PKs and TKs

In the church circles, there is a term that floats – PK.  Our possible new pastor is a PK, or pastor’s kid.  My dad, surprisingly enough, was a PK.  There is something about being a PK that marks you as different from other children.  Somehow, because you are a PK, your upbringing was more holy than everyone else’s.  And either you grow up to continuing being that way, or you rebel and fight and do it all differently.  There are exceptions and my dad is one of them.  As is his sister.  Maybe it was their mother.  But my dad has two brothers – one became a pastor himself and the other is a felon.  My point is that most PKs have a different outlook on religion, and faith and life in general.  They appreciate and understand things about being a pastor that us non-PKs can comprehend.  And great pastors produce kids who are even more so these extremes.
 
In a similar vein, although not quite to the extreme, are teacher’s kids.  I am a "TK."  My mother is an amazing, wonderful, loving teacher.  The best of the best, in my opinion.  Like the best pastors, she’s passionate about her work, and constantly strives to do better, learning and reading and stretching herself further and further.  Now maybe its not the same for every TK.  Maybe its just the relationship that my mother and I have, but I’ve always been a sounding board for my mom.  I’ve watched her mentor young teachers, and then turn around and become a student herself.  I go to her for advice in teaching, but she often comes to me for advice in being a student.

I don’t know if this is the same for other TKs.  I don’t tend to find it to be true.  But I truly appreciate the importance of good teachers, and the toll that takes on them and their families.  Matt Damon recently spoke at a rally in DC for teachers, and his words were brilliant.  His love and support of his teacher mom was evident, and for a moment there, I glimpse that TK in someone else.  We’re a special breed.  Not teachers ourselves, but we have a unique appreciation for a job so incredibly important.

Okay – anyways.  Because of my relationship with my mother, and my upbringing as a TK, I always have found it… encouraging to see my friends becoming teachers themselves.  To hear them figure out things that I’ve known for years.  To watch them acquire so much joy from watching their students grow.  And to watch them grow as teachers as well.  I take a little bit of pride in the fact that I can spot those that will be great teachers when they are just starting out.  I can recognize the qualities of a great teacher in the making.

My friend, Mike, from seminary is teaching in Jerusalem this year.  He’s been blogging about his experiences, and his recent post really made me smile.  It talked about how interacting with the students and allowing them to be creative made for a much better learning process for both him and the students.  He had a few examples, but also identified some of his mistakes and shortcomings in the process.  Its the little things that I know after years of living with my mother.  Its all the things I’ve picked up from conversations we’ve had and conversations I’ve listened to.  

There’s something special about being a TK, and I’m just really proud of being one.  Proud of my mom and proud of my friend – both great teachers.