Time Wasted pet peeve post 3

Teaching time.  This really irks me.  For the last 9 weeks I have been teaching a Bible Study for Middle School Girls.  I love those girls.  One thing that irked me though was when they wouldn't come in for class at the right time.  Some of them would just disappear and then I would have to ask my teaching partner to run around the building looking for them. 

Here's the deal.  When someone is taking time out of their schedule to prepare for and teach you a class and you waste 15 of her 45 precious minutes each week, she is going to be upset.  And rightly so.  This is disrespectful.  Wasting another person's time on purpose is very disrespectful.  Even wasting their time accidentally because you didn't plan well is disrespectful.  In a classroom situation you have to think of all the people whose time you are wasting because it isn't just the teacher's.  Every single student who is sitting in their space, prepared, and waiting for the class to start, is having their time wasted and their person disrespected.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I waste other peoples time, I am sure.  I'm not writing this to say I'm perfect and you should be more like me.  NO, the idea here is to start learning how to respect other people. Not because I'll tell your parents if you don't or because you'll get sent to the school office but because we are called to respect other human beings.  We are called to love others as Jesus loves us.  WHICH IS HARD!  I know!  Believe me!

But, think about this the next time you are late.  The next time you don't get to class and that holds up the teacher from starting their lesson. 

Now, in the interest of looking at this objectively and becoming a better person by doing so;  What should I, the teacher, do when my students are late to class and waste 15 of my precious 45 minutes of teaching time?  How do I refuse to sin in my anger?  Because I do get angry about it.  Not really passionately angry, more like annoyed angry.  Should I lecture the whole class about being on time?  Or is it really enough at this age to point out that it's disrespectful and not loving me or other class members in a "Jesus" way?  It's really probably enough to point out the error and go on with the class.  And just pray that it doesn't color the tone of my voice for the whole lesson.

Comments?  I would really love to know what you think.