End of an Era

So, I know that I have done a horrible job this semester updating this. Part of it is because I have been so insanely busy, but another part is that I just haven’t had a chance to sit down and truly process this whole semester. Now I am back at 0%, meaning that I’m not teaching anything. I cannot believe this journey is over. But I guess, in some ways, it has just started. I cannot even begin to express the amount I have learned in this short amount of time. This experience has taught me so much. And I so wish that I was allowed to post pictures of my kids online because they are just the cutest. But I guess you just have to trust me when I say that.

I have been blessed with spending every single day with 21 of the sweetest faces. I may be biased, but my fourth graders are THE BEST! They were so kind and understanding while I was student teaching. I am not perfect and the students were able to show me so much grace. I truly don’t think that I will ever forget about them. They have changed my life.  At first, I wasn’t happy about being placed in fourth grade (I hated fourth grade when I was in school). But I am so thankful that the Lord was faithful. After the first couple weeks, I loved my kiddos so much. I love fourth grade. It is such a fun age and the students are really able to engage in discussion.

But I have never worked as hard as I have this semester. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it the rest of my life; teaching requires a special type of person. It is not a joke and it’s not a profession that should be mocked. I arrived at school every single morning before 7:30, most days I didn’t leave until 4 or 5. After leaving school, I spent even more time learning the lessons for the next day. I was exhausted at the end of my full time teaching. But it was worth it. And it will be worth it. I am so excited that this is the Lord’s calling in my life. The classroom is where I feel the best. My heart beats to spend time with kids and teach them not just math and English, but how to be a good friend and how to sort through their emotions. I am confident to know that my job is to teach of the future of America. On Friday, my class threw me the sweetest surprise party. I honestly had no idea it was coming. All the parents of the class bought me school supplies to stock my classroom next year. It was the best present ever and I feel so undeserving. My students also wrote me the sweetest notes, I’m pretty sure that I will keep them forever. I still can’t get over the experience I was able to have this semester. I’m still counting my blessings.

It’s funny though…my life is about to dramatically change in about two weeks. I have no idea where I will be living next year or what my job will be. And in some ways, that really stresses me out. I’m a planner. I like to know exactly what I am doing and going. But a much bigger piece of me is at peace. Right now, I know that it’s okay to not know. I’m enjoying right now. I’m spending my last weeks with my friends and cherishing each and every conversation. I was driving down a back road the other night and was reminded of how much Anderson has become my home over the past 4 years. It’s grown to be a place that I will love and will cherish forever. I cannot believe that it’s all coming to an end so soon. Maybe I should be more scared or sad, and some days, I definitely am. But I’ve learned so much about trust and peace in this time. I have seen the faithfulness of the Lord in every aspect of my life, and I know He will come through yet again. I am so excited for the next step of the journey. God is already doing some amazing things in my life, and I cannot see how my life is going to pan out. Please pray for me as I start a new chapter of my life.

Also, I'm going to have to come up with a new name for this blog pretty soon. Wow.