Let me just come out and apologize that it has taken me this long to come back to the computer screen to at least attempt putting into words what happened this past year. I remember attempting to stay still at my desk the first day of school starring at the clock waiting for it to hit 7:15 am. In case you were wondering, it surely did, and here I am almost a year later trying to even remember all that Jesus did, spoke, revived, redeemed, healed, and provided me with last year within my classroom.
They say your first year of teaching you fly by the seat of your pants, year two you start to get the swing of things, and by year three you are pretty much an expert. In my personal opinion, I don’t believe any of those statements for a second. For me, I have a hard time believing I will ever be an “expert”. Yes, I might have battle scars, horror stories, sob stories, and stories of encouragement- but I hope to never become a teacher that just knows it all. Because in the grand scheme of life, none of us truly know what we are doing. As a believer, I am confident in my gifts and abilities to reach children with special needs that I believe and proclaim Jesus has given me- but it also is not a “fly by the seat of my pants” adventure either. Each day I step into my classroom I have to consciously give myself fully to my students in order to meet them where they are. And that’s not an easy task.
So I attempted to do that each school day, but there were also days when I was exhausted, and many days they were exhausted. There were moments they would greet me at the door with a huge smile and sweet hug and there were days when they would stand at the door with a stare and look of, “Oh, it’s you again.” And to be honest, those moments filled my heart with laughter because no matter how much I love them,they still get annoyed of me. And that’s okay.
I went into my first year thinking and dreaming of all the things I wanted to teach my kids when I ended the year with the exact opposite. I went in focused on what I wanted to accomplish, implement, and maintain and was quickly corrected and forced to let it all go. And when I say that I don’t mean letting go of my classroom management, or my hopes and dreams of my students, but letting go of all the micromanaging and expectations of what a classroom “should” look like. Of course I have my strategies and guidelines I am given and required to implement, but the day by day encounters shouldn’t be put in a outlined box of we are doing this, this, and this, THIS way. I went into my classroom the first day maintaining my type A personality teacher and came out a type F personality teacher. By F I mean flexible. FYI, if you don’t or aren’t flexible as a teacher, you can go ahead and throw in your hat now cause it ain’t gonna work out for you. Trust me.
After 180 days of a new career, I learned that some lessons go longer than expected, some lessons fly by and you wonder how you even spent that much time planning it, some go absolutely horribly and end with everyone in tears, some make you question if you even had an education yourself, and some you just wish to never see again. And you know what my friends, all of these above are normal. It’s all part of the process of becoming the teacher not only you envision and hope to be, but being the teacher and giver of a much bigger picture for your students.
I started to picture this past year of my first lap being "checked off". I like to think that I am a runner but most of my family members would challenge that statement. Anyways, there is an abundance of names and types of track races. Each one with a different strategy and goal encompassed. As I was looking through each one, I came across Team Pursuit. The description of this type of race says this,
“The racers ride single file, known as a “pace line”, and take turns leading the team around the track. At each turn the lead rider moves up the embankment to slow down, allowing the other three riders to pass underneath, and then drops down the track to the back of the “pace line”. The lead rider is responsible for setting the pace while the other cyclists work inside the draft to keep their speed while recovering.”
I couldn’t help but think of my first year and my kids after reading that description. As a teacher, a lot of the times we believe we are the pace setters, we are the giver, we set the goals, we set the expectations, we teach the curriculum content, we teach the social skills, and the list could go on. While all of this is true, it is also true we are a team. Among our team, someone is going to be leading while someone else is ‘recovering’. We are all going to start in a single file line and cross the finish line together but not necessarily at the same time. There are going to be times when we need to drop back and times where we need to push forward. But at the end of the day, we are all on the same team. And as their teacher, I am honored to be their biggest advocate, cheerleader, motivator, and encourager. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So this might be my “entry for the year” as my second year of teaching is quickly approaching. But I felt that I at least owed it to myself, but more my students who gracefully accepted me on my first lap of being a teacher. My first year is something I will never forget and one of the best years of my life. And if I am taking away anything, it is the belief that Jesus does align passion with purpose. I fully believe that my purpose in life is to serve kids and families with special needs, and it just so happens that my passion aligns to those beliefs too. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I get to do what I truly love. I get the opportunity and the blessing to be spoken into, pushed, encouraged, and loved by children who are often counted out. But man, the abundance of blessings they give people who count them in.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wrestling
Well- I am 11 weeks into my teaching career and I am still standing, breathing, and functioning. Sort of. If I have learned anything the past couple of weeks- I have learned how to cope. Cope with the changes in my classroom, cope with the stress, cope with the ups and downs of my friends with autism, cope with every emotion possible. And I'll tell you one thing, I have never learned so much about myself from five little boys under the age of 9 than I ever could of imagined possible.
In our classrooms, we don't like change WHAT-SO-EVER. Changing our schedule is almost a life or death situation in here. But the thing is- when I think about my life and the way I handle change or loss of control- I react the same way if not worse.I began to see a parallel with their reactions in my classroom as a clear depiction of my reaction to Jesus. My friends in my classroom will wrestle with me for hours on end when it comes to change. As I am learning better ways to reach my kids- I start to change the activities or ways I interact with them to only benefit them. And with this comes kicking, screaming, throwing, crying, and everything in between. And lots of it. For the most part, I have learned how to successfully meet them whenever they are mentally, emotionally, physically, you name it- and calm them down. It has become completely natural to me and honestly I don't even think twice about it. But then comes a hard day- when you are tested all day. And in one of these moments it hit me like a ton of bricks.
The moment was so convicting and so intentional by God that it completely overwhelmed me. That's me. That's me kicking, screaming, running, crying, and throwing when God's plans aren't mine. That's me wrestling with Him. Trying to have tight grip of every situation in order for it to go my way. But here's the thing- when my kids react this way, I know in the long run that I am only helping them. Benefiting them. Choosing them. Loving them. Protecting them. If only they would let go of control and know that I deeply care for them and only want the best for them. Easy right? Wrong. In my student's reactions- I saw myself. I saw me wrestling with God and trying every possible tactic to get out of the situation, not realizing that He has it all under control. Every plan, dream, hope, desire, and wish I could possibly want is going to be immeasureably more than I could of ever asked for. If only I would stop wrestling and rest in the fact that He's got it. And even though there are moments when I fail miserably and my confidence as their teacher is deminishing by the second, He's got it. I can choose to not trust him, to be disobedient, and wrestle an unending fight with Jesus. OR- I can rest.
After a long day of wrestling, eventually a peace came over my classroom. And that wrestling faded away. But at the end, there was pure exhaustion. Exhaustion from all the energy used to fight and maintain that control that had been taken away. And in all these moments, I could only feel conviction. And once again, I saw myself. I've been in those moments when I am so exhausted that I just can't give anymore energy. And those moments are when I find God's grace the most. When I think about the times I have completely surredended to Jesus- I am reminded of only the goodness. I want that for my life. I want to wake up every day in God's grace and remember His faithfulness. I want to be reminded that the wrestling is just simply a waste of energy and time. I want moments like these in my classroom where I am completely convicted by an intentional God. I want nothing more that to trust His plans and know that no matter how many times I toil with Him away like my kids do with me- He's got me in mind. He's always had me in mind. And I always have my kids in mind. If I had just trusted His plan, all of that energy could of be saved for something much greater. So instead of wrestling, I'll surrender. Because after all, He's got me.
We are sinful. He is steadfast. We are fearful. He is faithful. We are broken. He binds up. We cherish idols. He cherishes us.
In our classrooms, we don't like change WHAT-SO-EVER. Changing our schedule is almost a life or death situation in here. But the thing is- when I think about my life and the way I handle change or loss of control- I react the same way if not worse.I began to see a parallel with their reactions in my classroom as a clear depiction of my reaction to Jesus. My friends in my classroom will wrestle with me for hours on end when it comes to change. As I am learning better ways to reach my kids- I start to change the activities or ways I interact with them to only benefit them. And with this comes kicking, screaming, throwing, crying, and everything in between. And lots of it. For the most part, I have learned how to successfully meet them whenever they are mentally, emotionally, physically, you name it- and calm them down. It has become completely natural to me and honestly I don't even think twice about it. But then comes a hard day- when you are tested all day. And in one of these moments it hit me like a ton of bricks.
The moment was so convicting and so intentional by God that it completely overwhelmed me. That's me. That's me kicking, screaming, running, crying, and throwing when God's plans aren't mine. That's me wrestling with Him. Trying to have tight grip of every situation in order for it to go my way. But here's the thing- when my kids react this way, I know in the long run that I am only helping them. Benefiting them. Choosing them. Loving them. Protecting them. If only they would let go of control and know that I deeply care for them and only want the best for them. Easy right? Wrong. In my student's reactions- I saw myself. I saw me wrestling with God and trying every possible tactic to get out of the situation, not realizing that He has it all under control. Every plan, dream, hope, desire, and wish I could possibly want is going to be immeasureably more than I could of ever asked for. If only I would stop wrestling and rest in the fact that He's got it. And even though there are moments when I fail miserably and my confidence as their teacher is deminishing by the second, He's got it. I can choose to not trust him, to be disobedient, and wrestle an unending fight with Jesus. OR- I can rest.
After a long day of wrestling, eventually a peace came over my classroom. And that wrestling faded away. But at the end, there was pure exhaustion. Exhaustion from all the energy used to fight and maintain that control that had been taken away. And in all these moments, I could only feel conviction. And once again, I saw myself. I've been in those moments when I am so exhausted that I just can't give anymore energy. And those moments are when I find God's grace the most. When I think about the times I have completely surredended to Jesus- I am reminded of only the goodness. I want that for my life. I want to wake up every day in God's grace and remember His faithfulness. I want to be reminded that the wrestling is just simply a waste of energy and time. I want moments like these in my classroom where I am completely convicted by an intentional God. I want nothing more that to trust His plans and know that no matter how many times I toil with Him away like my kids do with me- He's got me in mind. He's always had me in mind. And I always have my kids in mind. If I had just trusted His plan, all of that energy could of be saved for something much greater. So instead of wrestling, I'll surrender. Because after all, He's got me.
We are sinful. He is steadfast. We are fearful. He is faithful. We are broken. He binds up. We cherish idols. He cherishes us.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Change
I think there is one thing they don't necessarily prepare you for in the teaching world and that's the ability to completely alter your day when something doesn't go as planned. And when I mean something I mean one thing that then throws your whole day off course. If I have learned anything in the past 4 weeks of being in school, it's that right there. How to cope with change, last minute activities, lessons that just go horribly, days in which my kids just simply aren't in the mood, meltdowns, happy moments that you just want to stop and enjoy, visitors, and baking gone bad. I at least tried to shorten my list of things that have gone wrong in my classroom that way you aren't completely convinced I am a struggling new teacher.
Although there are many things that have gone wrong in this past month, there is a lot of things that have gone wonderfully. I try to think of myself as a person who looks at the glass half full, because if we are honest, we need more people like that in this world. And especially in classrooms. If you know anything have kids with autism, you know change is not one of our favorite things in the world. And I say our as if I am including myself with my kids because I spend more time with them than anyone else in my life so whatever they feel, I feel. Whatever upsets them, upsets me. Whatever brings them joy, brings me joy. Whatever makes them laugh, makes me laugh. Whatever change comes our way, we cope. These little changes in our school day don't necessarily bother other "neuro-typical" kids, but for my friends sometimes it throws our whole day off. But I just want to take a second to brag about my boys, because we have had not one, not two, but three fire/code red drills since school started and we have powered through them like nobody's business. Before these drills happened I was fairly warned and mentally prepared for whatever might come my way in the waves of screams, kicks, tears, and just pure melt downs. But that didn't happen. My boys lined up, walked outside, took a nice little break in the school parking lot, walked back in and got right back to our centers. I know most people are probably thinking that's great and all, but is that really that big of a milestone? I mean its just a fire drill. But to me, it's huge. I think it really struck home for as odd as it sounds. Especially for my friends who are normally given the rule of thumb, "structured and well-known schedule is our happy place." I found myself convicted of how I deal with change and anything that gets in my way of messing up my intentions, plans, whatever you want to call it.
Although there are many things that have gone wrong in this past month, there is a lot of things that have gone wonderfully. I try to think of myself as a person who looks at the glass half full, because if we are honest, we need more people like that in this world. And especially in classrooms. If you know anything have kids with autism, you know change is not one of our favorite things in the world. And I say our as if I am including myself with my kids because I spend more time with them than anyone else in my life so whatever they feel, I feel. Whatever upsets them, upsets me. Whatever brings them joy, brings me joy. Whatever makes them laugh, makes me laugh. Whatever change comes our way, we cope. These little changes in our school day don't necessarily bother other "neuro-typical" kids, but for my friends sometimes it throws our whole day off. But I just want to take a second to brag about my boys, because we have had not one, not two, but three fire/code red drills since school started and we have powered through them like nobody's business. Before these drills happened I was fairly warned and mentally prepared for whatever might come my way in the waves of screams, kicks, tears, and just pure melt downs. But that didn't happen. My boys lined up, walked outside, took a nice little break in the school parking lot, walked back in and got right back to our centers. I know most people are probably thinking that's great and all, but is that really that big of a milestone? I mean its just a fire drill. But to me, it's huge. I think it really struck home for as odd as it sounds. Especially for my friends who are normally given the rule of thumb, "structured and well-known schedule is our happy place." I found myself convicted of how I deal with change and anything that gets in my way of messing up my intentions, plans, whatever you want to call it.
I am reading a new book that a friend recommended to me and this little piece really hit me hard on her view of change:
"As I mine back through my heart and memories, I noticed something interesting: the best moments of the last few years were the very rare moments when I've allowed these changes to work their way through my life, when I've lived up to my faith, when I've been able even for a minute to see life as more than my very own plan unfolding on my schedule, when I've practiced acceptance, when I've floated instead of fought, when I've rested, even for a moment, on the surface instead of wrestling the water itself. And those moments are like heaven. " (Bittersweet)
So true. And so good. So I think that is what we are going to work on. And I can tell you my boys are doing a far better job than I am with all this change as a new teacher, living in a new part of town, and starting this new thing called adult life. Although I am technically their teacher, you would be impressed by how much they teach me. And love me. And not love me as if I am the best teacher on earth. But love me even through my trials, messed up lesson plans, and frantic yet peaceful days in my classroom. I wouldn't have it any other way. So change you say? Piece of cake. Or maybe a fourth of a piece right now.
"As I mine back through my heart and memories, I noticed something interesting: the best moments of the last few years were the very rare moments when I've allowed these changes to work their way through my life, when I've lived up to my faith, when I've been able even for a minute to see life as more than my very own plan unfolding on my schedule, when I've practiced acceptance, when I've floated instead of fought, when I've rested, even for a moment, on the surface instead of wrestling the water itself. And those moments are like heaven. " (Bittersweet)
So true. And so good. So I think that is what we are going to work on. And I can tell you my boys are doing a far better job than I am with all this change as a new teacher, living in a new part of town, and starting this new thing called adult life. Although I am technically their teacher, you would be impressed by how much they teach me. And love me. And not love me as if I am the best teacher on earth. But love me even through my trials, messed up lesson plans, and frantic yet peaceful days in my classroom. I wouldn't have it any other way. So change you say? Piece of cake. Or maybe a fourth of a piece right now.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Hello 12+ work days.
Being on the other side is quite eye opening. And by other side I mean now being a teacher instead of a student for the first time in my life. I remember being in school and thinking, "Could I be here ANY longer?" You know when you stare at the clock about every 3 minutes hoping it could move at lighting speed for the dismissal bell to ring? Well let me tell you something- teachers may or may not have the same thoughts cross our minds, except that we stay much longer than I ever dreamed as a student. I'm talking from 6 AM until 6-7 PM. Who would of THOUGHT?
The start of school was a tad bit rough. We weren't allowed back into our school until the first day of pre-planning and my room was full of boxes for a type of classroom I have zero formal experience in. Needless to say- my OCD was in overdrive with the thought of 40+ boxes in my room just sitting there to be unpacked. I really didn't know how I was going to even manage to do set up my room in between meetings and classes we had to sit in on. But of course, God had it all taken care of. I walk into my first day at 7:30 AM with my para-pro unpacking boxes with most of it already being done. She had arrived at 6:00 AM and done most of it for me, just simply because. I honestly had to hold back the tears because I was just so blown away by her servant heart. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't even required to come that day. Jesus is faithful in even the tiny details people. Believe it.
Fast forward a few weeks and it has officially been 7 days since I started school and I can't tell you how quick it has flown by. I have finally gotten to be with the students I have been praying over for years and once knowing their names this summer it was extra special to pray for them. Lately, I have come to the realization of how powerful prayer is. Not only do I get the opportunity to teach these little people, I also get the opportunity to invest in their lives, their hearts, and simply just love on them. Now don't get me wrong- we have had our moments over this past week. Needless to say, we are getting to know each other. We have had our tough moments that I can't say on here, but trust me, all you need to know is they have been tough. I think that is the most important thing a teacher can do is really invest in each child. If you are able to do that, you are able to do predict, understand, and resolve just about anything. Can I get an amen? At moments when they grab your hand, give you that smile, scream, kick, hit, or have those tears just streaming down their face, you know. You know exactly what they need. Technically it has been 7 days, but those prayers that have been said for me and the ones that I have said myself, have truly been answered. I am able to understand what they want, need, and even those odd little mannerisms they might have and it's such an incredible feeling.
If I have realized one important thing over this short week to share with anyone in a similar position or even one that has no similarity at all, it would be this. Be present. I know that seems a little obvious, but really. At my church we are taking two weeks off just to rest and practice the Sabbath and I think it has really hit home for me. If you know me at all, you know I am constantly planning, thinking about the next moment, next week, next month, next year, and I could go on and on. But that isn't what Jesus calls us to do. I have heard this verse my whole life, but it has really blown up my heart lately, "Be still and know that I am God." Even in those moments when I don't know if I can even make it to the next hour, let alone the end of the day, somehow one of my little friends reminds me with a laugh or smile that I am exactly where I need to be and those moments overflow my heart. For example I had one friend who was just upset over something I couldn't understand what he wanted or needed and finally he stopped and looked up at me right in the eyes and said "hug." That's all he wanted- was for me to just be in that moment and love on him. And instead of planning every last move they have- I should just be still. I truly believe that when you are still, Jesus speaks volumes. But here is the kicker- the act of being still is probably the hardest thing to do. We much rather plan, ignore, or have our plans override His plans because trust me, it has taken (and still taking) me a long time to figure out the truth. Looking back, if I had gone with what my plans were I would of been in for it. At those moments when God had a different plan I was angry, frustrated, disappointed, heartbroken, and probably every other emotion you could possibly feel. But standing where I am now and looking back where Jesus put His hand in my life to alter, change, and create the plans He envisioned- I am left completely speechless at how faithful He is.
So I think that is where I am now with this whole dream job I have going on- if I just stop trying to plan every second and really live in each moment, Jesus is going to provide everything I could possibly desire for my classroom and even in my own personal life. I hope you will continue to pray for me and my little friends. As I said in my last post, all I want to do is pour life into them. And what I mean by life is Jesus. Of course I very much respect other people's religious views in every classroom- so if some people don't want it to be named that, then call it love, hope, happiness, grace or whatever makes you feel comfortable. Jesus has placed me right where He intended to. And for that, I am thankful.
The start of school was a tad bit rough. We weren't allowed back into our school until the first day of pre-planning and my room was full of boxes for a type of classroom I have zero formal experience in. Needless to say- my OCD was in overdrive with the thought of 40+ boxes in my room just sitting there to be unpacked. I really didn't know how I was going to even manage to do set up my room in between meetings and classes we had to sit in on. But of course, God had it all taken care of. I walk into my first day at 7:30 AM with my para-pro unpacking boxes with most of it already being done. She had arrived at 6:00 AM and done most of it for me, just simply because. I honestly had to hold back the tears because I was just so blown away by her servant heart. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't even required to come that day. Jesus is faithful in even the tiny details people. Believe it.
Fast forward a few weeks and it has officially been 7 days since I started school and I can't tell you how quick it has flown by. I have finally gotten to be with the students I have been praying over for years and once knowing their names this summer it was extra special to pray for them. Lately, I have come to the realization of how powerful prayer is. Not only do I get the opportunity to teach these little people, I also get the opportunity to invest in their lives, their hearts, and simply just love on them. Now don't get me wrong- we have had our moments over this past week. Needless to say, we are getting to know each other. We have had our tough moments that I can't say on here, but trust me, all you need to know is they have been tough. I think that is the most important thing a teacher can do is really invest in each child. If you are able to do that, you are able to do predict, understand, and resolve just about anything. Can I get an amen? At moments when they grab your hand, give you that smile, scream, kick, hit, or have those tears just streaming down their face, you know. You know exactly what they need. Technically it has been 7 days, but those prayers that have been said for me and the ones that I have said myself, have truly been answered. I am able to understand what they want, need, and even those odd little mannerisms they might have and it's such an incredible feeling.
If I have realized one important thing over this short week to share with anyone in a similar position or even one that has no similarity at all, it would be this. Be present. I know that seems a little obvious, but really. At my church we are taking two weeks off just to rest and practice the Sabbath and I think it has really hit home for me. If you know me at all, you know I am constantly planning, thinking about the next moment, next week, next month, next year, and I could go on and on. But that isn't what Jesus calls us to do. I have heard this verse my whole life, but it has really blown up my heart lately, "Be still and know that I am God." Even in those moments when I don't know if I can even make it to the next hour, let alone the end of the day, somehow one of my little friends reminds me with a laugh or smile that I am exactly where I need to be and those moments overflow my heart. For example I had one friend who was just upset over something I couldn't understand what he wanted or needed and finally he stopped and looked up at me right in the eyes and said "hug." That's all he wanted- was for me to just be in that moment and love on him. And instead of planning every last move they have- I should just be still. I truly believe that when you are still, Jesus speaks volumes. But here is the kicker- the act of being still is probably the hardest thing to do. We much rather plan, ignore, or have our plans override His plans because trust me, it has taken (and still taking) me a long time to figure out the truth. Looking back, if I had gone with what my plans were I would of been in for it. At those moments when God had a different plan I was angry, frustrated, disappointed, heartbroken, and probably every other emotion you could possibly feel. But standing where I am now and looking back where Jesus put His hand in my life to alter, change, and create the plans He envisioned- I am left completely speechless at how faithful He is.
So I think that is where I am now with this whole dream job I have going on- if I just stop trying to plan every second and really live in each moment, Jesus is going to provide everything I could possibly desire for my classroom and even in my own personal life. I hope you will continue to pray for me and my little friends. As I said in my last post, all I want to do is pour life into them. And what I mean by life is Jesus. Of course I very much respect other people's religious views in every classroom- so if some people don't want it to be named that, then call it love, hope, happiness, grace or whatever makes you feel comfortable. Jesus has placed me right where He intended to. And for that, I am thankful.
Monday, June 10, 2013
This is happening.
I graduated college 3 weeks ago and am still in disbelief. How could I, Miranda Olsen, possibly be old enough to have a college degree, pay for my own bills, hand over my parents credit card, wake up 5 days a week at 4:45 AM (still makes me queasy thinking about it) and say good bye to all of the college memories I so desperately want to never let go of. Well, this is all happening. I graduated with that little piece of paper they call a degree, I am moving to a new city with two incredible girls, and did I mention I am the newest ABA/Autism teacher for Cobb County? YES. All of the times I found myself praying, believing, and knowing I belonged in a classroom with special needs classroom. I would find myself just starring at those classrooms as I walked through schools, playgrounds, or even in the halls I student taught at. While I love all children, I knew that little tug at my heart was something I just couldn't ignore anymore. For years I knew that was my tick. I had people question me over and over, "Are you sure Miranda?" "Are you going to be able to handle it?" "That's your envision of your future classroom?" Actually, yes. That was my place. My purpose. My passion. My joy. Everything. I prayed that although I would be graduating with a degree in Early Childhood, I could somehow be placed into a Special Education classroom. I had no idea how it would happen, but for the first time in my life I let it go and let God. God has completely wrecked my heart for the past several months, and I know He would come through with whatever was come my way. And He prevailed once again. I was offered my dream job at my first interview two weeks to the day I graduated from college. How awesome is HE? I guess that is why I am writing this blog. I had a friend approach me and say, "You know Miranda, you should blog about your first year teaching in an ABA/Autism room. You're going to learn so much." She was exactly right. I should blog and share stories, mistakes, ideas, struggles, moments of happiness, moments of pure exhaustion with everyone. While I do know I probably won't have many readers, because let's be honest, who wants to read a teacher blog? It doesn't hurt my feelings, so don't you worry. But I hope I can eventually help someone out there, struggle with someone, cry with someone, laugh with someone, scream with someone, or maybe just even look back in a few years and see how much I have grown as a teacher and just a woman in general. So go ahead- won't sweat it if this is the only post you'll read, but I will ask you for one thing. Pray. Could you pray for my classroom, my kids, and myself? Pray that I can reach these kids who I already know are going to be such a huge part of my life, heart, and purpose in life. Pray that I pour Jesus in them, pray that I am able to understand and communicate with them in a way that just makes them feel at ease. While legally I do have to keep all my kids names anonymously and would love for you to pray for them by name, that just isn't an option. The good news is-- we all know that Jesus knows our hearts and our prayers before we even speak them. So no worries, the big man upstairs knows exactly who you will be talking about. My Dad sent me this prayer both he and my Mom have for me and I really just think it sums up my prayer perfectly:
..."Please help Miranda as she strengthens her students voices bodies and minds, to express their feelings and control them sometimes. To explore what's near and venture afar, but most important we know Miranda will love who they are."....
Honestly brings tears to my eyes. That I serve a King who knew from the day I was born that this is what I was called to do. To love on children with special needs and make them feel so incredibly loved.
So you are more than welcome to come on this journey with me. I hope it is somewhat enjoyable, and if anything you can come and just get a good laugh at my first year mistakes that are bound to bring someone some joy.
..."Please help Miranda as she strengthens her students voices bodies and minds, to express their feelings and control them sometimes. To explore what's near and venture afar, but most important we know Miranda will love who they are."....
Honestly brings tears to my eyes. That I serve a King who knew from the day I was born that this is what I was called to do. To love on children with special needs and make them feel so incredibly loved.
So you are more than welcome to come on this journey with me. I hope it is somewhat enjoyable, and if anything you can come and just get a good laugh at my first year mistakes that are bound to bring someone some joy.
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