When my godson, Connor, was an infant, he was fascinated with kitchen cabinets. Whenever the pantry cabinet was left open, Connor would frantically crawl toward it, eager to explore the shelves of interesting boxes. If successful, he would shake them, entertained by the sound of dry pasta or rice rattling inside. And Connor was especially delighted when a box opened and his shaking produced both noise and a mess!

On one occasion, Connor’s mother filmed him crawling toward the cabinet. He pulled himself across the kitchen floor on his belly until his mother called, “Connor, no. Come here.”

Connor paused and turned to look at her. Then, with an impish grin and a twinkle in his eye, he turned back toward the cabinet and moved even faster.

“Connor, come here,” she gently called again.

He paused and glanced back, looking from his mother to the cabinet as though weighing his options. A third time, she called. He hesitated – longer this time – and then, with grunts and whining complaints, crawled to his mother.

Why did Connor listen to his mother’s command? He was a baby. He did not understand the dangers of the cabinet or the inconvenience of the mess. What Connor did know was the voice of his mother as someone who loved him.

The beginning of the school year is a dynamic time in the classroom. Teachers are busy establishing routines and setting expectations. We are also building relationships; we are learning about our students so that we might love them well. Like Connor’s mother, we desire more than outward compliance. We hope to cultivate obedience rooted in right relationship; one in which our students trust us and know of our goodwill for their formation.

Our namesake, Saint Benedict, wrote an entire book about obedience, aptly titled The Rule of Saint Benedict. In it, he instructs his monks to: “Carry out a superior’s command as quickly as it came.” St. Benedict’s insistence on obedience was not self-serving; it aimed at the monk’s formation in holiness and, ultimately, salvation. Coaching our students to be obedient is not merely a practical means to an orderly classroom; its ultimate end is holiness. Surely, someday our children will hear God’s voice directing them away from a “pantry cabinet” and a “mess” that only He can see, and the obedience they have practiced in seemingly small, ordinary moments will prepare them.

AUTHOR: Bridget Kenney, Grade 5 Teacher