Running head: MATTHEW 14:22-33 NAB

Matthew 14:22-33 NAB

Cassandra L. Key

EDUC 5340 Studies in Effective Classroom Management

Professor Dr. Kristy Duckworth
East Texas Baptist University

November 10, 2014

Version 1.0

MATTHEW 14:22-33 NAB

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
It is a ghost, they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.
Peter said to him in reply,
Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.
He said, Come.
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
Truly, you are the Son of God.
I love this passage. It reminds me to keep the Lord central in my life; he is my guide in
everything I do. In my current cooperating classroom I have 3 especially challenging students
with a wide variety of needs. The first, (X), has not yet been evaluated for Special Ed, but he
desperately needs that sort of intervention. The second, (K), struggles with reading, behavioral
issues, and most recently, has been displaced from his home because it caught fire. These 2 boys
are constantly on my mind, and occupy the vast majority of my time in the classroom. I know

MATTHEW 14:22-33 NAB

how important it is to establish relationships with them, like the passage above, I try to be like
Jesus and encourage these children to trust me to keep them above water. I work with them one
on one several times a day on behavior, classwork, additional instruction, and whatever is
needed.
Also, like Peter, I know the children want to trust me but they have a lot of fear. I have to
remind myself that their misbehavior is not about me, but is instead about getting attention or
avoiding something, whether it is the classwork or embarrassment over not being able to read the
passage, they are seeking something. I must remember that they may feel like the disciples at
times, lost at sea, confused and scared because they cant understand the work, they cant read
the problems in math. Getting them to trust me is a major part of establishing a relationship with
them. By getting to know them, understanding their difficulties and struggles, and
communicating to them how much I care will only help to motivate them to find success.
Working with these boys is a daily challenge for me because they constantly push me out of my
comfort zone, they make me feel lost at sea or like Im not keeping my head above water. It is in
those times that I have to remind myself that the Lord called me into education for a reason, to
help and influence young lives for the better.