So, we’re halfway through January and I’m just now getting around to posting my goals for 2017 … between the stomach bug and strep throat attacking our house, I’ve fallen a bit behind — whoops! My focus for 2017? Be the Good.
With the exception of about one year, I’ve wanted to be a teacher my entire life. My Mom is a teacher — she’s going on 30-something years — and I’ve always admired her and how she has been able to influence the lives of so many people through her profession. She’s pretty fabulous 🙂
When I was deciding which level of teaching to enter, I was honestly torn. I just love the idea of teaching … helping to form and inspire the minds of the future is a daunting, challenging, humbling, and rewarding task. I envisioned myself teaching elementary kiddos – wiping noses, tying shoes, and comforting those that just want to stay with Mommy and Daddy. I also thought about teaching middle school, but then I remembered the awkward time that was my middle school experience and ran the other way! Then, I thought about teaching high school. While my high school experience was pretty great – I was very involved in student life, especially on the volleyball court 🙂 – I thought back to the teachers who really helped make high school awesome. Teachers who inspired and challenged me academically and made learning about organisms and thesis statements and political systems and World War II fun and engaging, as well as teachers who showed compassion and empathy to me and my peers.
High School, I thought, is where I need to be!
In addition to getting to share and talk about my favorite subjects on a daily basis – seriously, in what other professions can you geek out about the Constitution, the Bubonic Plague, and the Civil Rights Movement in the same day? – I also wanted to teach high school to be a positive example for students during a crazy time in their lives.
This leads me to my focus for 2017 – Be the Good
I’m diving deeper into God’s Word this year by focusing on spending more intentional time in my Bible reading. This change alone is giving me the tools and a sense of calm I need to Be the Good.
Students come from a variety of backgrounds, some with more negative experiences than I could imagine in a lifetime, and they may look to school and their teacher to be a place of stability in a crazy, unpredictable world. My response? Be the Good.
High School is really a unique place if you think about it. We have students ranging in age from 14-18 (sometimes older, sometimes younger) and they’re all together in a building where they’re required to learn content they may or may not be interested in all while dealing with tons of outside influences. They probably need to see their teachers as positive role models – people they can look up to, rely upon and emulate. I hope I can fill this tall order for my student by attempting to make school fun while trying to Be the Good.
Am I positive, upbeat, fun, and super-kind every day? Um, no. However, the incredibly important and challenging task of helping students become the best person they can be is (most days!) enough to motivate me to Be the Good.
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Thanks for reading 🙂
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