Mother Teachers

I am a teacher by profession. I received my degree and taught 5th graders before staying home with my little daughter. If I ever felt uncomfortable explaining to someone that I am a "stay at home mom" (which I don't, I think it is the most noble, demanding, exhilarating, exhausting job ever!) then I would say "I am a teacher" when asked. I am a teacher!! I love this quote from Jane Clayson in her book "I am a mother." (A great read for those who feel weighed down by the burdens of motherhood, or who feel like 2nd class citizens for choosing to raise children).

"How empowering! How true! It is mothers who teach future businessmen to be honest in their dealings. It is mothers who coach (and sometimes coax) future scientists, doctors, and mathematicians through worksheets and multiplication tables. It is mothers who show future politicians how to be compassionate--even in the face of opposition." (I am a Mother, 59)

President Harold B. Lee taught that "A mother's heart is a child's schoolroom. The instructions received at the mother's knee...are never effaced entirely from the soul....Family life is God's own method of training the young, and homes are largely what mothers make of them" (Teachings of Harold B. Lee, 289)."

These thoughts could be overwhelming. I could listen to the adversary who is constantly whispering that I'm not doing enough, that it's too much, or that I shouldn't expect so much from myself as a mother. I make mistakes as a mother! BUT, I also know that I can turn to God for inspiration, for added patience, and for forgiveness when I am less than Christ-like in my profession!

I love teaching, and I know that is the most important thing I can do with my children!