My Blessings

I haven't written a blog post for a while.  The school year began and I got busy.  That is what happens each and every year.  School starts and my schedule then revolves around getting up, rushing off to my classroom and coming home to try to cram the rest of my day with keeping my husband, the house, and pets cared for.  Then add in social and church commitments and personal commitments of exercise  and the days really begin to blur.

One particular reason that they go so fast is what I do during the day, I work with high school students.  Each year as  I enter the school term, I try to think of a way to encourage my view of the year. Last year the district suggested each person find "one word" to use for the year.  I chose "foster".
This year, I decided to think about how my students make me feel.  For the most part. I work with students who do not love the whole concept of school.  In fact, for many of my students, they would just about rather be anywhere other than at school.  My students feel school is very hard.  There are many reasons for their perceptions.  Some have had tough life circumstances so just existing is difficult and school is part of that existence.  Others have problems learning, but are not diagnosed with any specific need so they receive no special services.  Some missed educational concepts when they were younger due to absences, illnesses or language acquisition and now have missing concepts that affect their studies.  In a nutshell, all the students I work with struggle.  I feel like I spend a lot of time outside of tutoring them in subjects. I spend time coaching them to exist in the world.

Back to my choice about how to approach this year, well, I decided to work on changing perceptions. This year I am calling my students, "My Blessings."  I am doing this for many reasons.  My students are the reason that I get out of bed in the morning and drive to school.  Without them, I would have no reason to get up and go, other than my own silly agendas, and that is indeed a blessing.

My students help me use the gifts I have been given  in a positive way.  I enjoy connecting with people, helping others understand, teaching new things, taking care of others, and training my students to advocate for themselves.  These are blessings.

Sometimes I notice that there is a stigma attached to the students I work with, and others associate negative labels and values with "my kids."  If I consistently refer to them as "My Blessings," perhaps a new perception may happen over time.

When I am working with "my kids," and they are down and overwhelmed, as they so often are,  letting them know that they are "My Blessings," and why they are, affirms that I am invested in them and care deeply about their success.

Last of all, sadly,  it seems that much too often I find out that a past student has been lost. That happened once again today. It simply breaks my heart.  These individual's lives are so difficult and surviving school is just a very small part of the deal.  Life can be too much to endure.  Yet, they are still "My Blessings," because there is a warmth from their soul left with me that can never be taken away.

Through hard work I am blessed and "My Blessings" are with me each and every day of school year and linger on after.