Whew! The days of summer can be long and hot. But as I sit here in a cool, air conditioned hotel suite drinking iced tea and munching Godiva chocolate, I can't help but to think about the many changes my students have gone through last year. One of my favorite students moved out of state and is now about to embark to a new school on the other side of the country. I know she's excited, and yet scared at the same time. Knowing her though, I can easily visualize her optimistic smile and her relentless trust in God and in her parents to take care of things.
A couple of my students are in Europe right now and I think about how I've never been to Europe and on this salary, I probably won't get there anytime soon. But, I can't wait to see them this August and hear all about their journeys. I look forward to the pictures, the silly conversations from the "Junior Highers", and some serious conversations with my high school girls about love won and lost.
Last year there was so much relationship drama on campus I felt more like a counselor than a teacher! Oh wait, these jobs are one and the same. :-)
Boys are safer. Their conquering feats are a little different. Did they climb that mountain, conquer that skateboard move, or make it through football practice unscathed by scorching heat? I like that about boys, they don't talk about the emotional stuff. At least not with me. Maybe to their coaches or some other guy, but usually they're busy impressing one another with their physical feats which keeps our conversations very short and simple, yet meaningful since they look for my approval. I like it that way. I like it when things don't get to personal, but when you work at a Christian School, things are bound to get personal because kids are trying to understand God, they're trying to understand their emotions, and they're trying to understand adults, while at the same time, they're trying to reconcile all of these experiences in their bright, yet often confused and conflicted minds. That's just so much energy Maybe that's why they need so much sleep? Kids need help creating meaning about life. I feel blessed to have the privilege of helping them to make those connections and draw meaning.
Yes, I'm one of those teachers that students will talk to about almost anything. I consider it a privilege while others may see it as a pain in the "you know what". Oh yeah, I haven't forgotten to talk about the student that just gets on my last fragile nerve! Yes, if you work with kids in ANY capacity, there is always that one kid who you start out feeling sorry for because the other kids don't like him either, but by the end of the year you know why no one likes him! :-( There I said it. I hear he won't be back next year which saddens me. I hate to find out where he'll end up. The world is so cruel to kids who don't quite get social cues and it is cruel to kids who find it hard to fit in. At least at this school, we care. We try our best to help him out. Talk to him. Give him a clue. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn't. Unfortunately he just doesn't get it! That's the one I pray for all the time. In the meantime, my summer reading continues. My book? The hearts and minds of my students. Although this peculiar generation of digital native students amy seem foreign to some of us, some things do not change. The heart still yearns to be understood and voices still want to be heard. I for one will plan to create opportunity for that to happen. Now back to my book.....
