Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bea had given most of her professional life to a small rural school. For more than thirty years she had taught the third and fourth grades, and part of every student's rite of passage was having Miss Thompson. She had a reputation for being strict and expecting the best from her students. This was not always appreciated at the time, when children would rather play, but years later her students would credit the habits they learned in her class for academic and professional success.