Trust

I'm at work late (again)... waiting for the Fall open house to begin so I can talk, talk, talk, answer lots of questions, and then GET HOME!

I was here at school til 6 on Tuesday and 6:30 on Wednesday. I know that other teachers stay later or will continue to keep those hours even after open house week is behind us. I must confess that I am a homebody, though. Being gone 12+ hours (today) and then still needing to figure out dinner, clean up from dinner, prepare for the next day, and such wears a person out!

Hmmm, I just looked around my room and realized I never posted pictures of my classroom for this year. I must take care of that. :) I've put in too many hours and spend too many hours here not to show off some of my favorite little parts. :) Currently there are 19 cereal boxes hanging from the ceiling, each decorated for a different country. The kids' excitement this morning when they realized I took their projects and hung them for ALL to see (over their desks, nonetheless) was worth all the time it took to hang the boxes. :) They are a great group of kids. :)

Teaching is such an amazing and challenging and sometimes odd way to spend the day/year. Today's "hats" included earring remover, scalp inspector (one child was pretty convinced she had lice... I was pretty sure she had dry skin, and the nurse agreed with me ;)), cheerleader, encourager, prodder (finish up, please! ), corrector (I asked you to put that away a moment ago), oh yeah, and educator. ;) Sometimes I feel like such a taskmaster, especially at the beginning of the year when our kiddos are adjusting to the pace of the magnet program and such. And then there are glimpses in a day when I want to thank my students for the opportunities they give me. Today we planted seeds (we're studying life science and beginning with plants). You would have thought I gave them an Xbox 360. SEVERAL children THANKED me for giving them the seeds, dirt, cup, etc. I really do have a great group of kids (have I mentioned that?). Today one of them said, "You provide for us well." Wow (yes, these are 8-9 year olds, and yes, they blow me away at times).

I have to stop and think. So often I'm directing and correcting, especially at the beginning of the year, that I wonder if my acceptance of them comes through as much as I want. When you have some tender hearts, it's oh-so-hard to strike that balance, at the beginning of a new year, of the child KNOWING without a doubt you think they're great, but also being able to correct when needed (without the child taking that on as, "the teacher hates me."). Wanting to earn their trust. I think they're getting it. I think after 4 weeks, they see that they can mess up, and I'll still be cheering from the sidelines for them to make the right choice. I won't give up. I don't expect perfection. When we fall, we just get right back up and learn from our mistakes.

And what about God? Isn't He so often directing and correcting me? May I keep the perspective of so many of my students. "You provide well for us." They are learning to see through the rules and routines and discipline to the heart. May I keep my eyes on His heart, even when the things He allows or has to accomplish in me hurt at the time. My students have known me 4 weeks. They already trust me. I've known God 2o years, and sometimes it's really hard to trust.

But just like I tell my kiddos, try again. Do it right the next time. Let's fix that mistake. And am I ever thankful for a Savior who paid the price for me to be able to try again, do it right the next time, and fix that mistake. Lastly, may I ever increasingly seek to do it right the FIRST time, not just the next time. Only by His grace...