A few weeks into the new school term, many teachers may already feel the weight of the year. The names still blur together, lesson plans don’t always (or ever!) match the reality of the classroom, and every pupil brings a new psychology to appreciate. Teaching is a wonderful calling, but let’s be honest — it’s exhausting, and the responsibility can feel immense.
This is where Blessed Álvaro del Portillo can offer a gentle boost.
On the occasion of his beatification in 2014, Pope Francis wrote to Bishop Javier Echevarría, Prelate of Opus Dei, describing Blessed Álvaro as:
“Welcoming towards everyone and always seeking in others what was positive, what united, what was constructive.”
That single sentence could serve as a mission statement for every teacher.
Because isn’t that what good teaching is all about? To see the positive in each child — even the ones who test our patience — and to build on it. To create an atmosphere where pupils feel not just taught, but welcomed. To bring together a group of very different personalities and turn them into a community that learns, laughs, and grows side by side.
Lessons in kindness and unity
When teachers live this way, something remarkable happens. The classroom becomes more than a place of academic instruction; it becomes a space where children learn how to live with others. They see adults who choose encouragement over criticism, who notice what unites rather than what divides, who construct something hopeful out of the daily chaos.
Those lessons in kindness and unity may linger long after the algebra and spelling have faded.
Of course, this is easier said than done. There are days when fatigue takes over, when noise levels soar, and when it feels impossible to see anything positive at all. That’s when Álvaro’s quiet example matters most. He didn’t avoid challenges, but he chose how to face them: with patience, gratitude, and reliance on God. His little aspiration — “Thank you; forgive me; help me more” — can become a teacher’s prayer in the middle of the most trying day.
And one other element of Blessed Álvaro stands out. The founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaría Escrivá, described him as "always having a smile."
... there have been many occasions, humanly speaking, for getting angry, for becoming irritated, for being disloyal. But he has always had a smile and an incomparable fidelity.
Isn't it true that so often, just putting a smile on our faces can change the mood, both for our students and in our own thoughts?
So as you step into class on Monday, remember Álvaro’s way: find the positive in each pupil, seek what unites, and construct something greater together. Thank God for the privilege of shaping young lives, ask forgiveness when things go wrong, and pray for the help to carry on with renewed strength.
In doing so, you’re not only teaching lessons from the syllabus. You’re showing children how to see the best in one another, how to work together, and how to build something beautiful out of their differences. That’s not just education — it’s inspiration.
