Reflections of Summer

Tomorrow is my first day of student teaching. My first placement is with an 8th grade US History class and my second placement is with a 9th grade Geography class. For the past week and a half I have been enduring hours of orientation, last minute reminders, meetings with supervisors and mentors and finally, a real life faculty meeting at the junior high. I am beyond excited! Not only does this mean I am at the beginning of the end of my college career, I am almost a real life teacher! I am ecstatic!

So far, my experience with the junior high has been wonderful! I really like my mentor and the other teachers in the department. They were all very encouraging and nice. One of the greatest things that happened with my mentor is that she asked what I wanted to do after graduating. I told her honestly - "FIND A JOB!" I explained to her that Steven has so patiently waited for me to graduate and has supported me through these last few years of school and now it is my turn to do the same for him. Since he wants to go to A&M, we would like to stay around here of course. Well, it turns out that one of the teachers will be having a baby over Christmas and they will need a long term substitute in the spring! When she asked if I was interested I did not hesitate to say absolutely! I have heard that long term subbing is a good way to get a job in a district. Also, it will ensure that I will be earning at least some money in case I can't find a job right away. I was so pleased! My constant prayer is that I will be successful this semester and get a job! So I will leave it in the Lord's hands and as always, He knows what I stand in need of. Obviously!!!

This summer has been a pretty good summer, all in all. I finished up at the daycare a week and a half ago - (not even one day off between work and school, thus is life!) - and I cried like a little baby. It was not so much that I was leaving the kids, although I did really like them. I only had them for the summer and we just seemed to go, go, go all summer so I didn't grow extremely attached to all of them but I did to some. I was more emotional about leaving the daycare itself. I started working at that daycare in August of 2002 when I first started college at A&M. Leaving there feels like a chapter of my life is closing, which it is. I just didn't feel the full affects of it until the day I quit. The staff gave me a really sweet card and a poem about my service to the daycare which also made me cry like a baby. That place has served a major purpose in my life. It has driven me to become a teacher, it has been a place of comfort when I felt lost, and I have made many friends there. While not all of my memories are fond (ie - unreasonable parents, explosive diarrhea, head lice, being sick every two weeks) I will recall these years at the daycare with great affection. I am very glad to have had the experience of working there, both the happy and poopy experiences!

This summer has also given me the opportunity to let go of several problems in my life. Some day I may blog about these problems in greater detail but for now, I really can't. What I can say is that I have been able to see situations and people through eyes of wisdom and experience. And I say that not to build myself up but to show how God has given me the wisdom to see things as they are and be at peace. I have changed how I place value on relationships and I have let go of things which I have no control over. I know that there will be times that I will need to be reminded of these things but all in all, I feel I have made some positive changes. I know there is a right and a wrong and it is ok to pick a side. Having compassion for someone does not mean I must agree with them and being compassionate does not mean that I do agree. I will not agree to something that is wrong. And through this summer's events, I have found confidence in being able to say that. Several years ago I could not but by the grace of God, I can now.

Now the summer is ending and school begins tomorrow. I just cannot believe it! This semester I will be teaching, taking my certification exams, writing the dreaded Teacher Work Sample, and if God will see me too it, GRADUATION!!!! I am ready!