. However, it became immediately clear that the daughter was incredibly shy, and her brother (not one of Kim’s students) gladly talked for her. The sister seemed paralyzed with fear in front of Kim and couldn’t talk. Kim gently continued to engage with her, and she soon opened up and started talking. The mom saw what was happening and stepped over to her son, letting him know to step away and let his sister engage with Kim without interruption.

There were many students who were returning to Art class who had Kim last year. Almost without fail, they reached out to hug Kim as smiles beamed across their faces. There were even a few students that Kim had in art last year who came back just to say “hi,” get a hug, and say how much they wished they could have her for art this year.

Finally, there were some adults who felt the freedom to briefly talk about some of their struggles. One was a new teacher. I watched as Kim gently gave encouragement and counsel that elicited a “Thank you so much!” from the anxious teacher.

There is a reason that all three of our sons are doing so well in life in spite of some difficulties they’ve had to work through. Kim has instilled so many wonderful attributes in them that have prepared them to make the most of the life God has given to them. Kim is now doing that with other parents’ children.

I never run out of reasons to be overjoyed that Kim is my wife and she is our sons’ Mom!

But today, she isn’t merely engaged with one student at a time. It’s the first day back for students after a long, unstructured summer break (think mass chaos). And every one of her classes has well over 30 students.

I’ve been praying for her off and on all day. Students need teachers like her who don’t merely instill content but also character and help them in some small way toward mature adulthood.