It all started last year when one of my students was clearly upset and could not focus on his schoolwork. I invited him back to talk with me and within minutes he was sitting in an old yellow chair behind my desk sobbing. He shared a troubling home situation with me and we talked, cried and hugged. I told him that he was always welcome to come and sit in my old yellow chair to discuss home, life, feelings, or whatever was going on inside his head. My heart broke for my student and I realized that all of my kids were fighting battles of their own.
That day I told the entire class that my yellow chair was now open to all who needed to share what was bothering them in or outside of school. I told them that the chair was a safe place, and that they didn’t need to be afraid of crying or of getting into trouble for what they shared with me. Every morning there was a student in my chair; sometimes I had to block out extra time as there were multiple students waiting for their turn. Stories of alcoholism, neighborhood gang activity, nightmares, divorce, and so much more were shared. Many days I was overwhelmed with sadness for my students but I did my best to listen, pray, and shower them with love.
Two students in particular came to visit my old yellow chair almost every single day. They viewed it as a place of stability when the rest of their worlds seemed to be falling apart. Over the course of the year, I saw God work in their lives as individuals and within their families. I distinctly remember the morning when the boy who first cried at the yellow chair rushed over smiling to tell me that he went to the Oaks Camp, and at the cross Jesus “took away everything bad, and gave (him) everything good.”
As a new school year begins, my old yellow chair is now open to both new students and previous ones. I hope and pray that this year I see the same impact that only a place of refuge provides. I thank God everyday for the opportunity he has given me to listen, cry, and pray with my kids. No matter how tall they may grow, my students are always welcome to come back to sit in my old yellow chair and be reminded that they never have to face this life alone.
