little white house and lots of prayer.

There's this little white house I drive by every day to and from work. There are no other houses that surround it. I have never seen anyone outside of it and I have always wondered who lives in it. The house is beaten up. The walls look like they may fall down any day now. The grass is dirt. There is a metal swing set in front...with no swings. There is one tree. And I think that is about it. I drive so fast past that house and always, I mean always, wonder who lives there.....

....a few weeks ago....I discovered it was one of my student's. He lives there.

.....a few weeks ago.......I began to pray. I began to ask myself why I went to work everyday and why I drove past that beaten up white house everyday. I was drifting from the idea that I am at this school for my students and falling into the trap of getting my job done...almost feeling as though I am teaching in an empty room. I forgot these kids are MY students and they are REAL and I am there for THEM.

Teaching has been tiring. I feel like a failure everyday I leave that campus and drive the long trek home. I was mad at myself because I felt like I was not working on my relationship with my students. But then I began to pray that God would put a desire on my heart to love these kids with a love they have never received before. I asked Him to give me certain kids who had lives that you only see in awful, made up movies. I asked Him to give me patience. I asked Him to remind me everyday why I drive that long trek past that beat up white house.

My prayers have been answered. This past week has been incredible. I can't describe the love I have for my students and how I got it. There is no description but the Holy Spirit inside of me, guiding me, giving me the words to say, and ultimately loving these kids. He's answered those prayers. I drive past that house each day, pray for my day, pray for my students, and pray for that little one living in the house.

Just yesterday, one of my toughest students, who I do not get along with to say the LEAST, approached me with this statement: "School is cool, but even cooler because you are my teacher."

That's why I drive that long drive past that white house everyday. But thank GOD tomorrow is Friday. :-)

up again.

I'm up and running again. We'll see how long this lasts.

A few weeks ago, I decided to once again start blogging. Mostly because I wanted to have a safe place to share my experiences in my first year of teaching. By safe, I mean a place that I know my thoughts will be there when I sign back in. The few weeks went by and I did nothing to make my dreams become a reality...

...it wasn't until I began to read the book, Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist. I was given the book by a good friend who had also given me another one of her books awhile back that I could not put down. To no one's surprise, I can't put this one down either. I love it. I love the way Shauna shares her experiences. It is literally like reading someone's blog and not wanting to stop. As I read each chapter, I kept telling myself that I have got to start blogging again. So finally...I sit in my bed, the new Phil Wickham CD softly playing in the background (very good, but just like his others FYI), the window open with the cool Fall breeze running into my room, and the thought running through my head that I need to close my computer and go to bed. I have an early morning tomorrow. And a busy week. Lord knows my students do not want to see me grumpy. We've already discussed it.

Tomorrow begins Week 8 (or 9, I'm not sure) of school. I cannot believe how quickly these first two months have flown by. The weeks have been fun, exciting, tiring, stressful, overwhelming, rewarding, tough, and worth it all. I love my students, love the people I work with, and love the place I am at...which makes up for all the stress pimples I get on a weekly basis. Here's to another week full of surprises and many learning experiences. Not just for my students. Mostly for me.