And so it begins...again...

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the year. The time of year where I have to get up early, where I am on a schedule that I have little say in, where I have to find the strength and energy and sanity to do my job when I am sapped dry of strength and energy and sanity from doing my job, and the constant running of my mind of ideas, checklists of work to be done, and children who need some extra help. The time of year where I have to leave behind the luxuries of lazy summer days to face the hustle and bustle of teaching!

Despite it all,  I LOVE my job! Those hated things above are rarely a game changer for me. Really it's just the transition from not being on a set schedule to being on a set schedule that gets me. Once I am in the routine I feel much better, especially when I know we have days off throughout the year to help restore that whole sanity part;). 

Even when my little kiddos decide to take their bright minds to another planet for a time during class and have not a clue what has been going on around them for the past 10 minutes. I love my job! Or when they are so delightfully telling me a story at lunch as they chew their food and I try to stomach my own food. I wouldn't trade it for a thing! 

I just finished up my first week of school for my fourth time. I can definitely say I had a great week and was reminded again that God's timing and placement in my life are always right on target! 

For teachers, January is not the New Year. August is. And I love this time of the year despite all of its craziness because I get a fresh start. It is the perfect time to change things that didn't go so well last year, to evaluate my personal teaching style and how I can improve it for the benefit of my students, and to learn from the mistakes and successes of the past.

For me personally this year, my challenge is to be less and allow Christ to be more in my life. Lately God has been constantly bringing to light times where I am being a bit selfish. Whether it is simply me taking the time to stop and have a conversation with someone when I know I have a mountain of papers to check or me reigning in my frustration when that child who took the first flight to a far off universe hasn't a clue what to do on the worksheet I just thoroughly explained, I see much room for improvement. My heart is to be more like Christ in handling the simplest of things. The things where most people would say that they completely understand why I was in a hurry or why I got a little frustrated that I had to repeat everything I just went over.  I hope to one day look different than the world in how I live my life, and this year my goal is to be aware of how I handle little things in my day to day that may not be life altering to the casual eye. Maybe as the Lord teaches me to handle these little  day to day moments a little better, He is preparing me to handle bigger things that life is sure to throw my way. Not just school either but life in general...family, friends, church,etc.  And maybe...just maybe someone will see how the Lord has taught me to handle life differently than the world and will want to know more about the beauty of life lived for Him.