How do you mold a child?

When I was growing up Dad was discipline, Mom was grace, and both were love. They worked every day to mold me into a young woman of good character. I am so grateful for the time they took to teach me how I should behave. I know that they disciplined me because they loved me, they wanted me to understand at a young age the difference between right and wrong.

I remember a time when I was about eight, (not exactly sure of the age but we'll say eight for the sake of argument), and I was using my pretzels to create a picture on my plate. I wanted to glue the pieces together but Mom didn't want me to waste my food. Who knows why I really wanted to glue a bunch of pretzels together, but I was determined to try everything to convince my mom. I fibbed and told her that another child's mom let him do the same thing. Fine my mom would call this mother and ask. I finally broke and told her that she didn't really let him glue pretzels together and needless to say I didn't get to either.

This is just one example of how my parents taught me that doing the wrong thing - like lying - does not solve our problems. No matter how insignificant it may seem.

Although I am not a parent myself yet, I have recently become the molder and shaper of almost eighty, twelve through fourteen year old children. Just as I needed molding, these children need it too. They need that perfect combination of discipline, grace, and love. I'll be honest - I haven't figured out that combination yet. I'm still learning. I have made mistakes that I regret. However, I will tell you one thing - I do love my students and I want to do the best for them. I want to teach them all that I am able to and mold them into young men and women who will go into the world confident that they can do whatever it is that set's their hearts on fire.

I was recently criticized by someone I don't even know concerning how I have handled my classroom. I'll be honest - it hurt. However, I have decided that the best thing I can do is let it push me to continue my journey to figure out what I need to do. I am asking for help. I am asking for suggestions from anyone who has ever worked with children - parents and teachers.

If I didn't care about my students I would give up now because honestly some days the task I have been given seems impossible. So I ask for help. How do you mold a child?

There is no passion to be found in playing small...

When I arrived in West Virginia there was a verse in 1 Thessalonians that really spoke to my heart. It read...

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Today was a testament to God's faithfulness.

It was one of the first days as a teacher that I felt strong. Obviously this has not come about in my own power.

God has worked so much through this past year to bring me to this point. He is still working.

There were SO many moment's last year that I wanted to give up. Leading up to the beginning of school there were moments when I wondered how in the world I was going to change the climate of my classroom to something that would be helpful and meaningful.

But today I got so excited because I could viably see how God was molding and shaping my classroom into something that can be used for Him.

I am beginning to develop great relationships with my new sixth grade class and am continuing the process of building relationships with my older two grades. I am so excited about how God is grounding me and teaching me patience in His work.

I write this as an encouragement to anyone reading this. God is at work. Always, he is at work. Sometimes it seems that nothing will ever change. But it will because, "He who calls you is faithful."

I have begun to challenge my students to reach for greatness, using a quote by Nelson Mandela.

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

For so long many of my students have lived in generational poverty. They have settled for a life that is less than so many of them are capable of. They need prayer and inspiration to rise above that.

It is my prayer that God would touch their hearts and their lives this year.

As I challenge my students, I also challenge myself. We can all strive for greatness -greatness in how we serve, greatness in how we live. God will equip us to do great things for Him when we surrender to Him.

Stay the Course

As many of you know, a year ago I moved to West Virgina to teach Jr. High English. It was a year full of professional struggle and spiritual growth. I had never faced such insurmountable challenges in my life. It would be a lie if I said there were never days that I sat in despair wondering what God had been thinking in sending me to this place. Yet, through it all, God remained faithful and brought me through. Not only did he provide amazing friends, a great church family, and a house for me to live in, he also came along side me and spoke the truth of His love and grace into my life. When I was at my wits end he provided the serenity I needed to keep going forward. In my heart, God placed an unexplainable love for some of my most needy and difficult students. I worked hard to stay true to the calling I had felt to show my students the love of Christ. However, as many of you I'm sure can relate, Satan is always at work to seek and destroy those things that are good. Near the end of the school year, I came as close as I had ever come to giving up. I began looking into other professions. I was at the end of my rope. I had done all I could in my human strength. Then, one Sunday in May, God reminded me of his unconditional love and forgiveness. I was reminded of the wretched sinner that I am and how God came down from heaven so that I could be saved from death. He gave up everything so that I could have life abundantly. As tears streamed down my face, I knew in my heart what God was asking of me.
Returning to West Virginia was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I know the challenges that face me this year and in my human foresight, they still seem insurmountable. Yet, God has not changed. He is still in the business of miracles and it appears that I am to be apart of another one of them.
As I sat in a teachers meeting recently, I was inspired by the words of our superintendent. He recognized the dire situation that we are in. He has seen how in need we are. Yet he has chosen to have hope. He believes that we are not lost. He believes that we must stay the course.
I am in awe of the God that we serve. He sees us in our despair and unbelief. Yet he still chooses to use us, jars of clay, to do His awesome work of love and hope. If we serve the God that we claim to know and love, we must have hope. Despite everything, we must believe and stay true to the cause for which we are called.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes no on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
- 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18