Threat Level: High

I went off to college with dreams of studying biology then working at Duke Energy or going on to school to be a radiologist.  

Organic chemistry brought that to a screeching halt. [I mean like hitting-a-brick-wall-you-are-stupid kind of halt] 

I changed my major to elementary education with a concentration in science.  I did my student teaching in 2nd grade with some of the most amazing teachers I've ever known [and still know].  It was such an awesome experience.  I couldn't wait to get my own classroom.  

1st grade was my first real test.  

I didn't do so well.  I got those babies [and they were really still kindergarteners] and I Did. Not. Have. A. Stinkin'. Clue. 

I was so stressed out.  I did what I thought was supposed to be done...what I'd learned in college but I'm not sure if those poor kiddos learned a thing.  

I was a terrible first grade teacher.  Terrible.  I knew from the beginning that I was not cut out to teach little ones..that takes a special teacher.  I'm not that special teacher.

In the late winter of that year we moved and I took an interim job in a 5th grade class in Mooresville.  

My faith in my career choice was restored.  I found out quickly that I loved 5th graders.  They were independent, [I had first graders that couldn't quite make it to the restroom....and it was IN THE ROOM] funny, and capable of being challenged.  I just couldn't find that with those first graders. [Honestly, I cried almost every Sunday when I taught first grade because I didn't want to go back but we had a baby and bills to pay.]

Eventually we would move [a few more times] and I ended up teaching 4th and 5th grade for almost 11 years.  

There were fun times.  Once, I received a grant and we used the money to send cameras to a school in every state.  We asked the schools to take pictures of their schools and mail us the cameras back.  This was so much fun [I still have all the states and pictures] because we were able to learn about geography as if we were there.  We wrote to all the governors and asked for their favorite recipe that used ingredients from their state. Arnold Schwarzenegger even sent us his favorite recipe [it was something that if you ate it then the food in your stomach said, "I'll be back"].  I had wonderful teammates and made forever friends along the way.  I learned so much from the people I worked with during this time.  I was blessed to teach some AMAZING kids those years, many of which I still keep up with as they become adults.  [Eek...which makes me feel as old as I really am.]  

I earned my National Boards and my Master's degree during this time. [I also had TWO more children before we realized that drinking the tap water was not good.]  The good times far outweighed any disappointments and failures.  

During this time Craig was able to get a job teaching and coaching at KM.  This would mean, for the first time in a long time, we'd all be on the same schedule and in the same school system.  

Around this time I decided to leave my comfort zone and try my hand at middle school science.  

It was definitely a change.  

Middle schoolers are unique creatures.  They are stuck between being silly and growing up. They are über concerned with what others think about them.  They are funny [sometimes in a weird sort of way] and some crazy stuff comes out of their mouths.  They truly live by "what comes up comes out". No filters. 

For me, it was an adjustment and it took me a few years to get used to this middle school world.  

I've learned a few things along the way:
1. You pick your battles.  Some things just are not worth the worry.

2. Be flexible. Technology fails. Kids don't get it. Issues happen.

3. Don't take anything personally. [Well, I won't exactly say I've learned this one but I am trying.]  Often they aren't mad or angry with the adult as much as they are mad at themselves [and sometimes mad that they got caught]. 

4. Involve parents.  Something happens between the time we give them information, directions, consequences, etc. and the time they get home.  

5. Get to know your students on a personal level. [That doesn't mean befriend them on social media or anything like that....I'm not a werido.]  Ask them about the game. Ask them about their outfit [because sometimes you truly want to know if they got dressed in the dark]. Even though they are standoffish and sometimes "too cool for school" [couldn't resist] they truly want others to be interested in them.

6. [This one has been difficult for me.]  Not all of them are going to like you. And some of them will be vocal about not liking you or your class. 

7. Be consistent.  If you threaten a punishment then you better come through with it.  On that same token, if you value your life, if you promise a reward you better come through with it.  They may forget their homework, their manners, and their names but they WILL NOT forget you promised cupcakes.

8. Trust me when I say that they want structure and direction and focus.  If I have 5 extra minutes at the end of the class the worst thing I can do [yet, I still do it] is say, "Read a book or work on homework."  I might as well be saying, "Pillage and plunder and cause mayhem!" because that is what middle schoolers hear.  

I am trying something new this year, in all of my classes, called Genius Hour. I let my kids pick a topic of interest that they want to learn more about and they are going to present this just before we get out for Christmas break.  

We work every other Friday in class and then the students are working at home. Some of their topics include:

• Learning to surf
• Parkour 
• Photography
• Videos that will encourage young girls to be confident
• Writing and publishing books
• Mixing music
• Learning to play the piano
• Japanese culture and anime
• Magic
• Designing legos
• Creating a website to sell tshirts

And the list goes on and on and on....
And the shocker of it all: I'm not in charge. 

Each student in my class has been issued a challenge to pursue a passion.  I am just there to help.

Probably a bigger shocker: They are not being assessed. 
Tested. 
Quizzed. 
Graded.

Teaching is so much more than just a test at the end of the year.  True story coming at you [and one I may have told before so sorry if you already know it]. I was told, several years back, that I was the worst reading teacher in the county and the ranking by test scores "proved it."  Talk about a sucker punch to the gut. What makes it worse is that every single teacher's name was on that list for all the world to see.

That was a defining moment for me in teaching and in my life.  I made some promises to myself as I waddled [yep...8 months pregnant with Gabe] up the hall back to my room that Halloween day:
1. I would persevere.  
2. I was just a year away from getting my Masters degree in reading.  What I never told that particular administrator that day was that I earned my MEd in reading because I wanted to be a better reading teacher...but not for a test score. I would be a better reading teacher.
3. Attitude reflects leadership.  I would defy every negative vibe being reflected. 
4. My name might be at the bottom of that list but that one small sliver of what I did in my classroom was not a true reflection of things that I had done in my career.
5. Prove [name withheld] wrong.

Testing has its place.  Assessment is important....so is being supportive and encouraging.

Attitude reflects leadership.

I like inspiration.  I like to share inspiration with my classes.  Every Genius Hour Friday we start off with a video.  This week I chose this one:

Our kids can be limitless, no matter their circumstances or backgrounds. 
It is my job to make sure I am a stepping stone and not a stumbling block.

I have been discouraged for a few years with teaching and really, education in general.  It's never been so much about the pay with me. [I guess you just come to terms with that whole "kicking a dead horse" thing.] 

My issues have been more with negativity [my own included], lack of purpose, and just generally feeling like a punching bag sometimes. [I'm not looking for sympathy....just sharing my thoughts before they consume me.] I take a lot of things very personally. To a fault sometimes. That is just who I am. 

I know I'm not the only teacher in the world that feels like throwing in the towel sometimes but that Find A New Career-O-Meter seemed to be hitting new highs in the last few years.  

But, as always, God's timing is perfect.  I have been reminded, over and over and over again, of Colossians 3:23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if working for the Lord and not for men. Today, not by coincidence, I saw several former students while grocery shopping.  We did little more than wave at each other and speak but it was an "A-Ha!" moment for me.  

I am not teaching to be at the top of the "high flyer" list of tested areas.  
I am not teaching for the applause of men.
I am not teaching because it is all I can do.


My students. 
My school. 
My coworkers. 
Teachers everywhere.

We are limitless.

Ephesians 3:20 says, "God can do immeasurably more than we could ever hope or imagine."

He sure can.