Shining Eyes

One of my colleagues sent me this picture, taken this morning, and titled it "Shining Eyes."

This week we have had a different guest speaker join us each day, sharing something about change. It's "Change Week" for the 7th and 8th graders at our school, when we are centering each lesson in each class around the topic of change. . . What causes change in the world? How can we prepare for or react to change? How can we promote change? Is change always good or bad? How does Christ change us? How are our bodies changing? We got the idea for using "change" as our theme from my sister-in-law Angela (thanks! :) ) Our team has been hoping to do this type of learning experience for a year or two, and our planning process for this particular week started last spring.

Our guest speaker on Monday, Paul, challenged us to keep changing and growing in our faith. His example was a light bulb. . . when it dies, we can't just dress it up again and say it's brighter. The change needs to happen from within because of Christ, and then the change is authentic and meaningful, and not just an act.

Tuesday's speaker was Sarah, who talked about some experiences that changed her for the worse (involving hot dogs and being thrown off a diving board as a child), and then she shared how learning about Christ's love changed her when she was in college.

Yesterday, we had a field trip where we learned about rocks and how they change, and we visited the National Guard armory and learned some things about war and how it changes the lives of soldiers.

Today, our speaker couldn't make it at the last minute, so each of us teachers shared an impromptu story about our faith, and a time that God changed us. The Shining Eyes picture is meaningful to me because I am blessed and amazed to be teaching with such talented, God-fearing women who care so much about the kids we work with. (Side note: our token male colleague was teaching another class when this picture was taken. . . we do have several men on staff, although male teachers can be hard to come by.)

I have to admit that after the first day of "Change Week" I came home a little discouraged. I had worked hours to prepare for this week, moving around the schedule to accommodate our speakers, special lessons, and the field trip, assembling a booklet for the classes I teach, planning creative lessons, and going into school over the weekend to prepare my supplies for an exciting hands-on simulation about how the lives of war refugees are changed when they are forced to leave their homes. As I taught my lesson, however, the kids were a little "excited". I overheard arguments over whether they should save or eat the pet dog, and kids insisting on creating a hot tub in their refugee camp, and something else about making sure there were caramel-apple suckers available. Ugh. Such is life with 7th and 8th graders, on some days. :)

I came home wondering if we should ever try this sort of thing again, and tried to remind myself that this has been a goal of mine ever since I began teaching because I have always wanted to do more thematic, project-based learning and that this is a step in the right direction. Besides, the kids had settled down once I started telling them real stories and facts about war and refugees and what a serious topic it is. It just seemed overall they were kind of unappreciative of all our (mine and the other teachers') hard work.

Throughout the day, I pondered and prayed about it some more and tried to put the most positive spin I could on everything. I told myself I was probably just discouraged because I hadn't rested much over the weekend and had been working so much lately.

I poured out my heart to Tim when he got home, and he took Kate and Ethan out for the evening so I could be home on my own for a while and get things done around the house.

Oh, and I also have to mention that at dinner time we've had to work with Ethan because when we offer him something, like "Ethan, would you like milk or water for dinner?" he sometimes whines and demands, "I want juice!" It's about enough to drive us batty, and I know we need to choose our battles, but my thought on this particular night, after the unappreciative students from Day One of Change Week, was "So help me God if I raise a kid that is unappreciative. Ethan, you better just be thankful that we are even offering you milk or water! Be grateful for what you've got!"

Okay, so during my sacred quiet time while Tim was out playing with the kids, I journaled and read and prayed came to this realization. . . Hello! Who's being unappreciative here? Yes, that's right. I am the one who isn't even thankful for the fact that I can teach the classes and students that I love, in a fun and creative way, and I'm the one who gets to spend time with my cute and funny kids, and who has a husband who actually takes the kids out when I need a break, and the list could go on and on and on. Irony at its finest.

My goal in teaching the kids about war refugees was to help them realize how blessed we are to have what we have. And then I came home and complained about my blessings.

Each day since Monday I have come home totally pumped about teaching. The kids have been awesome. . . interested in their learning, well-mannered, funny, inquisitive, encouraging, and thoughtful. I no longer want to seek a different job that requires "no work outside the office."

And now I'm gearing up for another wonderful fall weekend playing with the kids, hanging out with our friends, and planning for another week of teaching.