My new 4th graders, Here we are again; at the start of a new school year. New beginnings. New goals. New teachers. New friends. New demands and expectations. It’s a lot to walk into, I know. But I promise that you’ll make it. Just as I did for my students last year, I have prayed for you each by name. I have prayed over our classroom and thus I do not expect a perfect year; for the presence of God does not mean the absence of problems but, I expect a year full of joy-filled trials and triumphs. You need to know that I am not perfect and I don't expect you to be either. But I do expect you to work hard and never give up regardless of how insufficient you feel. I know you're probably nervous; so am I. And yes, before you ask, I'm just as nervous as I was last year. But it's okay. A teacher-friend told me last year that being nervous isn't always a bad thing. It means that I care and that I want to do a good job, because I care about you. "I'd be worried if you weren't nervous!" she exclaimed. Now, I've heard it said and seen it written that nervousness equates to weakness. Let me explain something, nervousness is not weakness. Being nervous will take you down if you let it; but we all have a choice - we can be let ourselves be taken down or we can be brave in the face of fear and confidently (or maybe with uncertainty, that's okay too) press on anyway. Let's all be brave together. If someone still wants to tell me that nervousness is the same thing as weakness then I'll gladly accept that anyway, because I know that when I am weak, I am strong. Recognizing my need forces me to rely on God, to call upon His name when my own strength isn't enough, and also when it is. Therefore, my perceived weakness is neither a deficit nor an obstacle but rather a way to for God to be glorified and for me to grow within my own humanity. Truth be told, I am not ready for you. I feel as if I am but when I really think about it, how could I be? I don't know you. Our room is set-up (mostly) and month one of our daily lessons are planned but I would be doing myself a disservice if I convinced myself that I am ready to teach you. I’m ready to celebrate your successes with you, give you consequences when you need them, and second chance after second chance because there is not one part of me that doesn’t already believe in you, or isn’t ready to see the good in you despite what unwise choices you might decide to make. My new friends, I learned a lot last year. Here’s what I would tell myself around this time last year if I could time travel: 1. Kelly, you can be as “ready” as humanly possible but you won't know what to do until you've met and grown to really know each little one in your care. 2. Have high standards, not expectations. A pastor at your church told you this a few years ago in regard to relationships but you didn’t really understand the difference until now. I think he meant that people will fall short of your expectations more than they will meet them. Expectations should be something that change as the relationship, friendship, etc grows. Over time we learn what to expect from people. Standards; however, are more akin to goals. Have high standards for your students and be sure they know what their end goal is, but give them grace, and re-adjust your expectations if they fall short of them on the way to meeting your standards. 3. You’ll probably be wrong more than you’ll be right. Own it, and apologize when necessary. 4. There are times when kids just need to be kids. Let them. Let them “just be kids” more than you think is necessary. 5. Sometimes the way you do something or handle a certain situation won’t make sense to others. It’s okay. Trust yourself. Trust your God. Be confident in knowing that He chose you, not someone else, for that moment because you have been uniquely gifted to handle it in just the way that you are. There are probably about 10 other lessons I learned that I can’t currently put words to but nevertheless, all of those lessons above are going to help me be a better teacher for you. Although “better” most certainly does not mean “the best”. I'm not trying to be the best, nor do I want to be. I'm not in competition with anyone else. I just want to be best version of myself this year so that I can be exactly what you need. You don't need a teacher who's trying to be better than everyone else, you just need a teacher who really sees you, and does what's best for you, not what's best for herself. I learned that last year too. This year, I don't want you to strive to be the best either. Yes, I know that’s not what most people would say, but hear me out. I don't want you to try to be better than your classmates around you, or your friends in other classes. I just want you to be better than you were the year before, the week before, the day before. I don't want you to compete with the kids around you; rather, I want you to be encouraging and supportive to help build one another up to be better than they were the day before too. In my classroom, it's not every man for himself. We're all in this together. See you soon, Ms. Frazee
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Author4th grade teacher. Writer. Justice-seeker. Encourager. CrossFitter. John 11:40. Archives
July 2017
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