PRAYER OF A TEACHER

Lord of Light and Wisdom, our Master and Guru, help me to remember the greatness of the work / which has been entrusted to me. Help me always / to remember / that I work / with the most precious material in the world, the mind of a child. Help me always to remember / that I am making marks upon that mind / which time will never rub out.

Give me an understanding and a generous heart / to give extra time to those who are slow to learn, and to be patient with those who refuse to learn. When I have to exercise discipline, guide me to do so / with sternness / and yet with gentle love. Keep me from the sarcastic / and the biting tongue; and help me always to encourage / and never to discourage.

Empower me to facilitate these children, not only to store things in their memories, but to strengthen their voices, bodies and minds / so that / they are able to understand the truth / and know the right from wrong. And above all / to love who they are. Amidst the worries and the irritations / and the frustrations of my vocation, help me to remember / that future of the society, the nation, and the world / is in my hands.

Lord, strengthen our bond with one another; and enlighten me / to be more effective in fulfilling this noble task. This I ask for your love’s sake.

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace Where there is hatred, let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon Where there is discord, union Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand, to be loved, as to love, for it is in giving that I receive, it is in pardoning that I am pardoned, and it is in dying that I am born to eternal life. Amen.