New Room, New People...

As I have embarked upon making this mid-year change from 5th grade math teacher to 8th grade math teacher...I have been reflecting on many things...

...3-4 years age difference is not that much when it comes to maturity, but it is a lot when it comes to relationships. (I still have to tell my 8th graders, like my 5th graders, to take their hands off the geo-boards and listen to instructions.)

...I love having my own space to think, get work done, set the tone for class, and listen to uplifting music if I want to. (At times, it feels a bit like an island, but I also feel like I now have time to get work done and be the teacher I should be.)

...I love kids- all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. I know, now more than ever, that this is one thing that God has called me to...youth. I don't know if it will always be in the traditional setting of a school...I pray it will someday be in a camp/wilderness type setting.

...I love kids- their thoughts, their actions, their craziness, their personalities, and most of all God using me to show love to them. So many kids just need love- they have been abandoned to face the challenges of this world alone. They notice the difference- they really do. When you care, when you smile, when you encourage, when you challenge, when you see them achieve their dreams, when you see them give their life to Christ...they know you care for and love them. And because of that...they can push forward.

Thank you God for the opportunity to live life abundantly and to encounter the broad array of your creation, in nature, and in humans.