Reflections While Waiting for Finals

I learned a lot of things in this class. I could just write a list and it would go on forever, but I will tell you the two things I found most important.

-Love your students. You never know where they are coming from. They may go to a lot of work to hide their struggles from you and their friends, so give them the benefit of the doubt. You don't know what they struggle with at home, if they even have one. Maybe they were kicked out because of homophobia, or maybe they got caught up in a gang. Every student is different. So whatever you do, make your classroom one place that they can feel safe and happy. If they are hard to love, pray to God to see them the way he sees them, and fake it 'til you make it. You don't have to be cuddly and warm, but be trustworthy and safe--let them know you care. It is like Principal El said in one of the first videos we watched: every child deserves to have someone who is crazy about them. Support them and advocate for them. I agree with Dr. Draper, teenagers really are just kids in adult bodies. Sometimes we look at the outside and forget, so make sure to ask God to help you see the inside.

-You can't do everything, so just do your best. I believe that we would like to do everything, but we are also human. I cannot fix every student's life, neither can I give every one a passion for learning. They have their agency. You do your best, love them, teach them, and then at some point you have to leave the rest up to God. There may be times when he asks just a little bit more of you. When I see all the things these students go through, sometimes I want to just give up, but it helps to remember that scripture that says that if it so be that we bring one soul unto God, we will have joy in the kingdom of heaven. If I make just one student's life a little brighter, then it would still be worth it. Perhaps they learn everything in the curriculum and how to be happy and successful and the answers to life, the universe, and everything. Or maybe all they learn is that there is one teacher who will never give up on them. It doesn't matter. God will take care of the things that we can't, and he has a much longer time frame than we do.