By Barry H. Hendrix
“Teaching itself is truly a calling from God,” said Nic Newton, Associate Campus Director at the Thomasville campus of 3Circle Church.
He spoke Aug. 2 at the Thomasville City Schools District Employee Institute in the Thomasville Civic Center. Newton also a 2019 graduate of Thomasville High School.
“Last year, there were 296,000 teachers who decided that they would never teach again,” he said. “Studies have shown us – post-COVID – if you look at every occupation in the United States…K-12 teachers are the most burnout profession.
“…Burnout is the mental or physical collapse that is caused by overworking or stress. …We are literally seeing teachers collapse and they are leaving the profession in multitudes.”
For those teachers who have possibly reached their limit, Newton told the educators “that there is no one on this Earth that can do what God has called you to do.”
Teachers have a direct impact on the next generation, he said. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Across the Thomasville school system, “every student is different,” he said. “Every student comes from a different home, with different parents (and) different socio-economic background.” Along with the curriculum, Newton encouraged the teachers to love and care for their students. “We show an interest in them. We learn their story. …It’s not just about how much we know, it is how much we care.”
Educators can change students’ lives. “You have changed my life,” he said. “…We need educators who will step into the gap and show students that you love them and that you care for them. …I am cheering you on. …I am excited for what God is going to do in Thomasville City Schools this year.”