A few weeks ago, I had to have a moment of truth, where I had to ask myself some difficult questions. Do I really want to be a teacher? Is this what I am supposed to do? Will I find joy in teaching again?
It seemed like things in my classroom were slipping out of control as my students were not making good decisions, choosing to be defiant, saying inappropriate things, and being pressured by each other to make wrong decisions. Knowing what I was walking in to each morning made it a struggle to want to get out of bed. It was a fight, and it was robbing me of the joy that I had found in teaching.
During the midst of these rough weeks, it became difficult to pray. As the negative feelings and thoughts were piling up inside, it came to the point where I had to cry out to God to intervene. And God did intervene. It came in the form of my one student, who seemed to be the main instigator, have a change of heart when he realized his actions affect other people beside himself. With some help, he has made a drastic change in his behavior, and as a result, has helped the class get back on the right track. It is something that only God could have done, and joy had been restored in the classroom once again!
Each morning as a class, we have the opportunity to start our day out by inviting God into our classroom to help us with self-control. We admit we are imperfect people who will make mistakes, but it is so reassuring that we have a God who will forgive us for our wrongdoings and help us to forgive others, as well. We pray for our relationships with one another that we will work together to help build each other up, not tear one another down. We also thank God for getting us through those weeks and for helping us get to where we are at now. It is such an incredible opportunity to be able to begin each morning this way.
Reflecting on those weeks, I realized I knew the answer, and the answer was yes. Yes, I am called to be a teacher. Yes, there are going to be difficult days in the classroom when you have to put academics on hold to deal with behavior issues. Yes, I have found joy in teaching again!
It seemed like things in my classroom were slipping out of control as my students were not making good decisions, choosing to be defiant, saying inappropriate things, and being pressured by each other to make wrong decisions. Knowing what I was walking in to each morning made it a struggle to want to get out of bed. It was a fight, and it was robbing me of the joy that I had found in teaching.
During the midst of these rough weeks, it became difficult to pray. As the negative feelings and thoughts were piling up inside, it came to the point where I had to cry out to God to intervene. And God did intervene. It came in the form of my one student, who seemed to be the main instigator, have a change of heart when he realized his actions affect other people beside himself. With some help, he has made a drastic change in his behavior, and as a result, has helped the class get back on the right track. It is something that only God could have done, and joy had been restored in the classroom once again!
Each morning as a class, we have the opportunity to start our day out by inviting God into our classroom to help us with self-control. We admit we are imperfect people who will make mistakes, but it is so reassuring that we have a God who will forgive us for our wrongdoings and help us to forgive others, as well. We pray for our relationships with one another that we will work together to help build each other up, not tear one another down. We also thank God for getting us through those weeks and for helping us get to where we are at now. It is such an incredible opportunity to be able to begin each morning this way.
Reflecting on those weeks, I realized I knew the answer, and the answer was yes. Yes, I am called to be a teacher. Yes, there are going to be difficult days in the classroom when you have to put academics on hold to deal with behavior issues. Yes, I have found joy in teaching again!