~and I'm soon to find them~
It's the early morning hours here in Kay County with the clock on the wall telling me the time is nearly 4:15. The house is quiet for a change mostly because Gus is still asleep in his kennel. He must have gotten tuckered out from playing so hard yesterday. I can hear the soft sound of Mike's snoring as he finishes up his last solid block of sleeping before the 5 a.m. alarm clock goes off.
This day is about to begin.
Today is the final day for helping at summer school for the Ponca City School District. I've been fortunate to have been able to assist for 2 weeks in June as well as these past 3 weeks in July. It's been a blessing to meet a few of the district staff members prior to the actual first day of classes in only a few weeks more. I won't feel like I'm totally a new person when I walk through the doors of my elementary building. I have already learned so many things about our district and one of the most important things is this.
Ponca City Public Schools have some very fine people on staff who are there to make a difference in the lives of children each and every day.
I have been working in my classroom off and on now for the summer. At first it was just unpacking all of the boxes that I had moved from Grandfield when school dismissed in May. In the days that followed throughout June and July, I was busy cleaning out cupboards and reorganizing things for my own personal use. By tomorrow I hope to have everything ready to go as best I can and to have the room mostly set up. Next week it is time to really look at the curriculum used for the 5th graders and become even more familiar with it. I've been going over it all summer long as I kept an eye on the state standards to see what else might be needed.
Teaching 5th grade is going to be a learning experience for me. This is my first time at it, having spent the greater part of 4 decades of teaching in the lower elementary end of the building. One of the first things they are going to find out about me is that I am perfectly capable of making a mistake on a daily basis. One of the other first things they are going to find out is that their teacher loves them all very much and cares about what happens to them in life.
I always say to the kids,
And I sincerely mean that.
I have continued to learn about myself as a teacher each and every year. At nearly age 64, I believe that I have finally become the kind of educator that I was truly meant to be. It's not that I felt I was a poor teacher all these years before because I was not. It's just that it took years of experience, constantly refining the way I looked at things, to get to the point where I felt at peace. These days I am not afraid to try new things and even more important, I am not afraid to fail once in a while. I have learned that failure doesn't have to be a bad thing. It is yet one more time of being lain upon God's mighty anvil. My character as a teacher and as a person has been thankfully reshaped by him many times.
At first I was worried about teaching 5th graders but not any longer. I stand firm on the promise that God didn't drop me off here in Kay County because there was no other place to go to. Somewhere out there is a child or a family who really needs me to be there for them, and you know what?
I'm soon to find them and that's alright by me.
This day is about to begin.
Today is the final day for helping at summer school for the Ponca City School District. I've been fortunate to have been able to assist for 2 weeks in June as well as these past 3 weeks in July. It's been a blessing to meet a few of the district staff members prior to the actual first day of classes in only a few weeks more. I won't feel like I'm totally a new person when I walk through the doors of my elementary building. I have already learned so many things about our district and one of the most important things is this.
Ponca City Public Schools have some very fine people on staff who are there to make a difference in the lives of children each and every day.
I have been working in my classroom off and on now for the summer. At first it was just unpacking all of the boxes that I had moved from Grandfield when school dismissed in May. In the days that followed throughout June and July, I was busy cleaning out cupboards and reorganizing things for my own personal use. By tomorrow I hope to have everything ready to go as best I can and to have the room mostly set up. Next week it is time to really look at the curriculum used for the 5th graders and become even more familiar with it. I've been going over it all summer long as I kept an eye on the state standards to see what else might be needed.
Teaching 5th grade is going to be a learning experience for me. This is my first time at it, having spent the greater part of 4 decades of teaching in the lower elementary end of the building. One of the first things they are going to find out about me is that I am perfectly capable of making a mistake on a daily basis. One of the other first things they are going to find out is that their teacher loves them all very much and cares about what happens to them in life.
I always say to the kids,
"What do you do if you have a teacher who says they don't love kids? You find another teacher, that's what you do!"
"What do you do if you have a teacher who says they are perfect and never make mistakes? You find another teacher, that's what you do!"
And I sincerely mean that.
I have continued to learn about myself as a teacher each and every year. At nearly age 64, I believe that I have finally become the kind of educator that I was truly meant to be. It's not that I felt I was a poor teacher all these years before because I was not. It's just that it took years of experience, constantly refining the way I looked at things, to get to the point where I felt at peace. These days I am not afraid to try new things and even more important, I am not afraid to fail once in a while. I have learned that failure doesn't have to be a bad thing. It is yet one more time of being lain upon God's mighty anvil. My character as a teacher and as a person has been thankfully reshaped by him many times.
At first I was worried about teaching 5th graders but not any longer. I stand firm on the promise that God didn't drop me off here in Kay County because there was no other place to go to. Somewhere out there is a child or a family who really needs me to be there for them, and you know what?
I'm soon to find them and that's alright by me.
~the final day of school, May 21st of 2013~
Lincoln Elementary School
Hutchinson, Kansas
Mike knew from the beginning just how important children are to me, and that I will do whatever I can to make their lives even better. Not too many guys would agree to think of getting married the way that we did. Underneath the most romantic basketball goal in the gym, with all of the kids and teachers as witnesses, Mike joined on as a teacher's spouse. Now every class of kids that I teach has not only their teacher to support them but their teacher's spouse as well.
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