As I’ve been back at school this week, my mind can’t help
but wander.
I’m not so interested in learning the “new and improved”
system for whatever we’re deciding to call “just be a good teacher!!” I do not
care if you can boil it down to 5 simple things.. I do not care if you think
you have a great recipe. I already know a recipe and it’s simple.. like a
Progresso Soup can. All you have to do is heat it up.
All I have to do is let my kids know I care about them. Warm
their little heart up and they will tell me anything in the world. It’s a
relationship. Sidenote: Not the relationship that I have to sit through an hour of ethics
course for… but a relationship that fosters an environment where students want
to learn. I spend 187 days with them. I spend hours upon hours with my athletes
in the gym, on the bus, during critical losses, and vital wins. I build relationships
with my little nuggets, all 250 of them. I impact slash reflect on slash am a
role model to over 250 little people every single day. And that’s why my mind
always wanders during this week.
Who are they? What are their home lives like? Who are their
friends? How will that change during the course of this year? How long will
they take to catch on to my two, very simple rules?
I know all of this is out of my control. So I spend this
week doing the things I can for them. I make sure my room is perfect, that the
set up is the most conducive to learning. I make all my copies in advance and
plan out as far as I can. Once that is done, I pray for them. Not only do I pray for them, I pray
for their parents. I pray they will support me and they will understand that I
love their children. I have their best interest in mind and I want to set them
up for success; if I assign them 50 definition of respect sentences, it’s
because my classroom won’t work when students do not respect each other or me.
I pray my nuggets will be open to my way of teaching and excited to walk into
my room every day. I pray that my room will be a refuge for them, even if they
hate school. I pray that I will be the best role model I can be. There is a
culture war in today’s society and I hope I am proof to my students that you
can make right decisions and still be “cool.” I pray that they learn to make the best decisions for themselves.
I know “prayer” isn’t allowed in school, but it’s what I
spend this week doing.
And THIS is why you are an awesome teacher! If i could muster up the time and energy, I would periodically go in early and pray over every desk in my classroom. Not surprisingly, those were the most wonderful days in my classroom! Never stop looking at holding an audience of 250 small humans captive as an incredible privilege and opportunity to honor God! You're gonna rock it (again) this year, Ms. Mollie!
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