Dear Teacher Me...

Hey Y’all - Happy Monday!

I’m a few days late, but that’s okay.

Right? :)

Anywho, today I’m joining Kristin from Taz and Belly for her Little Letters link-up, where we write “letters” to stuff as a way of sharing what’s going on at the moment.

 Except I’m not doing a random list of “letters” like I normally do.

Instead, I’m writing just one letter.

A letter to Teacher Me...

And it all started when I saw the image below online the other day...

Dear Teacher Me,

You are starting Year #10 as a teacher. 

Can you believe that?!

It seems like just yesterday you were sitting in a classroom at the University of Montevallo, wondering what kind of teacher you’d become...

And look at you now.

God has used your love and passion for teaching and grew it into a calling for something even bigger... 

He grew it into a calling to further His Kingdom through the field of education.

You’ve taught the children of missionaries,

ambassadors and various dignitaries, businessmen, and more.

You’ve taught in two different schools in sweet home Alabama, including a historic school in Selma, Alabama, where you grew as a Special Ed teacher, thanks to the role you played AND more than that, to the incredible fellow Special Ed teacher you worked with, who took you under her wing.

You’ve taught, and still are teaching, in Senegal, West Africa. Here you’ve taught General Ed, ESL, and now Special Ed.

You helped start a class for students with moderate to severe special needs, giving your students the chance to receive the education they need and deserve.

You’ve taught over 100 students over the past 9.5 years. And you still beam with pride when you hear news of one’s success because you know... They all stole little pieces of your heart the minute they stepped through the doors of your classroom.

And now, here we are today.

You started the day by giving a presentation to your co-workers on Special Education. 

And now you’re in Professional Development meetings all day.

And after that, you’ll prep for the three IEP meetings you have tomorrow.

And then, before you go home, you’ll put the finishing touches on your classroom because you want to make sure it’s nice and decorated, warm and inviting, when your students and their families come for meetings tomorrow.

And you’re semi-worried.

You’re thinking...

What if you can’t get it all done?

What if you classroom arrangement doesn’t look exactly like you sketched it on paper?

What if you can’t make the decorations look like those amazing classrooms you saw on Pinterest or Instagram or Facebook?

But I’m here to tell you something...

Stop.

Stop worrying.

Stop comparing your classroom to those you saw on your computer screen.

Know that you’ve done the absolute best that you could in your room. You’ve put in a ridiculous amount of hours, buying supplies, packing/unpacking, cleaning, rearranging, decorating, and planning for your classroom.

You’ve worked your tail off in that room.

And more importantly than that...

You’ve prayed over your class roster.

You’ve literally said every name aloud to God, asking Him to help each and every one of those precious gifts grow in Him this school year.

And that...

That is more important than any Pinterest-worthy classroom ever dared to be.

Sincerely,

Me