This particular post has been working itself out in my mind for some time and I think it is time to put my fingers to the keys and type it out. In August, I began my first year of teaching. My assignment has been all-day Kindergarten in room 416. My co-teacher and I have a group of 22 precious students and each day they fill our lives with joy, challenge, and laughter.
I have had the time of my life teaching these little ones. Sure, there have been difficult days, even difficult weeks (warning: the first year of teaching your immune system really gets put through the ringer. Stalk up on vitamin C and clorox wipes.) there have been days I have felt maybe I'm just not cut out for this job, days I felt like I had failed each one of my students. But the good days in room 416 far outweigh the difficult ones. I have learned ALOT from my first five months of teaching. Those kids are showing me so much everyday, most recently, a few lessons on grace.
The first lesson: a direct reflection of the grace that God so lovingly and undeservingly pours out on me each day.
I will admit it. There are days I just don't bring it. There are days I am just not as patient or gentle or kind as I need to be. But, it never fails in these days when I am selfishly feeling like a failure that one of my kids comes up, wraps their little arms around my legs with a tight squeeze and looks up to say, "you are the best teacher in the whole world!" I know. It melts my heart too. Every. Single. Time.
These special little hugs show me how much grace my students hold out for me. These hugs say, "I know we can be a challenge, I know you are having a tough day, but I also know you are better than this and I want to give you another chance to show me." Over and over again, I am reminded of my gracious Heavenly Father, who shows this same grace to me all day everyday.
The second lesson: A reminder that I am responsible to reflect the grace of God to others. A reminder that God is so good to love us.
So this is very similar to lesson #1 but I feel the need to give it a separate title. It's sort of the reverse of lesson #1 actually. To teach kindergarten, you really need to set your mind every day to serve. You walk into that classroom of course, to teach, but also to be a helper, to serve those kids so that they can learn how to do things for themselves. They are smarties, but they are also 5 and still need help tying their shoes, putting on their jackets, remembering daily tasks, and making rational decisions. Teaching math, phonics, and reading is the easy part. Helping, can sometimes be a challenge. "Tie my shoe!" "Fix my jacket!" "I'm telling on you for looking at me!"....ah the daily background music to my life! After reminding them to use their manners, and speak respectfully, I tie those shoes, I fix those jackets, I act as referee in the dramatic staring contest. And, after, very rarely receive a thank you, even a smile. They expect the service to be done for them. For a long time, it ate away at me. How do you not even say thank you?! I'm not a personal shoe-tier! But then, God gave me His eyes to see... "Kaitlyn, how many times a day do you say thank you when I tie your shoe, when I fix your jacket, when I am the mediator of your trials?" (now of course, I'm not crazy, God doesn't really tie my shoes or fix my jackets but you catch the drift of conviction) It stopped me dead in my tracks. These kids need to be shown grace. The same grace they show me when I mess up. The same grace God pours out on each one of us EVERY TIME we spit in his face. These kids need grace!
I love my daily adventures in room 416. The marvelous thing about this job is that everyday is a different day and you never really know what exactly it will hold! I love everything I am learning, I love that I am growing as a teacher, I love that my kids are truly learning and learning a lot! And I love that God has used these kids to draw me closer to him!
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. - John 1:16
Thank you Jesus.xo,
Kaity
P.S. here is a look into Christmas time in my classroom, room 416 :)
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