Tonight, I want to quit teaching… but I won’t. I work really, really hard to create active, engaging lessons. I read over 150 pages of student writing a week. I give detailed feedback on style, tone, organization, and grammar. I also comment on what students say about themselves, their worlds, and their ideas. I know my students. I LOVE my […]
I’m saying, “me too,” because I know I am not the only one feeling there is nothing left to give today.
Dear Suspended Student, For the past couple of days I have been struggling with a question I can’t shake- Did you fail, or did I fail you? You see, I knew from the first day that you were hard, but not unreachable. I knew from the look you gave me when I asked you to take your headphones out and […]
I’m a pastor, and I swear sometimes.
I try not to, but sometimes there are no other words that can quite express exactly the sentiment I want to convey.
For example, I might let a word or two slip when I am out running with my dog, Bruiser. …This is when I lose my sanctified mind!
I have been at pastors’ wives retreats and leadership events/trainings where dealing with the loneliness of ministry has been a topic of discussion. I never really understood it.
It seems I have served in some capacity of ministry my entire life, and I have never felt lonely in ministry… until now.
James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. Why are we here? What is the point? Does life have meaning and value? These questions intrinsically reflect doubt. They implicitly challenge the notions that there is a reason for life and that each one of us is significant. […]
As we approach the new school year, I often see advice to parents about how to help their children become successful in the classroom. The advice is generally very good, but it never quite says what I wish it would. My three children run the spectrum of academically advanced, on pace, and learning disabled. As a parent and an educator […]
Dear Trouble(d) Student,
I am sure you think all I want is for you to sit quietly, do your work, and learn. You are wrong. I want so much more.
When I look into their faces as I read them the poem, I still see the young man (who was almost constantly in a cast of some sort) sitting in a middle school classroom. I see his energy and exuberance in their young and promising eyes, and my heart breaks again… and again… and again.
I am a feeler and a fixer. I often keep the feeling internal and demonstrate my concern by trying to fix. I am getting slightly wiser with age, and I’m learning to try to keep the fixing to myself and share the feeling.