Over this past year I have had moments of panic, sadness,
frustration and even questioned my ability to impact the students around me.
Through all of the tough times came moments of pure joy, strength and growth. I
would not have been able to make it through my first year with the support of
my family and friends and my faith. It was about midway through the year and I
was struggling (Did you know that your body requires sleep?) that I finally had
a moment of clarity. I realized that I was wasting important moments in my life being
miserable. Some may say I’m ridiculous others may say a little crazy but for
those of you who really know me understand that I’m just “unique.” I did a 180
and began to take a new perspective. When students entered my classroom I was
going to love on them as much as possible. The time spent inside my school
building was going to be as positive as I could make it because my purpose was
no longer to serve myself but to serve others. I wanted to be with my students
I wanted to watch them grow and I wanted the time I spent with them to be
joyous.
As I embark on this second year of teaching I have that same
mindset. I realize that in order for my students to benefit from the crazy
amounts of energy I’m blessed with that I have to take care of myself. Yes…here
it comes. I drank the kool-aid. With encouragement from my brother I joined a
Crossfit Gym (Crossfit Deep Ellum). It has completely changed my life (I know
big statement). It has given me a venue to challenge myself both mentally and
physically. It has surrounded me with people who are encouraging. It has given
me strength. It is a new and exciting feeling to have. I feel strong going into the classroom this
second year and when I hit a bump in the road I will have the strength to deal
with it, better than I did my first year.
Tomorrow is exciting and I get see the faces of kids who
live very different lives then once I have lived. They have seen and
experienced things that no child should experience. But they are amazing and
they will be in my classroom because they are being given a second chance.
Ready or not (and I feel ready) here we go!
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