"do everything without complaining...."

What should I say?

"Gilbert is a constant complainer, and this is a drain on his teacher's enthusiasm for teaching him."

or:

"It is our hope that Gilbert will display a more positive attitude in spite of challenges."

Don't worry: the second one is obviously the better choice since it is about 1,000x more polite. Also, I do not have a student named Gilbert and I don't have any students who are constant complainers! This week, grades for the first quarter are due, and we teachers have been given the task of making comments for each of the students in our homerooms. As I have reflected about my students, I have been struck with two things:

1. I don't like it when students complain.

2. I have a complaining spirit about students complaining.

Ha ha. the irony.

In fact, it would be accurate to say that I have been this way for a long time- complaining and judgmental about people who complain. I remember judging some peers in high school who complained a lot.

How can I say one thing on report card comments about students needing to have a more positive attitude, when I myself have a complaining spirit in my heart about their lack of a positive attitude? School is very challenging-- and it difficult to have a positive attitude! If I want to help my students have a more positive attitude, one of the better things I can do is to pray that God would help ME to have an honestly positive attitude. If I preach one thing but think another way inwardly, this hypocrisy will eventually seep out in my actions in front of my students.

My students do give me a lot of joy. I'm thankful that they are very respectful and do love to learn and love life! Last week, I substitute taught Bible class for a fellow teacher who was sick. I was to give them a quiz, yet this quiz did not take quite as long as expected. So with the extra time we played Bible trivia. It was a Friday afternoon, last period, and the students were in, well, the kind of mood you would expect them to be in during last period on a Friday afternoon. And I didn't do anything to try to alter that mood- perhaps I am a naive new teacher? In any case, our game of Bible trivia memorably lapsed into this:

They are so funny. I am thankful for my students and I pray that God is using/will use me to help them grow in knowledge, wisdom and stature. I really can't complain :) Thank you for your support of me and for your prayers for ministry here at this school! It is by God's grace that I am here to live, work and serve.......with hopefully an uncomplaining servant's heart!

Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing...."

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."