"Hey Ms. Williams, can I tell you a story?"
It is not uncommon that many teachers experience similar joys, frustrations, and blessings throughout the years. As a first-year teacher, I felt myself getting bogged down and upset that I didn't have an outlet to turn whenever I needed more or wanted to vent about things. When we are so busy cutting out that laminating, updating our students' data information, and worrying about lesson plans, we often forget that God writes His own lesson plans, and we always have somewhere to turn. This blog started after I kept finding myself writing down things that happened and comparing them to stories in the Bible or verses I thought applied. I imagine so much for this idea, because I know how it feels to just not know what else to do. In those trying moments and in moments of celebration, know that He is covering us with His love continuously, and I hope that through my posts, you may find some encouragement and see that everything truly does happen for a reason! From one teacher to another, thank you for all that you do.
My Story:
In the 3rd grade, Santa brought me an overhead projector for Christmas. I don't remember a time when teaching wasn't something I wanted to do. I come from a long line of teachers. My mom has been a preschool teacher for almost 15 years. One of my grandmothers, Memaw, was a professor and a Dean at Henderson State University in Arkansas and went on to serve in the Arkansas House of Representatives. She fought for education rights, teacher equality, and definitely left her mark on the Arkansas education administration. She continues to advocate as a national speaker and consultant to school districts all over the country. She has always been my biggest cheerleader and mentor. My other grandmother, Mamah Mona was a high school English teacher who was dedicated to exposing her students in a rural Northwest Arkansas district to the works of Shakespeare, Chaucer, and The Classics.
My mom says that school supply shopping was always an extravagant ordeal for me. I would spend way too long deciding between this crayon set or those markers, agonize over the perfect planner, and have to have the cutest pencil box in the class. I wish I could say I've grown out of this, but I'd be lying. All through high school, I loved being involved in all kinds of different organizations and planning fun events, especially when I got to put my planners and colored pens to use. I carried this onto college, where I attended The University of Texas at Austin. I originally wanted to study biology and follow in my Papah's footsteps into dentistry, but after a few months, I just wasn't feeling it. I had a long conversation with my Memaw about where I could see myself in the education world, and why I thought my dreams of becoming a teacher deserved a chance.
My time at UT was incredible. It's one of the top colleges in the country for education students, and rightfully so. I was challenged in ways I could've never imagined. I can truly credit most of my current successes to the amazing teachers that worked with me, and the classes that made me think about education in a different way. I also made some really great friends in my amazing cohort. We were the first trial run of the summer cohort, which meant that we had to work our butts off even harder. It all seems like a dream now, but being in the summer cohort allowed me to graduate on time, tested my limits, and introduced me to my colleagues that I still keep up with and follow.
In April of 2014, I accepted a position in my home district at a school about 4 minutes from my parents' house. I am still as excited and pumped about my job as I was three years ago! My school has a large population of Burmese students because of a recent immigration effort into our community. This combination of neighborhood students with the Burmese and other kiddos is, in my opinion, perfect and heartwarming. The friendships that I've seen form in my class are just awesome. I love being able to witness the acts of kindness my kids commit and seeing their young spirits uplifted by their peers each day. I really am the luckiest teacher ever! It also doesn't hurt that we've got the most supportive administration staff and helpful parents out there.
So how does my faith fit into all of this?
I've always gone to church with my family, and I accepted Christ into my life in the 6th grade, but I didn't start to truly understand the importance of a relationship with God until recently. I've been stretched and stressed in ways that I just couldn't handle on my own anymore. I've realized how important it is to depend fully on Him because there is NO way we can do this alone. This job we've been called to is so stressful and trying. We simply cannot rely only upon ourselves, and isn't it WONDERFUL that we don't have to? We have the biggest cheerleader in the world on our side. He knows that your students are going to stress you out and push your buttons, and He's waiting for you to ask for help and keep in constant contact with Him. When I found myself looking to my Bible after a day of hard work, or trying to compare my situation with one I could learn from in the Bible, I wanted to share these with my fellow teachers. We all have that one student who knows just how to upset us. We all get frustrated with ourselves when that lesson takes a turn. The great news? We can seek advice from the Man in charge. I consider this blog simply as a connector to our situations and what He's trying to share with us.
In the 3rd grade, Santa brought me an overhead projector for Christmas. I don't remember a time when teaching wasn't something I wanted to do. I come from a long line of teachers. My mom has been a preschool teacher for almost 15 years. One of my grandmothers, Memaw, was a professor and a Dean at Henderson State University in Arkansas and went on to serve in the Arkansas House of Representatives. She fought for education rights, teacher equality, and definitely left her mark on the Arkansas education administration. She continues to advocate as a national speaker and consultant to school districts all over the country. She has always been my biggest cheerleader and mentor. My other grandmother, Mamah Mona was a high school English teacher who was dedicated to exposing her students in a rural Northwest Arkansas district to the works of Shakespeare, Chaucer, and The Classics.
My mom says that school supply shopping was always an extravagant ordeal for me. I would spend way too long deciding between this crayon set or those markers, agonize over the perfect planner, and have to have the cutest pencil box in the class. I wish I could say I've grown out of this, but I'd be lying. All through high school, I loved being involved in all kinds of different organizations and planning fun events, especially when I got to put my planners and colored pens to use. I carried this onto college, where I attended The University of Texas at Austin. I originally wanted to study biology and follow in my Papah's footsteps into dentistry, but after a few months, I just wasn't feeling it. I had a long conversation with my Memaw about where I could see myself in the education world, and why I thought my dreams of becoming a teacher deserved a chance.
My time at UT was incredible. It's one of the top colleges in the country for education students, and rightfully so. I was challenged in ways I could've never imagined. I can truly credit most of my current successes to the amazing teachers that worked with me, and the classes that made me think about education in a different way. I also made some really great friends in my amazing cohort. We were the first trial run of the summer cohort, which meant that we had to work our butts off even harder. It all seems like a dream now, but being in the summer cohort allowed me to graduate on time, tested my limits, and introduced me to my colleagues that I still keep up with and follow.
In April of 2014, I accepted a position in my home district at a school about 4 minutes from my parents' house. I am still as excited and pumped about my job as I was three years ago! My school has a large population of Burmese students because of a recent immigration effort into our community. This combination of neighborhood students with the Burmese and other kiddos is, in my opinion, perfect and heartwarming. The friendships that I've seen form in my class are just awesome. I love being able to witness the acts of kindness my kids commit and seeing their young spirits uplifted by their peers each day. I really am the luckiest teacher ever! It also doesn't hurt that we've got the most supportive administration staff and helpful parents out there.
So how does my faith fit into all of this?
I've always gone to church with my family, and I accepted Christ into my life in the 6th grade, but I didn't start to truly understand the importance of a relationship with God until recently. I've been stretched and stressed in ways that I just couldn't handle on my own anymore. I've realized how important it is to depend fully on Him because there is NO way we can do this alone. This job we've been called to is so stressful and trying. We simply cannot rely only upon ourselves, and isn't it WONDERFUL that we don't have to? We have the biggest cheerleader in the world on our side. He knows that your students are going to stress you out and push your buttons, and He's waiting for you to ask for help and keep in constant contact with Him. When I found myself looking to my Bible after a day of hard work, or trying to compare my situation with one I could learn from in the Bible, I wanted to share these with my fellow teachers. We all have that one student who knows just how to upset us. We all get frustrated with ourselves when that lesson takes a turn. The great news? We can seek advice from the Man in charge. I consider this blog simply as a connector to our situations and what He's trying to share with us.