Outstanding!

A week ago I wrote my thoughts about teaching. I wish I had the opportunity to send both my children to the school that my mother faithfully started in 1978. It's a great school where most kids thrive. I would drop my children off at 8am and pick up at 3:30pm. I'd have my days to work and actually have a break from children. If I had wanted to teach, I would have obtained a degree in it. If I had wanted to be around kids all day, you would have found me working in the church nursery or babsitting. The truth is that I didn't want to spend my life around kids. I crave for adult conversations. I am selfish that way. I admit it.

When life took its toll on this household, the day came for me to be around children... or at least one child... at all times. I struggled. It hurt. I hated who I was and where my patience seemed to go. I cringed at the thought of working through math with a child who's brain refused to compute! I didn't look forward to the constant questioning or wasting time that my child likes to do. It has been hard. This year has been hard.

Yesterday, we had our school awards ceremony. Guess who got "Outstanding Teacher of the Year"? That would be me. Ironic, right? I guess not, since I've been called "overachiever" once or a hundred times in life. The emotions that swelled within me were so many, as I walked up to receive my award. There were thoughts like, "Heck, yeah! I worked my butt off this year for this!" and "What in the world? Were people actually noticing all the work I was putting in to these kids?" and "Um. I'm NOT a teacher!" and "I can't believe people recommended me for this." and "I feel more honored than any award I have received." Most importantly, my thought was that God is so faithful. He knows that I have some extremely tough times with Jared's diagnosis. He knows that this is the most difficult job I have had in my life. He knows that I'm sweating about teaching my host children English this summer.

One of the parents who recommended me for the award said that I don't teach like anyone she has seen. I find the root of each kid's needs and teach toward that. Another mom told me that her daughter said that I make every single kid feel loved and valuable. You won't ever feel stupid in my classroom. {gush}

I would not have done well going to school for a degree in education. I don't like the "norm". I probably wouldn't do well with certain rules for teaching. I look at each child in my classroom as a person... as someone who is going to be a grown up and needs specific tools to get through life.  That's how Dr. Champagne has taught my child and she has taught me so many techniques that truly help children. She taught me that a child's brain will shut down, due to emotions... like stress or sadness or feeling stupid. Her ideas and information have filled my brain and oozed into my classroom!

I am so thankful for the direction that my life has taken. I'm so thankful to see God in all of it.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philipians 4:13