Choose your circle well
Who we surround ourselves with matters
Soph girl: Yay, I sit by you now!
Me: Listen, I always will put the Soph students I like most by my desk second semester.
Soph (looks around at who is sitting in the area): Oh, it makes sense now!
Who we surround yourselves with matters, at any age. In the classroom, I typically sit students by my desk who are, well, less of a handful. To be fair, I am not at my desk often as I prefer to walk around and ensure students are actually doing their work. But there are days, there are days we all need a breather (and I need to grade essays).
In all fairness, I have had great classes the last two years and have not paid much attention to who is sitting where because they have all made me laugh. But there are times, especially with younger classes, I am a bit more selective with who is closer to my desk. Should I be admitting this? Maybe not, but it is my reality.
On the day mentioned above, one of the girls I loved having in class commented about sitting by me. Her class was, well, full of characters. And I can freely admit I arranged the seating chart with certain students closest to me. (We can also call this: how I survived the school year.)
After our short conversation, leaving us both laughing, she and the classmates near her began discussing the importance of who you sit by and what a difference it makes. The same holds true at any age: who we surround ourselves with matters.
I am sure we have all experienced this. There are people who make us feel empowered, joyful, more positive about whatever lies ahead. And there are people who drain us and seem to suck the very life out of us. Man, that latter group of people. We smile, and nod, and try to stay positive while our shoulders begin sagging and our mood takes a downward spiral.
In students, I have watched positive, happy students become withdrawn and sullen. I have seen students transform from straight A students to struggling to get any assignments turned in. Why? They become like the people they are surrounded by. Is this the case one hundred percent of the time? Of course not. But when students are suddenly in trouble all the time, there’s typically been a shift in who they are spending their time with.
With each passing year, my own circle keeps decreasing. Do I love people? Of course, and I always will. But I do not need a large group of friends like I did when I was younger. Give me a small circle of friends who will challenge me, hold me accountable, pray for me, and keep pointing me towards Jesus any day. And hopefully, my students will learn to do the same.