Skip to main content

The Prayer of a Teacher After the First Day of School.

I cried today. Lately, I haven't been much of a cryer. My mom will tell you that it takes a lot to make me cry. Today I cried. I cried because today was the first day of school. I am exhausted. My feet hurt, my face is greasy, and I'm not sure how I smell. I smiled as 22 brand new students walked into classroom 120. I felt the high energy of the kids who wished summer was at least another month longer. I tried to explain the rules and procedures but forgot how difficult that can be. This year will prove to be the biggest challenge in my teaching career. I miss my kids from last year, still. I hope the impact they've left on me will never change. Today, I write down a prayer for myself and for all my teachers out there. I pray that I will make a difference. I pray that tomorrow when the routines begin that I will give direction with clarity. I pray that I will find something to love about each one of my students. I pray I don't forget the good kids while I'm focusing on the challenging. I pray I can be inspired to teach my kids academics as well as life skills. I pray they feel loved. I pray I will have patience. I pray I will be the right dose of firm, yet silly. I pray that I will plan well enough to push each child to their highest potential. I pray that I can be the best I can be. I pray for all of my students. I pray for myself. 


Today I felt defeated. I wondered if I had done enough to make the first day a good one. Tomorrow I will do better. Tomorrow I will give it all I've got, again. I will keep on trying until I've done my part in my prayer. I am blessed to see my students as Children of God. I know that each child is loved and each child has divine purposes. I know that teaching is a career of the heart. 

Comments

  1. Mama RobertsOctober 26, 2016 at 9:55 PM

    Shelby, I always knew my children were lucky to have you as their teacher but I feel even more so now after reading this post. Thank you for seeing them with spiritual eyes and for sharing your talent for teaching and having fun. You are a blessing to each one of them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dearest Utah

My dear sweet Utah, What an amazing three weeks you've given me. You always will be my home away from home and I will always be grateful for my summers spent with you. Utah, you teach me a lot every single time I'm with you, and this year you've given me much to be thankful for. You have taught me that family is never that far away. You have taught me that life in itself gives great challenges, but those challenges make me stronger. You have taught me that one of my most favorite things is seeing my grandparents hold hands while walking together. You have taught me that the mountains are the most beautiful place in the world. You have taught me that the stars are so much brighter when you are actually looking for them. You have taught me how much I am blessed to have such amazing friends back home. You have taught me that it's okay not to look your best every day. You have taught me that Law & Order: SVU is a slight addiction shared by my cousins and myself. You ha
3 comments
Read more

The divine role of a woman.

I turn 18 tomorrow. My birthday has never been a super exciting ordeal and it's never been a big deal. As I reflect on the past 18 years of my life I am reminded of the divine women I have been lucky to have in my life. It all starts with my two grandmothers. My grandma Jean is a beautiful woman who makes me laugh and puts up with me every summer. She has taught me lessons about life and that my education is very important. My grandma Forsyth is a true strong woman. I enjoy her simple nature and her love of family history. From them comes my mother. I am pretty sure she already knows how amazing she is. I could go on for hours about her and her crazy self. Then there are the countless church leaders that have entered into my life. From the time I was old enough to understand anything there has always been a image of a divine woman not far from my sight. They helped me grow up and they taught me how simply amazing it is to be a woman. There are teachers that have touched my heart an
2 comments
Read more

Facing Up

Facing up to things in life are sometimes the hardest. Facing up to being rude, to being sad, to being angry, gets harder each time. The older I get, the worse I get at facing up. I run way far away from everything and anything, and that, is a major flaw of mine. Today I stayed home from school, and took a day for myself. This day consisted of sleeping in, cleaning, and laughing my butt of while watching Friends. I went to church tonight, pretty much in my pajamas, and no makeup. We played human Battleship, and I loved every minute of it. On the way home Dylan and I laughed at the fact that manure and perfume do not mix well together(some people had fertilized their fields and it smelled way bad so we tried to cover up the smell with perfume). I feel bad for myself sometimes, but then I am reminded that things could be much worse. My aunt had a link to a blog on her blog, and I opened it, read it, and now I read it everyday. This strong and courageous woman named Stephanie and her husb
2 comments
Read more