School

Good morning, God!  And thank you for this new day in my life, for all the opportunities it holds for me to grow and to learn and to love and to give.  Now that school's started, I have plenty of chances to do all of those things, don't I?  And I do thank you for those opportunities. . . I just ask you that you'll be with me so that I can do the best job I possibly can as a teacher and as a mentor.

When students come into my class for the first time, there's always that uneasiness--is this guy going to be a jerk?  Is this class going to be too hard for me to do too well in?  Is this guy going to be the kind that mocks me or encourages me?  I know that I've had all kinds of "teachers," and what I try to be in the classroom is someone who encourages and who helps, who tries to show the ways to do things, without punishing or penalizing for mistakes that everyone's going to make.  I do want to grade realistically, and I want grades to be accurate more than anything else.  But I also want them to be fair, and I don't want good grades to be unreachable by students who have average skills but who work very, very hard.  All in all, it's a difficult balancing act.

I do want to ask you, as this school year begins, that you be with me in the classroom, that you help me to encourage students and to help them to grow in the most effective ways possible.  I ask that you help me to not discourage anyone, and that you help me to keep my eyes open for signs of frustration or discouragement so that I can help those who truly need it.  Help me to never lose my temper, and help me to find new ways to present information so that those students who are struggling may be able to understand the concepts and move on with the rest of the students.

Help me to respond to the looks in their eyes, the way they carry themselves, the unasked questions, and the implied frustration.  It's a huge responsibility that I have, and I want to make the most of it for the sake of the students, who definitely will need to be able to write and read well in their futures--my only chance to contribute to their futures is right here in the present, and I hope to make the absolute most of it.  Thanks in advance!