Not All Heroes Wear Capes

Goodbye summer...I will miss thee greatly...

So it's been about a month since my last post because I have no time to breathe, much less write a blog. I began student teaching 2.5 weeks ago!!! My fellow teachers were not lying when they said it would be a crazy semester. When I'm not at school, I'm sleeping, and when I'm not sleeping, I'm lesson planning. When I'm not lesson planning, I'm preparing materials. It's a vicious cycle and my social life has suffered irreparable damage, haha. But in complete honesty, it is worth every minute.

I have never been happier in a job in my entire life, and I am not even getting paid. Does that say something? I'm told this is one of the most difficult classes to come through the school, and somehow I still adore every one of those children. A few test and try my patience on a daily basis, but at the same time to "still see God in every child" has never carried so much meaning. It's become a habit to pray for my students...each and every one...because my heart breaks the struggles they have already faced and are facing in just a few years of life. It really puts things into perspective.

Part of my adoration for them could be that they never cease to amaze me with the things that they say. My friends keep reminding me to keep a list of all the quotes....

"Miss Walker, I need a girlfriend real bad. And I need your help. Here's the thing...I'm going to need some flowers, probably lupines (from a story we read in class) and guitar lessons for sure. Then I can get a girlfriend."

"Miss Walker, what is your first name?!" So I told them to read my nametag. "It says MISS Walker. Your first name is MISS?! Why do all teachers have the same first name???"

I wish the people that know me best could see me teaching and interacting with my students because that is me in my element. Doing what I was created to do brings a smile to my face like few other things can. Seeing a struggling student finally succeed in the smallest way can very well bring me to tears. I listened to a speech by a middle school student about the heroes in his life -- his mom and his teachers. I have never met the student or anyone he mentioned and I was in tears by the end of the speech. Most teachers I know (including myself) would never consider themselves heroes, much less want credit or thanks for what they do, but they still treat their duties with the utmost care and gravity. There is so much more to teaching than a list of objectives, lesson plans, copying papers, and tests. I can't imagine how people can enter into a teaching career so lightly as if they have nothing better to do...

"Teachers affect eternity...they never know where their influence will end..." -Henry Adams

And that's all for me at the moment! Time to hop back into the cycle...after dinner with the girls of course ;) stay tuned!!!