Christmas Door Decor

I just wanted to share a picture with you of my classroom door decor.  I am praying my students see and hear the gospel this Christmas season.  I am blessed to work in a school system where I can do things like this:

I Love my Job (Somedays)

Today was a wonderful day in Mrs. Powell's classroom.

Learning happened. Kids added, subtracted, simplified, and compared fractions.

Almost EVERYONE participated.

I kept my cool. Even when Ms. "I hate you and this school"  went on a complete rage.

I got to hug some teary-eyed babies. Yes, I call my 6th graders babies.

I spent my planning period with my kids that were in ISS. I brought them in my class and taught them the day's lesson. It was wonderful to get some one-on-one with the "trouble-makers." I was able to talk with them about their dreams, which included professional football, civil engineering and law. It was a great opportunity to build rapport with them and keep them caught up.

I got this note from one of my special ed kids. P.S. I teach him MATH not english! :)

I am so grateful for the love of God that has changed me and enabled me to really love these kids. Yes, even the "bad" ones. It is NOT anything in my flesh, it is the grace of God.

 Today was a GREAT day!

His Mercies are New

Wednesday was one of those days.

I felt like a complete failure as a teacher.

My students were not understanding.

My students were not doing their work.

They seemed apathetic.

I was frustrated.

I did not keep my cool.

On top of this, I also found myself dealing with unresolved grief.

I, quite literally, spent the whole day fighting back tears.

But, praise the Lord, His mercies are new every morning.

His compassions fail not.

He is faithful.

[It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not [they are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Thursday was better.

I apologized to the kids.

I celebrated the small learning victories.

I was observed by someone from the school-board and was encouraged by the note they left.

I am letting myself deal with the grief.

I am accepting that I don't have to have it all together.

The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lamentations 3:24

Refocus - Back to Work

It was back to work today for me. I took Wednesday and Thursday off (besides 3 hours of training), but went back today to give a test on prime factorization, exponents, and order of operations. Do you hear that? That's the sound of my students groaning.

And, the devil tried to break me today. I got called the first racial explicative of the year. Ugh. I hate dirty words.  

But, other than that, the day went well. I am starting to emerge from the “haze.”  The past couple weeks have felt like I was just surviving. I guess my mind was constantly preoccupied. If you have been around me lately, you probably noticed I was forgetful, introverted, and slightly lethargic-acting.  It was all I could do just to get up and drag myself to work.

Today, as I watched those little furrowed brows stare with confusion at their tests, I realize just how “absent-minded” I have been. Bless those poor babies, my heart has not been in my teaching, and that has had a bad impact on their learning. Even though I tried to “fake it,” my mind has been elsewhere.  Mrs. Powell hasn’t been the motivating, loving and inspiring teacher she should be.

So, it is time to refocus! But, not to refocus on my work or my students, but to refocus on God who has placed a calling on my life.

It is not easy to be a good teacher under normal circumstances, throw in some stress and grief and it seems almost impossible. I want to make each child feel smart, special and capable.  I want to love the unlovable.  So, I am praying to be refocused. As I refocus, the Lord reminds me:  It is not by my strength, but by His.