I just watched the most beautiful movie “Mom’s night out”
about motherhood and all the challenges faced by a group of mothers and how in
the end they find a way to see the beauty in the chaos. I suppose teaching is a
lot like motherhood. We nurture a child’s dreams for 7 hours each day, we build
where they are broken and encourage every aspect of their life.
Teachers forget to see the beauty in our chaos. You forget
to see God’s light shining through every single little or big face we see
daily. We forget that we carry with us the blessing and opportunity to make one
of many children SMILE. We forget to make them LAUGH. We forget to let
ourselves LOVE them. We forget to HELP and EDUCATE them for life not a mark on
a piece of paper. And most of all we forget to be immensely GRATEFUL for the chance
to make a DIFFERENCE.
After my first year of teaching I wanted to give up and
found myself extremely unhappy, unsatisfied and negative about my career
choices. I didn't see their beautiful faces anymore; I saw my choices and
actions affecting them negatively. I was carrying around a lot of guilt because
I did not choose to be a teacher, God put me here. I didn't have faith in
myself or God. I believed he had made some sort of error putting me on this
path. I felt personally responsible for disadvantaging them. I was so blinded
by self-doubt that I forgot to see the absolute BEAUTY in my job. I saw only
hostility towards my way of teaching, my methods, my practices etc.
I realize now moving into my second year of teaching that I
have a divine right given to me by God to make a difference, in the way I teach
every single child that enters my classroom. I do not just teach them I educate
them. I have a responsibility to help them do well but also to help them
succeed in life one day when they are no longer greeted by a friendly teacher
in a bright yellow classroom. Little old me, I have the capability to help ease
the pain they will one day experience when they face the big world filled with
disappointment and forces working against them.
No one said it was going to be easy, but no one said it wasn't
going to be worth it.
As a “different teacher”- You may find other teachers
criticizing your practices but do not let it get to you. Because even if they
believe you’re not worth it the children will more than make up for it. They
will believe in you when no one else will. Those beautiful children of God will
embrace you on challenging days, compliment you when you feel down and make you
laugh when you feel like crying. It is our responsibility to acknowledge and
appreciate the “touch of God” in our lives every single day. {Ezekiel 11:19}. I challenge every teacher and parent to see that even if you feel like you are mess, remember you are beautiful mess and that "you are God's masterpiece".
