A Teacher's Prayer

With this new school year rapidly approaching us all, it's important to take the time to remember why we do what we do.

1) We are completely insane.

Wait...start again... ;)

1) It's our calling, no matter how hard it may be.
2) We love those sweet babies, no matter how crazy they can make you how challenging each day can be.

So my prayer this summer for this upcoming school year was to focus on being more compassionate and tenderhearted. I remember reading a verse in May during my devotions one morning that spoke to me so loudly:

Ephesians 4:32

Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Now, I know the whole "Separation of Church and State" yada-yada, but I also know Who gets me through each and every day, no matter how wonderful or stressful that school day may be. Because I am aware of God's great grace and strength He gives me each day, I have made a promise to myself to pray for my class each day, focusing on being more tenderhearted, and compassionate in all situations with my students {and peers}. It's so easy to quickly forget what their family life may be, or what struggles their little minds and hearts are dealing with when giving directions to little Suzy Q for the 823459325th 3rd time in a row. Or to huff, and puff when a colleague is driving you crazy {...PLEASE tell me I am not the only one?!}. I know the number of times a day that I mess up and God sticks with me and loves me anyways.

I created this file to put in a frame on my desk {as to not "influence" my students, but as a reminder to myself daily} to be a more tenderhearted teacher and colleague.

Click on the picture to download a copy for yourself if you wish from Google Documents. I have created two versions to pick from!

Here's to a great school year, full of lots of adventure, learning, and caring for those sweet babies when they are in our home-away-from-home, our classroom.

Until then,