This week has had its share of highs and lows, and that’s just how it is sometimes.....
Monday, I woke up at ReHoboth beach and walked to have breakfast, and afterwards, I walked to the beach to get one last glance at that beautiful body of water that God created just for us.
Gazing at the water, gratitude overtook me, and I sat there and gave thanks to God for a perfect summer, great friends, a mom who lived to see her 80th birthday, good health, and this beautiful beach that he created just for us. I drove back home later that evening ready for whatever God had in store for me.
Well, Tuesday was the first day of school, and I am grateful for a school that eases us back into that stampede that is called school. School on the first day did not start until eleven. So, we got to use the time before the students arrived to do those last minute things.
We met all of our classes briefly, and I scurried to the gym for a workout, and I made may way to DC to do a quick bike ride.
I ended my day feeling hopeful and happy!
However, Wednesday brought with it a whole ’nother set of emotions....
There are some things going on at school that do not sit well with me, and I just had to let my voice be heard. I went to my administrator to voice my concerns and while talking to him I wanted to cry. I held it together while in his office. However, when I got in my car, I cried a little, and I wanted to go back inside to resign. Instead, I called a friend who reassured me that it is ok to advocate for children, and this gave me just the peace that I needed.
Thursday, I was able to introduce diverse novels and this blog to my seniors, and they were so receptive about reading books that are off the beaten path. I passed out a list of titles, many from this blog, and my people, we talked and talked and talked about books. This was so good for my soul; you know that I love to talk about books...
At the end of the day, one of my students told me about the school that he came from, and in his words, “It was ghetto.” Looking at his curious face, I thought about him attending a school that he considered to not be a good learning environment, and I am so happy that he is in a place where he feels safe and a place where he thinks he can learn. AND, I get to teach him.
Yes, my school has things that we need to work on, but at least “The school is not ghetto.”
"Change the way you look at things, and what you look at will change.” Wayne Dyer
Today, was a continuation of the feelings that I felt on Thursday: happy and grateful. It was an absolutely perfect day: the students were pleasant and eager to talk about books, we were able to get everyone logged into google classroom, they openly expressed themselves etc., and I thought that I must be one of the luckiest people in the whole wide world.
I’m extremely grateful that I have more good days than bad days!
I guess from my emotional experiences this week, I know for sure that our emotions are fickled, and we can’t trust them nor act on them. We must ride them out and be ok with them, because they do change just like the weather, people, tides.........
1 comment:
Wow! It seems like you had quite the week. I find myself experiencing some of the same things in regards to school and "my calling." At school, I am that teacher that seems to atyract every kid who is in 7th or 8th grade. They constantly come to me for advice, a shoulder to cry on, or simply just to be hugged. I was told by my principal today that I should "be more assertive about my job." It angered me so!! Each student KNOWS I have high expectations for them and am not afraid to speak very harshly to them when they are not doing their best. They also know that I am an advocate for them, one they dearly respect and admire. However, I have an administrator that sees otherwise?! Since when does a administrator tell or basically insinuate they are not doing their job?! My students have some of the highest reading averages, great attitudes, and ability to express themselves in both spoken and written word. I bend over backwards for them daily!! So what I've learned from today is that her words do not matter to me. If I do something inappropriate, fire me or press charges but don't try to stifle the only light that some of these kids see on a daily basis. Hang in there! Keep sharing those books because they need them. I'm time our methods will overturn that which is so wrong and backward.
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