As a teacher, it never ceases to amaze me how great it feels to go back to school each year. For those of you that left the school house behind long ago, let me tell you the reasons why Back to School is such an amazing time for me spiritually.
1. The nervousness and excitement of the chance to start anew is palpable during this time of year. I can feel it when I run my hands across the fresh sheet of paper, or when I crack open a never used before textbook.
2. I can smell the change coming. My mom told me that because the corn is ‘tasseling’ it puts this specific smell into the air. If you live in the Midwest, you know that it’s the smell of summer ending.
3. The promise of a new school year brings the hope that I can meet new people, grow in knowledge, and experience a new adventure.
4. While teaching may be stressful, there is always the assurance that if I screw up, there will be another shot to fix it. In the real world, we don’t always have that luxury; in fact, perfection is the standard. It’s nice to know that if I botched a lesson in one class, I can always improve on it by sixth period. It’s a process that has fluidity. That’s not to say that I I can wing it; I can’t. However, I am at least given the grace to try again.
I love that I get to teach students everyday. It is such a blessing! More importantly teaching has taught me more about humility and tested my patience. These are two areas that have always been challenging for me in my walk with God. So it only makes sense that my vocation serves to illuminate my issues while forcing me to confront them head on at the same time. Don’t you just love that? It is a job that encourages the development of my spiritual gifts and that’s pretty cool.