A Teacher's Prayer

A sculptor took a piece of clay
and molded perfectly
The figure of a little child,
so beautiful to see
But when I held it in my hand,
no warmth of life was there
Its cold, unchangeless beauty
was all that it could share.

God sent a little child to me
that I might supervise
The teaching that would satisfy
the wonder in his eyes;
And when I took his little hand,
to guide him on his way,
I felt the warmth of trust and love
He shares with me each day.

I wanted to teach my students how
To live this life on earth.
To face its struggles and its strife
And to improve their worth.

Not just the lesson in a book
Or how the rivers flow,
but how to choose the proper path
where ever they may go.

To understand eternal truth
and know the right from wrong
and gather all the beauty of
a flower and a song

For if I helped the world to grow
in wisdom and in grace
then I feel that I have won
and I have filled my place.

"And so, dear God, I come to Thee,
in all humility,
To ask for wisdom, strength and love
that I may always be
The kind of teacher who can help,
in some kind, loving way,
To mold a better, stronger child
with every passing day."