Two Professions That Used To Be Respected More Than Today

I grew up in Sussex County, Virginia in the 1950s and 1960s when the entire community respected two professions and those who worked in them. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. People who work in those two professions are not treated with the high esteem today as they once were. In fact, some of them are disrespected on many levels by some people.

I am speaking firsthand about this because I am part of both of those professions. People who worked in those professions were my role models. That's why I chose one of those professions, and the other profession chose me.

1. Teachers

During the time I was growing up, teachers were admired not only by their students, but also by parents and other people in the community. Teachers were invited to dinners where the best meals were served, and everyone was on their best behavior. Teachers were treated with the utmost respect. There was no foul language used around them.

These days, some kids in school talk back to their teachers, make fun of them, threaten them, prank them, and curse them out. None of that ever happened when I was in school. The teachers in my school were treated with respect. They were my role models. I thought that if I became a teacher, I would also be respected.

Because of my teachers, I became a teacher and have been working in that profession for over 60 years without the respect I thought I would have.

2. Preachers

When I was growing up, preachers were treated with respect. They did not always live in the same community where the church was located and where the parishioners lived. When a preacher came into town to preach, families would take care of their lodging, food, and whatever else they needed. People were delighted to take care of the visiting preachers.

Families waited anxiously for their turn to have the preacher live under the same roof and break bread with them. Of course, the preacher received the best of everything during his stay. Not all, but some preachers no longer receive the special treatment or recognition that they once received.

As a Teacher

I have been a teacher for over 60 years because I admired my teachers in school. I thought once I became one, I too would automatically have that respect.

They were my authority figures, and I wanted to know what they knew so I could do what they did. Ultimately, I wanted the same respect they always had. Therefore, I chose to become an English teacher because I admired my high school English teacher and grew to love how the English language worked. I loved conjugating verbs and diagramming sentences. That is not done in schools anymore. Sometimes, I still do both just for fun.

As a Preacher

The other profession is one I did not choose. It chose me. I began reading and studying the Bible in elementary school. As I grew older, the intensity deepened. It was unheard of for a woman to become a preacher at that time. After I graduated from college and was teaching English at all the local community colleges, I had a strong urge to go to seminary.

When I told my pastor, he asked, "Aren't I teaching you enough? Why do you want to go to that 'cemetery'? They can't teach you anything that you are getting from this church." He and his wife talked me out of going to seminary for three years. I pleaded with them until they finally said, "You go ahead then." The day I enrolled in seminary, the pastor died on the golf course. Therefore, he never saw what I became in my profession as a preacher for the last 30 years.

During my seminary days, a family member wrote me a three-page letter from the pages of a legal pad. She asked why I was going to seminary when I could have a full-time job instead. Another family member told me I would never be a good preacher because of my soft voice. Because of that remark, when I began to preach, I was hoping I would be hoarse, so my voice would be rough.

People tried their best to keep me from going to seminary and from becoming a preacher. After preaching for 30 years, it is evident that God's "Yes" on my life was much louder, stronger, and more powerful than people's "No."

I was the first preacher in my family and the first female preacher in my local community. Now, there are several other preachers in my family and many females in my community.

I will always be a teacher, whether I am in the classroom or not. I will always be a preacher, whether I am standing behind a pulpit or not.

Unfortunately, I don't see the respect today that I saw teachers and preachers getting when I was growing up. It is sad, but it is what it is. I am comforted by this scripture:

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven." (Matthew 5:12)