I know, I
know. I missed July’s entry. In my defense though, I blinked and July was
gone! I can’t believe it’s time to start back to school, BUT I’m ready!
I am a
teacher. That’s one of a small handful
of things in my life that I know, without question, I’m doing that is within
God’s ultimate plan. Will I be a teacher
for the rest of my life or at least my career? Who knows, but teaching is
ingrained in me. I’ve not been in the
classroom since February 18th.
For the first few months, my mind was completely distracted with new
baby stuff. Then, I noticed that it
slowly started turning back on to teaching.
My two favorite subjects to teach are math and grammar. I’m pretty sure that I like these subjects
most for two reasons: 1-They’re pretty straight forward. There is always a “right” answer. 2-EVERYBODY
uses math and grammar daily…so they’re extra important. I have found a way to “teach” these two
subjects without even stepping foot in a classroom. I’ve gotten teased a lot for my FB grammar
lessons. You are welcome to tease all
you like, as long as you get something from it! “To” and “too” are NOT
interchangeable! In fact, it was a math lesson (or lack thereof) that reassured
me all over again, that I am meant to be a teacher.
I was at Hobby
Lobby getting fabric to make some super cute pocket tees. I didn’t need much, so as I put the bolt on
the counter, I simply said, “I need a quarter.”
Vague, yes, but I assumed “a quarter” implied a quarter of a yard since
this was not the first time I’d made this request. It must have been a change in shifts because
there were two girls at the counter talking.
The one who was staying asked if I meant a quarter of a yard. At my confirmation, she then asked her
co-worker how much a quarter was (as in ¼).
This question disturbed me, but then it only got worse. The co-worker turned around as she was
walking off and said, “Yes. I like to
think about it like a dollar,” (this is how I teach my 4th graders!)
“There are four quarters in one dollar.”
She started to walk away again when the other girl said, “Hey! You kept
my cheat sheet!” Not being familiar with
the way Hobby Lobby does things (which all frequent HL shoppers can agree that
they are a little behind the times in terms of technology), I ignored the
comment and continued to think about the girl (not to mention one who works in
the fabric department) didn’t know that a quarter means ¼. It was then that her understanding of math
broke my teacher heart. As the co-worker handed her the cheat sheet, she said,
“It’s .25.” The cheat sheet obviously
was a quick fractions-to-decimals conversion chart. No big deal.
My heart ached at the fact that ¼ is a SIMPLE fraction and even after
the co-worker referred to the measurement in terms of $1.00, the girl still
didn’t make the connection to .25 or $0.25.
Maybe my reaction to the whole fraction thing is a little much,
especially to non-teachers, but the girl wasn’t even making the
connection. This event reassured me that
my place on this earth is in the classroom.
After all the anxiety and dread I’d had about going back to work and
leaving my little Fishy, I was certain that I need to do my part in advancing
the knowledge and understanding of my fourth graders.
I just wasn’t
ready to go back to work in May. I’m so
very grateful for the opportunity I had, to spend nearly every waking moment of
the first 5 ½ months of my baby’s life with him. That is time that I will never get back and will
always cherish. I’m ready now. I feel like that if I’d chosen to be a stay
at home mom, I’d be wasting what God created me for. (SAHM, Please do not think I am criticizing
you. BELIEVE me, after 5 ½ months as a
SAHM, I understand that it’s just as much of a calling as being a teacher! I don’t know how you do it.) I just know that
God put me on this earth to teach, and if I didn’t do that, then I wouldn’t be
following His plan for my life.
I still don’t know
why I am always amazed when I realize that God knows what He’s doing! I’ve stated before that I’m not fond of
change. I like itineraries, check-lists,
and expectations. When something
happens, I’m not a “just go with it” kind of girl. I like to know how things
are going to end, before they even start so naturally, the mere anticipation of
going back to work made me anxious. Like
I said, God knows what He’s doing. He’s
the One who created me, so He knows how I work.
For my entire life, I’ve had to be prepared for change. When David and I got married, I needed the
year to prepare for the move that was an hour away from my comfort. It just takes me a while to feel okay about
change. Anticipating leaving Little Man
made me sick. So, God, being the Great
and Almighty One that He is, began putting ignorant people in my path (or at
least opening my eyes to their ignorance) to tug at the strings of my teacher
heart so that I would be ready to dive into the new year.
As I write this, I
am reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 ~ Trust in
the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Seek Him
in all you do and He will show you the path to take. I would typically
reference this verse when I need or someone needs to make a big decision, but
it kind of seems fitting for my current situation as well. When I put my complete trust in God, He will
handle it. I’m trusting Him with my
career choice and leaving my little fella, and He’s taking care of things.
I pray that you
will put your trust in Him in all that you do.
He’s got this!
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