They come to college to learn. To attend classes, complete assignments, study, write, take tests, and hope for good grades. They read and research. They work hard and stay up late. They carry heavy bags and heavier expectations.
Learning—that’s the reason they’re here.
But if we pay attention, if we listen with open ears and hearts, we’ll realize something: they’re teaching us, too.
Their classrooms become our classrooms. Their questions become our invitations. Their wonder becomes our reminder.
Let us hear them—their songs and prayers and stories, their questions and ideas and confessions.
They raise issues we might ignore. They alert us to tendencies we might miss. They remind us of deep truths we sometimes forget.
What an honor it is to read their thoughts, to hear their narratives, to consider their insights, to agree with their prayers.
Sometimes they speak through laughter in the cafeteria. Sometimes through tears during chapel. Sometimes through silence that says more than words ever could.
If you think this generation offers little hope for the future, please meet them. Spend time with them. Share a meal. Listen to their stories.
Like us, they have weaknesses and wounds. Like us, they have doubts and distractions. Like us, they are learning to live and love and trust.
But each student is unique. Each one is important. Each one is valuable. Each one is needed.
Hope for the future doesn’t come from pretending everything is fine. It comes from seeing the best in the young leaders who are already rising.
It comes from recognizing that God is still working in this generation—still creating, still calling, still teaching.
As we teach them, let us also learn from them.
Let us listen, really listen, and remember that in every classroom, in every prayer, in every story—God is still speaking through His students.
I always love what you have to say, Pastor Chris! I think it is so beautiful to look at learning in that way. It reminds us of how we can always find something new in each season of life. I want to listen too. I have so many opinions because of the amazing teachers who have poured into me, but I forget to listen now. This is a great reminder. Thank you!
This is this is a good reminder that college can be so much more than the things we learned in the classroom.But the expectations we have for the rest of our lives and kind of looking back to see what we learn versus what we actually see.And comprehend, and to see how much we grow.
This is a good thread! I think it’s so important to young people to learn but also to learn to teach others. Whether its small things, big things, personal things etc.. I never wanna get to a point where I stop being teachable or teaching others things I know to help them. It is a pleasure to learn from you but top also share some ideas and things I do with you as well and you learn from it. Thankful for you.
This was such a unique narrative coming from a teacher and talking about their students. I really appreciate hearing how the students allow teachers to hear perspectives, listen to reminders, and represent truths that they often times forgot. God really has an ironic way to use His people to teach others, regardless of age.
This year has been one of a kind for me. Not just because of school, but because of the people I’ve been around. I have learned quite a bit from classes, but I have learned the most from the people I’ve been able to be around. I think a lot of our culture today does realize exactly how much we can learn from a person, from their story, from their experience, and from their very unique lens in life.
This is a good message right here not only for students but also for the faculty; sometimes just hearing what students go through and what they have on their mind is something else. You would think some of the students would be happy every day, but in reality they’re not, like myself. I was living in a world of hate and just always feeling down, but I had to put it in God’s hands, and my life has turned around, and you hear other people’s stories, and you’re like, “I need to change” or “Just keep thanking God for his blessing because that could’ve been me.”
I enjoyed reading this from the perspective of a teacher as a student. I find it easy to go through the motions in class sometimes and just taking in enough information to grasp it but not actually challenging myself and learning. Sometimes learning takes more effort but often the other side of it produces much more than you might’ve expected.
I really like this blog! Hearing other students questions that you will sometimes won’t think of. other students would ask a question that you’r scared to ask because you may think it will sounds crazy but I realize that no questions is a crazy. I learned so much from other students.
I enjoyed reading your perspective on this and how well it was written. When you said, “But each student is unique. Each one is important. Each one is valuable. Each one is needed.” This makes each individual feel valued and worthy. We are all here for a purpose and can learn something from one another. In just a couple of months, I’ve already learned so much from other students and how they view life.
I really enjoyed this blog. I think we can learn a lot from each others different perspective and opinion. I think the way you spoke about the students and how unique every individual is, is very important as well. It shows how highly you think of everyone. I do think every student can bring something new to the table, new ideas, new thoughts, and new opinions.
This allowed me to really focus on what I can learn from other people. This blog shows that in interactions with others, small everyday moments, etc. you can always learn something from those around you. It is important that we take these moments in, value them, and focus on the things we can learn from others.
I really enjoyed reading this blog, especially as a student myself. It resonated with me on a deeper level because I’m currently in school to become a teacher one day. So often, we focus on what we’re supposed to learn in college, the lectures, assignments, exams, but this beautifully reminds us that learning goes far beyond that. What stood out to me most is the idea that students are not just learners, but teachers in their own way. I truly believe that everyone has a story, and there is always something we can learn from one another if we’re willing to listen. That’s one of the things I love most about being in school, the opportunity to grow not just academically, but personally through the experiences, perspectives, and voices of others. As a future educator, this is something I hope to carry with me, to not only teach, but to listen, to learn, and to create a space where every student feels seen, heard, and valued. This blog is such a powerful reminder that education is a shared journey, and that sometimes the most meaningful lessons come from each other.
Being here at Emmanuel this year has been great for me. Meeting new people that are students, teachers, and coaches who are wonderful to be around and get to know. Each person is unique and of value and I love learning more about them and being around great people. It has been my favorite part of being here at this school and I will always be thankful for it!
This is such a different perspective from what I think most of us usually hear. It’s always “each generation gets worse” or “they’re too consumed with the phone” or “they don’t even know how to hold a conversation”. To some extent I do agree that there are things our generation is bad at and could improve on, but I also think it is important that everyone takes time to actually get to know each other. We all have strengths and weaknesses, wounds and scars. Everyone is valued and God made each of us, and whether we are young or old, we can both learn and teach good lessons to those around us.
I never would have thought that college would be this much of a blessing to me. I knew coming here how grateful I was for being able to come to college, and how the experience was going to change me, but I never expected it to be what it is today. I am so incredibly grateful for everyone I have met and where God is taking me.
This blog is so special, Pastor Chris! Thank you for reminding us that our lives are based on teaching and learning from each other. Each one of us has experienced something different and one of the most important things in life is to share these different perspectives, which is invaluable!
I really enjoyed this blog. It reminds everyone that we are the future of the world and that we are important. It tells people that we all learn from each other.
I like this because it reminds me that I’m not just here to learn in class, but also to learn from the people around me. Everyone has their own experiences and perspectives that can teach me something. It also shows that each person has value, which is easy to forget sometimes.
I love this pastor Chris. It is a good reminder to me that we don’t just learn from our professors but they learn from us too. As students we need to ask more question and be more open to tell our own stories and thoughts so we can learn from our professors and so they can learn from us.
I’m so used to thinking of myself as the one who is learning, especially in class and listening to my professors speak and taking notes in my classes, that I don’t think about the fact that I might be teaching something too. Not in a formal way, but through my life.
Sometimes it can feel like the other students around us are just another face in the classroom, another person to sit next to, but this blog reminds me that our stories and thoughts and ideas truly matter. God can speak through us at any moment, not just when we have things figured out, but in the middle of our imperfections and the questions that we may have.
As I was reading this blog, it really made me focus and want to be more intentional with how I live and interact with others. I want my life to reflect something meaningful. I want my questions to be honest, my faith to be true and my actions to be seen as God continuing to work through my life. Without even realizing it, God can use our stories to speak to someone else.
This blog really just adds extra emphasis on how important it is to listen to others, while also leading by example to others. As a student, it’s easy to get caught up in just going through the motions and not truly listening to each other. When we listen to others, though, not just their words but their feelings and their hearts, it softens our hearts and allows us to connect with people on an even deeper level. It’s also a good reminder that people learn from me just as much as I learn from them, so I need to make sure I’m teaching them to love above all else, and make sure I’m being a good role model throughout my everyday life, because I never know who I may be influencing.
This really made me think. We always talk about students being here to learn, but we forget how much we can learn from them too. Their questions and perspectives actually challenge us and remind us what learning really looks like. It’s easy to judge this generation, but if you actually listen to them, there’s a lot of growth, honesty, and potential there.