Its official! I have finished my first semester of teaching. It seriously seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane for the very first time, and yet before I know it I will be getting back on that plane. It has been a crazy few months and I never thought this is where I would be right now. I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that its Christmastime as it is 85 and sunny outside. Nor can I believe that I am almost halfway through my year here in Saipan.
Teaching teaches you a lot. I think it goes for most careers working with students-they teach you as much as or maybe more than you teach them. One of things I really wanted to my teaching to be about was listening. I wanted to hear the students’ ideas and their thoughts. Was I perfect in this? NO! But one day I sat down my students in a circle and we just talked. I learned more in that one class hour from a group of 7th graders than I had in a long time. They “got” it. They knew what it meant to be treated right and what the Bible said about their actions and our actions as teachers. It made me step back and realize that my junior high students are wiser than I often give them credit for and struggling with serious things that often make school the last thing on their mind. On the other hand, they can also be very flaky and made you just want to scream because you have said the same thing 1000 times! All of this causes you, as the teacher, to work hard to figure out the balance between compassion and accountability, discipline and grace. That my friends is a very hard road to walk. However, as I read course evaluations and began my planning for next semester, I got excited about more chances to grown in those areas and new students to challenge my teaching and my life.
Being a computer teacher, I will get a whole new batch of students after our break. This both excites me and saddens me. I really liked my students. We had started to bond and mesh and now I have to start from scratch again. However, I get to start from scratch again! The mistakes I made and things that didn’t work get to be re-worked and re-done. And do I have things I want to change! I also plan to re-vamp my ESL classes to make them more productive for both my students and myself and to provide more structure and consistency. It causes me to think that some days I might almost like this teaching thing!
Thus, I am now faced with the decision of what to do next year. As I sat in my apartment tonight with nine rather hyper 6th grade girls, I realized that I love them. God has placed them in my life and given me a special spot for those girls. As we laughed and talked about school, life, and boys, I decided that saying good-bye will be hard no matter when I have to do it. I have fallen in love with a small island in the middle of the ocean and with a student body/school that is diverse as the ocean. I have made friends that have become family. I have experienced things that most people never get to. And ultimately I am in the exact place God wanted me to be.
As I head into my break, I plan to do a lot of soul-searching. I think Bali will be good for that and you can expect a 2010 recap when I return. I have no answers nor have I made any decision as far as what is next. I am leaving those thoughts for my week alone in Bali. Perhaps being away and disconnected will give me clarity of thought.
So with my first semester of teaching down and with all the highs and lows, ups and downs, laughter and tears, and all the memories that will forever be etched in my heart and mind, I can’t complain. Life is pretty good! Thanks for reading my dear blog friends and look for more of my adventures to come!
